Caitlin R. Kiernan
Encyclopedia
Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan is the author of many science fiction
and dark fantasy
works, including seven novels, many comic book
s, more than one hundred published short stories, novellas, and vignette
s, and numerous scientific papers.
as a small child with her mother. Much of her childhood was spent in the small town of Leeds, Alabama
, and her early interests included herpetology
, paleontology
, and fiction writing. As a teenager, she lived in Trussville, Alabama
, and, in high school, began doing volunteer work at the Red Mountain Museum in Birmingham, Alabama
and spending summers on her first archaeological and paleontological digs. Kiernan attended college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
and the University of Colorado at Boulder
, studying geology
and vertebrate paleontology, and she held both museum and teaching positions before finally turning to fiction writing in 1992. In 1988, she co-authored a paper describing the new genus
and species
of mosasaur
, Selmasaurus
russelli. Her first novel, The Five of Cups, was written between June '92 and early '93, though it wasn't published until 2003. Her first published short story was "Persephone," a dark science-fiction tale, released in 1995. Her most recent scientific publication is a paper on the biostratigraphy
of Alabama mosasaur
s, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (2002).
Kiernan has had short fiction selected for Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
series, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, and The Year's Best Science Fiction, and her short stories have been collected in several volumes (see Bibliography). To date, her work has been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Czech, Polish, Russian, Korean, and Japanese. In May 1996, Kiernan was approached by Neil Gaiman and editors at DC/Vertigo Comics to begin writing for The Dreaming
, a spin-off from Gaiman's very successful title, The Sandman. Kiernan wrote for the title from 1996 until its conclusion in 2001, working closely with Gaiman and focusing not only on preexisting characters (The Corinthian, Cain and Abel, Lucien, Nuala, Morpheus, Thessaly, etc.), but also on new characters (Echo, Maddy, the white dream raven Tethys, etc.). According to an entry in Neil Gaiman
's blog, Kiernan was hired to write the novelization
for the Beowulf
film (scripted by Gaiman and Roger Avary
).
Kiernan has often been categorized as a "horror writer," though she has repeatedly and adamantly rejected that categorization. For example, in her blog (2/3/02) she writes: "I'm getting tired of telling people that I'm not a 'horror' writer. I'm getting tired of them not listening, or not believing. Most of them seem suspicious of my motives."
In 2005, she began publishing the monthly Sirenia Digest (otherwise known as MerViSS) consisting of vignettes and short stories : "The MerViSS Project is a continuation of Caitlín’s exploration of the fusion of erotic literature with elements of dark fantasy and science fiction, creating brief, dreamlike fictions." It is currently illustrated by Vince Locke
. The digest includes the occasional collaboration with Sonya Taaffe
.
Kiernan is a transsexual, a lesbian, and Wiccan and lives in Providence, Rhode Island
, U.S.
with her partner, photographer and doll maker Kathryn A. Pollnac.
, Georgia
-based "goth
-folk-blues" band," Death's Little Sister, named for Neil Gaiman
's character, Delirium. She was the band's vocalist and lyricist, and the group enjoyed some success on local college radio and played shows in Athens and Atlanta. Kiernan has said in interviews that she left the band in February 1997 because of her increased responsibilities writing for DC Comics
and because her novel Silk had recently sold. She was briefly involved in Crimson Stain Mystery, a studio project, two years later. CSM produced one EP
to accompany a special limited edition of Silk, illustrated by Clive Barker
(Gauntlet Press, 2000).
(1999, Gauntlet Press)
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and dark fantasy
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
works, including seven novels, many comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, more than one hundred published short stories, novellas, and vignette
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
s, and numerous scientific papers.
Overview
Born in Dublin, Ireland, she moved to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a small child with her mother. Much of her childhood was spent in the small town of Leeds, Alabama
Leeds, Alabama
Leeds is a tri-county municipality located in Jefferson, St. Clair, and Shelby Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a suburb of Birmingham. As of the 2009 population estimate, the population of the city is about 11,474.-History:...
