Meg Elison

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meg Elison
Elison, at the San Francisco pop-up art exhibit Color Factory, 2017.
Elison, at the San Francisco pop-up art exhibit Color Factory, 2017.
Born (1982-05-10) May 10, 1982 (age 39)
OccupationWriter
Alma materMount San Jacinto College; UC Berkeley
Website
megelison.com

Meg Elison is an American author and feminist essayist whose writings often incorporate the themes of female empowerment, body positivity, and gender flexibility. Her debut novel, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, won the 2014 Philip K. Dick Award, and her second novel, The Book of Etta, was nominated for the award in 2017.[1] Elison's work has appeared in several markets, including Fantasy & Science Fiction,[2] Terraform,[3] McSweeney's Internet Tendency,[4] Catapult,[5] and Electric Literature.[6]

Bibliography[]

Fiction[]

The Road to Nowhere Trilogy

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (June 2014) is a feminist post-apocalyptic examination of the plight of women after a global epidemic. Written primarily in a journal format, the book follows one surviving medical worker as she struggles to find civilization and to provide birth control and medical care to the women that she meets.[7]

The Book of Etta (February 2017) revisits the community of plague survivors several generations later as a female protagonist strikes out against an oppressive male-dominated regime.[8]

The third and final book of the series, The Book of Flora (April 2019), continues the story through the memories of Flora, a woman who was a sex slave.[9]

Other Works

"Find Layla" (September 2020), Elison's first YA novel, centers on a teen suffering from neglect at home who films a video to shine a spotlight on her bitter truth and does what it takes to survive on her own when the video goes viral and Child Protective Services comes to call.[10]

Awards/Nominations[]

Year Organization Award title, category Work Result Refs
2014 Otherwise Award Otherwise Award The Book of the Unnamed Midwife Long List [11]
2015 Philadelphia Science Fiction Society Philip K. Dick Award Won [12]
2017 Otherwise Award Otherwise Award The Book of Etta Long List [13]
2018 Philadelphia Science Fiction Society Philip K. Dick Award Nominee [14]
Otherwise Award Otherwise Award "Big Girl" Honor List [15]
2019 Otherwise Award Otherwise Award The Book of Flora Honor List [16]
2020 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Award for Best Novelette "The Pill" Finalist [17]
2021 World Science Fiction Society Hugo Award for Best Novelette Finalist [18]
Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field Locus Award for Best Novelette Won [19]
Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field Locus Award for Best Collection Big Girl Finalist [19]
Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field Locus Award for Best Short Story "Dresses Like White Elephants" Finalist [19]

Background[]

A high school dropout, Elison advanced through the California community college system and eventually graduated from UC Berkeley. She has written and spoken extensively on the poverty and early queer identity that came to inform much of her work.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ "Gender and the Apocalypse - Los Angeles Review of Books".
  2. ^ "Interview: Meg Elison on "Big Girl" : The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction". www.sfsite.com.
  3. ^ "Meg Elison". Motherboard.
  4. ^ "Meg Elison - McSweeney's Internet Tendency". McSweeney's Internet Tendency.
  5. ^ "Catapult - Meg-Elison". Catapult.
  6. ^ "Meg Elison – Electric Literature". electricliterature.com.
  7. ^ Bosch, Torie (28 January 2016). "This 2014 Sci-Fi Novel Eerily Anticipated the Zika Crisis" – via Slate.
  8. ^ "THE BOOK OF ETTA".
  9. ^ "The Book of Flora [review]". Kirkus. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Find Layla[review]". Kirkus. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  11. ^ "2014 Otherwise Award « Otherwise Award". Otherwise Award. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  12. ^ "Philip K. Dick Award: 2015 Philip K. Dick Award Winner Announced". Philip K. Dick Award. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  13. ^ "2017 Otherwise Award « Otherwise Award". Otherwise Award. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  14. ^ "Philip K. Dick Award: Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced". Philip K. Dick Award. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  15. ^ "2018 Otherwise Award « Otherwise Award". Otherwise Award. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  16. ^ "2019 Otherwise Award « Otherwise Award". Otherwise Award. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  17. ^ "SFWA Announces the 56th Annual Nebula Award® Finalists - The Nebula Awards®". The Nebula Awards. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  18. ^ "2021 Hugo Awards | The Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b c "2021 Locus Awards Winners – Locus Online". Locus Online – The Magazine of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Field. 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
  20. ^ "Meg Elison's singular, feminist sci-fi - The Daily Californian". 17 October 2016.
Retrieved from ""