John Kessel (b. 24 September, 1950 in Buffalo, New York) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. He is a prolific short story author with several longer works to his credit. He won a Nebula Award in 1982 for his story "Another Orphan," in which the protagonist finds himself living inside the novel Moby Dick. His short story "Buffalo" won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award and the Locus poll in 1992. His novella "Stories for Men" shared the 2002 James Tiptree Award for science fiction dealing with gender issues with M. John Harrison's novel "Light." He also is a widely published science fiction and fantasy critic, and organizes the Sycamore Hill Writer's Workshop.
Having obtained a Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas in 1981, Kessel has taught classes in American literature, science fiction, fantasy, and fiction writing at North Carolina State University since 1982. He was named as the first director of the MFA Creative Writing Program at NCSU and currently shares the directorship of creative writing with Wilton Barnhardt.
In 2007, his short story, "A Clean Escape" was adapted for ABC's science fiction anthology series Masters of Science Fiction.
2008 The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and Other Stories
Anthologies
1996 Intersections: The Sycamore Hill Anthology (with Mark L. Van Name and Richard Butner)
2006 Feeling Very Strange: The Slipstream Anthology (with James Patrick Kelly) Features stories by Aimee Bender, Michael Chabon, Ted Chiang, Carol Emshwiller, Jeffrey Ford, Karen Joy Fowler, Theodora Goss, Jonathan Lethem, Kelly Link, M. Rickert, Benjamin Rosenbaum, George Saunders, Bruce Sterling, Jeff VanderMeer, and Howard Waldrop
1982 "Another Orphan" (September, Fantasy and Science Fiction) - Nebula Award Winner
1988 "Mrs. Shummel Exits a Winner" (June, Asimov's SF) - Nebula Award Nominee
1991 "Buffalo" (January, Fantasy and Science Fiction) - Sturgeon Award Winner, Locus Award Winner, Hugo Award Nominee, Nebula Award Nominee
1993 "The Franchise" (August, Asimov's SF) - Nebula Award nominee, Hugo Award nominee, novelette
1996 "The Miracle of Ivar Avenue" (from Intersections) - Nebula Award nominee, novelette
1998 "Every Angel is Terrifying" (October-November, Fantasy and Science Fiction) - World Fantasy Award nominee
1999 "Ninety Percent of Everything" with Jonathan Lethem and James Patrick Kelly (September, Fantasy and Science Fiction) - Nebula Award nominee, novella
2002 "Stories for Men" (October-November, Asimov's SF) - James Tiptree Jr. Award Winner, Nebula Award Nominee
As Editor
1996 Intersections (with Mark L. Van Name and Richard Butner)
1998 Memory's Tailor (by Laurence Rudner. Kessel was the literary executor after Rudner's death in 1995.)
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