, and her early interests included herpetology
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
, paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, and fiction writing. As a teenager, she lived in Trussville, Alabama
Trussville, Alabama
Trussville is a city in Jefferson and St. Clair counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 19,933 at the 2010 census. Trussville was ranked as number 56 out of 100 in Money Magazines Best Places to Live 2005.-Geography:...
, and, in high school, began doing volunteer work at the Red Mountain Museum in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and spending summers on her first archaeological and paleontological digs. Kiernan attended college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
and the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, studying geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and vertebrate paleontology, and she held both museum and teaching positions before finally turning to fiction writing in 1992. In 1988, she co-authored a paper describing the new genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
and species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mosasaur
Mosasaur
Mosasaurs are large extinct marine lizards. The first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764...
, Selmasaurus
Selmasaurus
Selmasaurus is a genus of medium-sized plioplatecarpine mosasaur from the Upper Cretaceous Mooreville Chalk Formation of western Alabama...
russelli. Her first novel, The Five of Cups, was written between June '92 and early '93, though it wasn't published until 2003. Her first published short story was "Persephone," a dark science-fiction tale, released in 1995. Her most recent scientific publication is a paper on the biostratigraphy
Biostratigraphy
Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy which focuses on correlating and assigning relative ages of rock strata by using the fossil assemblages contained within them. Usually the aim is correlation, demonstrating that a particular horizon in one geological section represents the same period...
of Alabama mosasaur
Mosasaur
Mosasaurs are large extinct marine lizards. The first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on the Meuse in 1764...
s, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (2002).
Kiernan has had short fiction selected for Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror
Year's Best Fantasy and Horror is a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition includes a number of retrospective essays by the editors and others....
series, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, and The Year's Best Science Fiction, and her short stories have been collected in several volumes (see Bibliography). To date, her work has been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Czech, Polish, Russian, Korean, and Japanese. In May 1996, Kiernan was approached by Neil Gaiman and editors at DC/Vertigo Comics to begin writing for The Dreaming
The Dreaming (comics)
The Dreaming is a fictional place, a comic book location published by DC Comics. The Dreaming first appeared in the Sandman vol. 2 #1, , and was created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth. The Dreaming is the domain of Dream of the Endless....
, a spin-off from Gaiman's very successful title, The Sandman. Kiernan wrote for the title from 1996 until its conclusion in 2001, working closely with Gaiman and focusing not only on preexisting characters (The Corinthian, Cain and Abel, Lucien, Nuala, Morpheus, Thessaly, etc.), but also on new characters (Echo, Maddy, the white dream raven Tethys, etc.). According to an entry in Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's blog, Kiernan was hired to write the novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
for the Beowulf
Beowulf (2007 film)
Beowulf is a 2007 American animated fantasy film written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary inspired by the Old English epic poem of the same name. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film was created through a motion capture process similar to the technique he used in The Polar Express...
film (scripted by Gaiman and Roger Avary
Roger Avary
Roger Avary is a Canadian film and television producer, screenwriter, olive farmer and director in the American mass media industry. He was behind the screenplays of the films Silent Hill and Beowulf...
).
Kiernan has often been categorized as a "horror writer," though she has repeatedly and adamantly rejected that categorization. For example, in her blog (2/3/02) she writes: "I'm getting tired of telling people that I'm not a 'horror' writer. I'm getting tired of them not listening, or not believing. Most of them seem suspicious of my motives."
In 2005, she began publishing the monthly Sirenia Digest (otherwise known as MerViSS) consisting of vignettes and short stories : "The MerViSS Project is a continuation of Caitlín’s exploration of the fusion of erotic literature with elements of dark fantasy and science fiction, creating brief, dreamlike fictions." It is currently illustrated by Vince Locke
Vince Locke
Vincent Locke is an American comic book artist known for his work on Deadworld and A History of Violence and for his ultraviolent album covers for death metal band Cannibal Corpse.-Biography:...
. The digest includes the occasional collaboration with Sonya Taaffe
Sonya Taaffe
Sonya Taaffe is a Massachusetts-based author of short fiction and poetry. Sonya grew up in Arlington and Lexington, MA and graduated from Brandeis University in 2003 where she received a BA and MA in Classical Studies...
.
