Sheila Williams (born 1956) is an American science fiction editor who is the editor of ''
Asimov's Science Fiction'' magazine.
Early life and education
Sheila Williams grew up in a family of five in western
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. Her mother had a
master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in
microbiology
Microbiology () is the branches of science, scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular organism, unicellular (single-celled), multicellular organism, multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or non-cellular life, acellula ...
. Williams’ interest in
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
came from her father, who read
Edgar Rice Burroughs books to her as a child. After studying at the
London School of Economics in her junior year, she studied at and received a bachelor's degree from
Elmira College
Elmira College is a private college in Elmira, New York, United States. Founded as a Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, college for women in 1855, it is the oldest existing college granting degrees to women that ...
in
Elmira, New York
Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. ...
. Williams received her
Master's degree in philosophy from
Washington University in St. Louis.
Career
She became interested in ''Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine'' (as it was then titled) while in graduate school at Washington University. In 1982, Williams was hired at the magazine, and worked with
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
for ten years. While working there, she co-founded the
Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing (at one time called the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy writing). In 2004, with the retirement of
Gardner Dozois, she became the editor of the magazine.
Along with
Gardner Dozois, Williams also edited the "Isaac Asimov's" anthology series. She also co-edited ''
A Woman's Liberation: A Choice of Futures by and About Women'' (2001) with
Connie Willis. Williams has edited a retrospective anthology of fiction published by ''Asimov's'': ''
Asimov's Science Fiction: 30th Anniversary Anthology''. ''Booklist'' called the book "A gem, and a credit to editor Williams." Most recently, she edited Enter a Future: Fantastic Tales from Asimov's Science Fiction.
Williams won the
Hugo Award for Best Short Form Editor in 2011 and 2012.
Personal life
Williams is married to David Bruce and has two daughters.
Bibliography
Anthologies
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Essays and reporting
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sheila
1956 births
Living people
Alumni of the London School of Economics
Asimov's Science Fiction people
Elmira College alumni
Hugo Award–winning editors
American science fiction editors
Washington University in St. Louis alumni
American speculative fiction editors
American women editors
People from Springfield, Massachusetts