The Otherwise Award, formerly known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

that expand or explore one's understanding of

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures us ...

. It was initiated in February 1991 by science fiction authors Pat Murphy and

Karen Joy Fowler Karen Joy Fowler is an American author of science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. Her work often centers on the nineteenth century, the lives of women, and alienation. She is best known as the author of the best-selling novel '' The Ja ...

, subsequent to a discussion at WisCon. In addition to the award itself, the judges publish what was originally known as the Tiptree Award Honor List, which they describe as "a strong part of the award's identity and ... used by many readers as a recommended reading list." The award was originally named for Alice B. Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree Jr. Due to controversy over the appropriateness of naming an award after Tiptree, the committee administering the award announced on October 13, 2019, that the award would be renamed the Otherwise Award.

Background

Choice of the Tiptree name

By choosing a masculine ''nom de plume'', having her stories accepted under that name and winning awards with them, Alice Sheldon helped demonstrate that the division between male and female science fiction writing was illusory. Years after "Tiptree" first published science fiction, Sheldon wrote some work under the female pen name "Raccoona Sheldon"; later, the science fiction world discovered that "Tiptree" had been female all along. This discovery led to widespread discussion over which aspects of writing, if any, have an intrinsic gender. To remind audiences of the role gender plays in both reading and writing, the award was named in Sheldon's honor at the suggestion of

Controversy and name change

In 2019, controversy arose over the appropriateness of naming an award after Tiptree. In 1987, Alice Sheldon shot and killed her ailing husband

Huntington Sheldon Huntington Denton "Ting" Sheldon (February 14, 1903 – May 19, 1987) served as the Director of the Office of Current Intelligence of the US Central Intelligence Agency from 1951 to 1961, serving under Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Ken ...

before killing herself in the same manner. Although some have called the killing a "

suicide pact A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to die by suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. General considerations Suicide pacts are an important concept in the study of suicide, and h ...

" based on Sheldon's personal writings, others characterize the act as "caregiver murder"—i.e., the murder of a disabled person by the person responsible for caring for them. In light of these allegations, the Tiptree Motherboard received requests to change the name of the award. On September 2, 2019, in response to these requests, the Motherboard made a statement that "a change to the name of the Tiptree Award is otwarranted now"; but nine days later, on September 11, they announced that the award "can’t go on under its existing name". On October 13, 2019, the Tiptree Motherboard released an announcement stating that the Tiptree Award would become the Otherwise Award. The name refers to "the act of imagining gender otherwise" at the core of what the award has always honored, as well as being "wise to the experience of being the other". The title also draws from the Black queer scholarship of

Ashon Crawley Ashon T. Crawley is an American scholar of religion and author. He is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and African American and African Studies at the University of Virginia and author of ''Blackpentecostal Breath: The Aesthetics of Possib ...

around what is termed "otherwise politics". According to the statement, "''Otherwise'' means finding different directions to move in—toward newly possible places, by means of emergent and multiple pathways and methods."

Administration

Fundraising efforts for the Tiptree include publications (two

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...

s), "feminist

bake sale A bake sale, also known as a cake sale or cake stall, is a fundraising activity where baked goods such as doughnuts, cupcakes and cookies, sometimes along with other foods, are sold. Bake sales are usually held by small, non-profit organizations ...

s", and

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition e ...

s. The Tiptree cookbook ''The Bakery Men Don't See'', edited by WisCon co-founder Jeanne Gomoll, was nominated for a 1992

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...

. Tiptree Award

juries A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Juries developed in England duri ...

traditionally consist of four female jurors and one male juror (the "token man"). The funds are administered by the "Tiptree Motherboard" (currently consisting of Murphy, Alexis Lothian, Gretchen Treu, and Sumana Harihareswara, with Fowler remaining closely involved).

Award to the Tiptree Motherboard

In 2011, the

Science Fiction Research Association The Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA), founded in 1970, is the oldest, non-profit professional organization committed to encouraging, facilitating, and rewarding the study of science fiction and fantasy literature, film, and other media. ...

gave its 2011 "

Thomas D. Clareson The Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service is presented by the Science Fiction Research Association for outstanding service activities. Particularly recognized are: promotion of SF teaching and study, editing, reviewing, editorial writ ...