Kiernan is a transsexual, a lesbian, and Wiccan and lives in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with her partner, photographer and doll maker Kathryn A. Pollnac.
Music
Between 1996 and 1997, Kiernan also fronted an AthensAthens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
-based "goth
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
-folk-blues" band," Death's Little Sister, named for Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
's character, Delirium. She was the band's vocalist and lyricist, and the group enjoyed some success on local college radio and played shows in Athens and Atlanta. Kiernan has said in interviews that she left the band in February 1997 because of her increased responsibilities writing for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
and because her novel Silk had recently sold. She was briefly involved in Crimson Stain Mystery, a studio project, two years later. CSM produced one EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
to accompany a special limited edition of Silk, illustrated by Clive Barker
Clive Barker
Clive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
(Gauntlet Press, 2000).
Won
- International Horror Guild AwardInternational Horror Guild AwardThe International Horror Guild Award is a recognition presented by the International Horror Guild to recognize the achievements of those who create in the field of horror and dark fantasy. Nancy A. Collins, the founder of the award, felt there was a need for an award granted by a large,...
, Best First Novel 1998 (Silk) - Barnes and Noble Maiden Voyage Award, Best First Novel 1998 (Silk)
- International Horror Guild Award, Best Novel 2001 (Threshold)
- International Horror Guild Award, Best Short Story 2001 ("Onion")
- International Horror Guild Award, Best Mid-Length Fiction 2005 ("La Peau Verte")
- James Tiptree, Jr. AwardJames Tiptree, Jr. AwardThe James Tiptree, Jr. Award is an annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February of 1991 by science fiction authors Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler, subsequent to a discussion at WisCon.- Background...
Honoree, 2010 ("Galápagos")
Nominated (partial list)
- Bram Stoker AwardBram Stoker AwardThe Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The awards have been presented annually since 1987, and the winners are selected by ballot of the Active members of the HWA...
1995, Best Short Story ("Persephone") - Bram Stoker Award, Best First Novel 1998 (Silk)
- British Fantasy AwardBritish Fantasy AwardThe British Fantasy Awards are administered annually by the British Fantasy Society and were first awarded in 1971. The membership of the BFS vote to determine recommendations, short-lists and winners of the awards...
, Best First Novel 1998 (Silk) - Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Award, Best Graphic Novel 1998 (The Girl Who Would Be Death)
- International Horror Guild Award, Best Collection (Tales of Pain and Wonder)
- Bram Stoker Award, Best Graphic Novel 2001 (The Dreaming #56, "The First Adventure of Miss Caterina Poe")
- International Horror Guild Award, Best Graphic Novel 2001 (The Dreaming #56, "The First Adventure of Miss Caterina Poe")
- International Horror Guild Award, Best Short Form 2002 ("The Road of Pins")
- International Horror Guild Award, Best Collection 2005 (To Charles Fort, With Love)
- World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
2006, Best Collection 2005 (To Charles Fort, With Love) - World Fantasy Award 2006, Best Short Fiction 2005 ("La Peau Verte")
- International Horror Guild Award, Best Mid-Length Fiction 2006 ("Bainbridge")
- Locus Awards 2010 (40th Annual), Best Fantasy Novel (The Red Tree)
- Locus Awards 2010 (40th Annual), Best Collection (A is for Alien)
- Shirley Jackson AwardShirley Jackson AwardThe Shirley Jackson Awards are literary awards named after Shirley Jackson in recognition of her legacy in writing. These awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and the dark fantastic are presented at Readercon, an annual conference on imaginative...
(3rd Annual, 2010), Best Novel (The Red Tree) - World Fantasy Award 2010, Best Novel (The Red Tree)
- Shirley Jackson Award (4th Annual, 2011), Best Short Story ("As Red as Red")
- World Fantasy Award 2011, Best Collection 2010 (The Ammonite Violin & Others)
Novels
- Threshold (2001, Penguin-Putnam)
- Beowulf (2007; HarperCollins; novelization of 2007 filmBeowulf (2007 film)Beowulf is a 2007 American animated fantasy film written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary inspired by the Old English epic poem of the same name. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film was created through a motion capture process similar to the technique he used in The Polar Express...
) - The Red Tree (2009; Penguin-Putnam)
- The Drowning Girl: A Memoir (forthcoming 2012; Penguin-Putnam)
Short fiction collections
- Tales of Pain and WonderTales of Pain and WonderTales of Pain and Wonder is Caitlin R. Kiernan's first short-story collection. The stories are interconnected to varying degrees, and a number of Kiernan's characters reappear throughout the book, particularly Jimmy DeSade and Salmagundi Desvernine...
(2000, Gauntlet Press; 2002, Meisha Merlin; 2008, Subterranean Press) - Wrong ThingsWrong ThingsWrong Things is a short story collection by Poppy Z. Brite and Caitlin R. Kiernan. It was released by Subterranean Press in 2001. The cover art and illustrations were provided by Canadian artist Richard A. Kirk...
(with Poppy Z. BritePoppy Z. BritePoppy Z. Brite is an American author. Brite initially achieved notoriety in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s after publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections...
; 2001; Subterranean Press) - From Weird and Distant ShoresFrom Weird and Distant ShoresFrom Weird and Distant Shores is fantasist Caitlin R. Kiernan's second solo short-story collection, released by Subterranean Press in 2002. As with her first collection, Tales of Pain and Wonder, interior illustrations were supplied by Canadian artist Richard A. Kirk. The book includes thirteen...
(2002; Subterranean Press) - To Charles Fort, With LoveTo Charles Fort, With LoveTo Charles Fort, With Love is a short-story collection by fantasist Caitlin R. Kiernan, published by Subterranean Press in 2005. As the author explains in the preface, many of these stories were inspired by the writings of Charles Fort , and many of them have a Lovecraftian flavor...
(2005; Subterranean Press) - AlabasterAlabaster (book)Alabaster is dark fantasy and science fiction author Caitlin R. Kiernan's fourth collection of short fiction. It consists of five stories concerning the misadventures of Dancy Flammarion, the albino girl and monster hunter who first appeared in Kiernan's 2001 novel, Threshold...
(2006; Subterranean Press; illustrated by Ted NaifehTed NaifehEdward "Ted" Naifeh is an American comic book writer and artist who gained notoriety for his illustrations in the goth romance comic Gloomcookie...
) - A is for AlienA is for AlienA is for Alien is Caitlin R. Kiernan's fifth short story collection, her first devoted entirely to her science fiction work. It was published by Subterranean Press in 2009. Cover art was provided by Jacek Yerka, and interior illustrations by Vince Locke. The book closes with an afterword by...
(2009; Subterranean Press; illustrated by Vince LockeVince LockeVincent Locke is an American comic book artist known for his work on Deadworld and A History of Violence and for his ultraviolent album covers for death metal band Cannibal Corpse.-Biography:...
) - The Ammonite Violin & OthersThe Ammonite Violin & OthersThe Ammonite Violin & Others is Caitlin R. Kiernan's sixth short story collection. The twenty stories included first appeared in issues 1-23 of Sirenia Digest, Kiernan's monthly digest of weird and dark fiction. It was published by Subterranean Press in July, 2010. The cover features an...
(2010; Subterranean Press) - Two Worlds and in Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan (Volume One) (2011; Subterranean Press)
- Confessions of a Five-Chambered Heart (forthcoming 2012; Subterranean Press)
External links
- Traveling Through Dreams: Sequential Tart interview with Caitlín R. Kiernan (February 1999)
- Universal Studios Horror Online Interview with Caitlín R. Kiernan (April 2000)
- Pain, Wonder, and Really Old Things: An Interview with Caitlin R. Kiernan (October 2001)
- Caitlin R. Kiernan discusses Sirenia Digest (December 2006)
- Caitlín R. Kiernan, Atlanta Dark Fantasy Novelist (January 2007)
- Finding the Language I Need: A Conversation with Caitlín R. Kiernan at Clarkesworld MagazineClarkesworld MagazineClarkesworld Magazine is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. The first issue was published October 1, 2006 and it has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Sarah Monette, Catherynne Valente, Elizabeth Bear, Caitlin R...
(June 2010)