Award for Distinguished Service" to the Tiptree Motherboard. The Clareson Award was presented to the Tiptree Motherboard for "outstanding service activities – promotion of SF teaching and study, editing, reviewing, editorial writing, publishing, organizing meetings, mentoring, and leadership in SF/fantasy organizations".

Anthologies

Selections of the winners, various short-listed fiction, and essays have appeared in four Tiptree-related collections, ''Flying Cups and Saucers'' (1999) and a series of annual anthologies published by Tachyon Publications of San Francisco. These include: * ''Flying Cups and Saucers: Gender Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy'' edited by The Secret Feminist Cabal and Debbie Notkin (1999) * ''The James Tiptree Award Anthology 1'' edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2005) * ''The James Tiptree Award Anthology 2'' edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2006) * ''The James Tiptree Award Anthology 3'' edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2007)

Winners

* Retrospective Award: ''

Motherlines ''The Holdfast Chronicles'' is a series of books by American feminist science fiction author Suzy McKee Charnas. The series consists of four books: * ''Walk to the End of the World'' (1974) * ''Motherlines'' (1978) * ''The Furies'' (1994) * ''T ...

'' and ''

Walk to the End of the World ''The Holdfast Chronicles'' is a series of books by American feminist science fiction author Suzy McKee Charnas. The series consists of four books: * ''Walk to the End of the World'' (1974) * ''Motherlines'' (1978) * ''The Furies'' (1994) * ''T ...

'' by

Suzy McKee Charnas Suzy McKee Charnas (October 22, 1939 – January 2, 2023) was an American novelist and short story writer, writing primarily in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. She won several awards for her fiction, including the Hugo Award, the ...

; ''

The Left Hand of Darkness ''The Left Hand of Darkness'' is a science fiction novel by U.S. writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Published in 1969, it became immensely popular, and established Le Guin's status as a major author of science fiction. The novel is set in the fiction ...

'' by

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

; ''

The Female Man ''The Female Man'' is a feminist science fiction novel by American writer Joanna Russ. It was originally written in 1970 and first published in 1975 by Bantam Books. Russ was an ardent feminist and challenged sexist views during the 1970s with h ...

'' and '' When It Changed'' by

Joanna Russ Joanna Russ (February 22, 1937 – April 29, 2011) was an American writer, academic and feminist. She is the author of a number of works of science fiction, fantasy and feminist literary criticism such as '' How to Suppress Women's Writing'', a ...

* 1991: ''

A Woman of the Iron People ''A Woman of the Iron People'' is an anthropological science fiction novel by American writer Eleanor Arnason, originally published in 1991. It is a first contact story between peoples from a future Earth and an intelligent, furred race of ''peop ...

'' by Eleanor Arnason, and ''White Queen'' by Gwyneth Jones * 1992: ''

China Mountain Zhang ''China Mountain Zhang'' is a 1992 science fiction novel by American writer Maureen F. McHugh. The novel is made up of several stories loosely intertwined. Title The novel's title derives from the name of the protagonist, a young gay man of m ...

'' by Maureen F. McHugh * 1993: ''

Ammonite Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttle ...

'' by

Nicola Griffith Nicola Griffith (; born 30 September 1960) is a British-American novelist, essayist, and teacher. She has won the Washington State Book Award, Nebula Award, James Tiptree, Jr. Award, World Fantasy Award and six Lambda Literary Awards. Personal ...

* 1994: '' The Matter of Seggri'' by

, and ''Larque on the Wing'' by Nancy Springer * 1995: '' Waking the Moon'' by

Elizabeth Hand Elizabeth Hand (born March 29, 1957) is an American writer. Life and career Hand grew up in Yonkers and Pound Ridge, New York. She studied drama and anthropology at The Catholic University of America. Since 1988, Hand has lived in coastal Main ...

, and ''

The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' by Theodore Roszak * 1996: ''Mountain Ways'' by Ursula K. Le Guin, and '' The Sparrow'' by Mary Doria Russell * 1997: ''Black Wine'' by

Candas Jane Dorsey Candas Jane Dorsey (born November 16, 1952) is a Canadian poet and science fiction novelist who resides in her hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. Dorsey became a writer from an early age and works across genre boundaries, writing poetry, fiction, ...

, and ''Travels with the Snow Queen'' by

Kelly Link Kelly Link (born July 19, 1969) is an American editor and author of short stories. While some of her fiction falls more clearly within genre categories, many of her stories might be described as slipstream or magic realism: a combination of sc ...

* 1998: ''Congenital Agenesis of Gender Ideation'' by Raphael Carter * 1999: ''The Conqueror's Child'' by

* 2000: ''Wild Life'' by

Molly Gloss Molly Gloss (born November 20, 1944) is an American writer of historical fiction and science fiction. Life Gloss grew up in rural Oregon and began writing seriously when she became a mother. She now lives in Portland, Oregon, and was close friend ...

* 2001: ''

The Kappa Child ''The Kappa Child'' is a novel by Hiromi Goto, published in 2001. Goto's novel focuses on a Japanese-Canadian woman and her family. The narrator believes herself to have immaculately conceived a kappa Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cur ...

'' by Hiromi Goto * 2002: ''

Light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...

'' by M. John Harrison, and ''Stories for Men'' by

John Kessel John Joseph Vincent Kessel (born September 24, 1950) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. He is a prolific short story writer, and the author of four solo novels, '' Good News From Outer Space'' (1989), ''Corrupting Dr. Nice'' ...

* 2003: ''Set This House in Order: A Romance Of Souls'' by Matt Ruff * 2004: ''

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

'' by

Joe Haldeman Joe William Haldeman (born June 9, 1943) is an American science fiction author. He is best known for his novel '' The Forever War'' (1974). That novel and other works, including '' The Hemingway Hoax'' (1991) and '' Forever Peace'' (1997), hav ...

, and ''

Not Before Sundown ''Not Before Sundown'' (orig. fin. ''Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi'', United States: ''Troll - a love story'') is a novel by Finnish writer Johanna Sinisalo in 2000. In the same year it won a Finlandia Prize for literature. Since then it has won ...

'' by Johanna Sinisalo * 2005: '' Air'' by

Geoff Ryman Geoffrey Charles Ryman (born 1951) is a Canadian writer of science fiction, fantasy, slipstream and historical fiction. Biography Ryman was born in Canada and moved to the United States at age 11. He earned degrees in History and English at UCL ...

* 2006: '' The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden'' by Catherynne M. Valente, and '' Half Life'' by Shelley Jackson; special recognition for Julie Phillips' biography of James Tiptree Jr.: ''James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon'' * 2007: ''

The Carhullan Army ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' by Sarah Hall * 2008: '' The Knife of Never Letting Go'' by

Patrick Ness Patrick Ness (born 17 October 1971) is an American-British author, journalist, lecturer, and screenwriter. Born in the United States, Ness moved to London and holds dual citizenship. He is best known for his books for young adults, including t ...

, and ''

Filter House Filter, filtering or filters may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream * Filter (video), a software component th ...

'' by

Nisi Shawl Nisi Shawl (born 1955) is an African-American writer, editor, and journalist. They are best known as an author of science fiction and fantasy short stories who writes and teaches about how fantastic fiction might reflect real-world diversity ...

* 2009: '' Cloud and Ashes: Three Winter’s Tales'' by

Greer Gilman Greer Ilene Gilman is an American author of fantasy stories. Biography She was educated at Wellesley College and the University of Cambridge, where she studied on a Vida Dutton Scudder Fellowship. Her stories are noted for their dense prose ...

, and '' Ōoku: The Inner Chambers'' by Fumi Yoshinaga * 2010: ''Baba Yaga Laid an Egg'' by

Dubravka Ugresic Dubravka or Dúbravka may refer to: Places * Dúbravka, Bratislava, a district of Bratislava, Slovakia * Dubravka, Croatia, a village in Konavle, Croatia * Dúbravka, Michalovce, a village in the Michalovce District, Slovakia Other * Dubravk ...

* 2011: ''

Redwood and Wildfire ''Redwood and Wildfire'' is Andrea Hairston's second novel. It centers on the main characters Redwood and Aidan and their travel from Georgia to Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. It was published in 2011 by Aqueduct Press Aqueduct Press ...

'' by Andrea Hairston * 2012: '' The Drowning Girl'' by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and ''Ancient, Ancient'' by

Kiini Ibura Salaam Kiini Ibura Salaam (born 1973) is an essayist, science fiction and fantasy short story writer, and painter. Her short story collection ''Ancient, Ancient'' won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for 2012. She is the daughter of writer and activist Kala ...

* 2013: ''

Rupetta ''Rupetta'' (2013) is a science fiction novel by Australian writer Nike Sulway, who has previously published work under the pseudonym Nicole Bourke. The novel won the 2013 James Tiptree, Jr. Award. Plot summary The novel follows the story of R ...

'' by N. A. Sulway * 2014: ''

The Girl in the Road ''The Girl in the Road'' is a 2014 science fiction novel by Monica Byrne. It tracks two stories in parallel: one of a primary protagonist, Meena, as she crosses a floating energy-harvesting bridge that spans the Arabian Sea from India to Djibout ...

'' by

Monica Byrne Monica Byrne (born July 13, 1981) is an American playwright and science fiction author. She is best known for her drama ''What Every Girl Should Know'' and her debut novel ''The Girl in the Road'', which won the 2015 James Tiptree, Jr. Award and ...

, and ''

My Real Children ''My Real Children'' is a 2014 alternate history novel by Welsh-Canadian writer Jo Walton, published by Tor Books. It was released on May 20, 2014. Plot In 2015, Patricia is 89 years old and living in a nursing home, with two mutually-exclusi ...

'' by

Jo Walton Jo Walton (born 1964) is a Welsh and Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She is best known for the fantasy novel ''Among Others'', which won the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2012, and '' Tooth and Claw'', a Victorian era novel w ...

* 2015: ''The New Mother'' by

Eugene Fischer Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the s ...

, and ''

Lizard Radio Lizards are a widespread group of Squamata, squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbae ...

'' by

Pat Schmatz Pat Schmatz (born ca. 1960) is an American author of young adult fiction and middle grade fiction, best known for their James Tiptree Jr. Award winning novel ''Lizard Radio.'' Others of their well-known and award-winning works include ''Bluefish' ...

* 2016: '' When the Moon Was Ours'' by Anna-Marie McLemore * 2017: ''Who Runs The World?'' by

Virginia Bergin Virginia Bergin (born 1966) is an English writer and poet. Early life Bergin grew up in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and now lives in Bristol. She studied psychology and fine arts at Central Saint Martins. In 2017, Bergin won the Otherwise Award fo ...

* 2018: ''

They Will Dream in the Garden In Modern English, ''they'' is a Grammatical person, third-person personal pronoun, pronoun relating to a Subject (grammar), grammatical subject. Morphology In Standard English, Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word Morp ...

'' by

Gabriela Damián Miravete Gabriela may refer to: * Gabriela (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian feminine given name * ''Gabriela'' (1942 film), a Czech film * ''Gabriela'' (1950 film), a German film * ''Gabriela'' (1983 film), a Brazilian film * ''Gabriela ...

* 2019: ''

Freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does in ...

'' by

Akwaeke Emezi Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian fiction writer and video artist, best known for their novels ''Freshwater'', '' Pet,'' and their ''New York Times'' bestselling novel '' The Death of Vivek Oji''. Emezi is a generalist who writes speculative fiction ...

* 2020: ''

Ife-Iyoku, the Tale of Imadeyunuagbon ''Ife-Iyoku, the Tale of Imadeyunuagbon'' is a fantasy novella by Nigerian speculative fiction writer Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. It was first published ''Selene Quarterly'' in August 2019, and republished in '' Dominion: An Anthology of Speculat ...

'' by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

References

External links

* {{Science fiction Awards established in 1991 Fantasy awards LGBT literary awards Lists of speculative fiction-related award winners and nominees Science fiction awards Gender in speculative fiction

Background

Choice of the Tiptree name

Controversy and name change

Administration

Award to the Tiptree Motherboard

Anthologies

Winners

See also

References

Further reading

External links