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Nicola Griffith

ニコラ・グリフィス

Nikora Gurifisu

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1960-09-30 （Leeds, Yorkshire, England）
Nationality
United Kingdom, United States
Languages
English
Religion
Catholic
Residence History
Leeds, England → East Lansing, Michigan / Seattle, United States

Career

Occupations
novelist, essayist, short story author, teacher
Active Years
1987-
Influenced By
Henry Treece, Rosemary Sutcliff, E. E. Smith, Frank Herbert, J. R. R. Tolkien, Edward Gibbon
Influenced
Disabled writers community (#CripLit), Writers in LGBTQ+ fiction

Education

University of Leeds
Country: United Kingdom
Studied microbiology but did not complete a degree
Michigan State University
Country: United States
Met fellow writer Kelley Eskridge while studying there
Anglia Ruskin University
Degree: PhD
Year of Graduation: 2017
Country: United Kingdom
PhD by publication (thesis: "Norming the Queer: Narrative Empathy via Focalised Heterotopia")

Awards

BSFA Award
1993
Work: Ammonite
Organization: British Science Fiction Association
Result: Shortlisted
James Tiptree, Jr. Award
1993
Work: Ammonite
Organization: Otherwise Award (Tiptree Award)
Result: Won
Lambda Literary Award
1993
Work: Ammonite
Category: Lesbian Science Fiction/Fantasy
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Won
Arthur C. Clarke Award
1994
Work: Ammonite
Organization: Arthur C. Clarke Award
Result: Shortlisted
Locus Award
1994
Work: Ammonite
Category: First Novel
Organization: Locus
Result: Shortlisted
Nebula Award
1995
Work: Yaguara (novella)
Category: Novella
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA)
Result: Nominated
Nebula Award
1996
Work: Slow River
Category: Novel
Organization: SFWA
Result: Won
Lambda Literary Award
1996
Work: Slow River
Category: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Finalist
Lambda Literary Award (Anthology)
1998
Work: Bending the Landscape (editor)
Category: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Won
Gaylactic Spectrum Awards
1999
Work: The Blue Place
Category: Novel
Organization: Gaylactic Network
Result: Nominated
Lambda Literary Award
1999
Work: The Blue Place
Category: Lesbian Mystery
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Won
Gaylactic Spectrum Awards
2000
Work: Slow River
Category: Hall of Fame
Organization: Gaylactic Network
Result: Won
Gaylactic Spectrum Awards
2002
Work: Bending the Landscape: Horror
Category: Other Work
Organization: Gaylactic Network
Result: Won
Lambda Literary Award
2003
Work: Stay
Category: Lesbian Fiction
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Finalist
Gaylactic Spectrum Awards
2005
Work: With Her Body (collection)
Category: Other Work
Organization: Gaylactic Network
Result: Finalist
Lambda Literary Award
2005
Work: With Her Body (collection)
Category: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Finalist
Lambda Literary Award
2008
Work: And Now We Are Going to Have a Party
Category: Lesbian Memoir or Biography
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: Won
Hugo Award
2010
Work: It Takes Two (novelette)
Category: Novelette
Organization: World Science Fiction Society
Result: Finalist
Bisexual Book Awards
2013
Work: Hild
Category: Fiction
Organization: Bisexual Book Awards
Result: Shortlisted
James Tiptree, Jr. Award (Honor)
2013
Work: Hild
Organization: Otherwise Award
Result: Honor
Nebula Award
2013
Work: Hild
Category: Novel
Organization: SFWA
Result: Finalist
John W. Campbell Memorial Award
2014
Work: Hild
Organization: John W. Campbell Memorial Award
Result: Shortlisted
Washington State Book Award
2014
Work: Hild
Category: Fiction
Organization: Washington State Book Awards
Result: Won
Over the Rainbow Booklist (Top 10)
2018
Work: So Lucky
Organization: American Library Association (Over the Rainbow list)
Result: Top 10
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
2019
Work: So Lucky
Organization: PNBA
Result: Shortlisted
Tournament of Books
2019
Work: So Lucky
Organization: The Morning News (Tournament of Books)
Result: Shortlisted
Washington State Book Award
2019
Work: So Lucky
Category: Fiction
Organization: Washington State Book Awards
Result: Won
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Ray Bradbury Prize)
2022
Work: Spear
Category: Ray Bradbury Prize
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: Won
Nebula Award
2022
Work: Spear
Category: Novel
Organization: SFWA
Result: Finalist
HWA Crown Awards
2023
Work: Spear
Category: Gold
Organization: Horror Writers Association
Result: Longlisted
Locus Award
2023
Work: Spear
Category: Fantasy Novel
Organization: Locus
Result: Nominated
Ursula K. Le Guin Prize
2023
Work: Spear
Organization: Ursula K. Le Guin Literary Trust
Result: Shortlisted
World Fantasy Award
2023
Work: Spear
Category: Novel
Organization: World Fantasy Convention
Result: Shortlisted
Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
2024
Organization: Museum of Pop Culture (SFF Hall of Fame)
Result: Inducted
SFWA Grand Master (Damon Knight Memorial)
2025
Organization: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association
Result: Named Grand Master

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Ammonite

1992 Fiction / Science Fiction

A science fiction novel set on a planet populated only by women, exploring gender and cultural difference.

gendercultural differencesurvival

Slow River

1995 Fiction / Science Fiction

A novel mixing elements of cyberpunk and literary fiction about memory, identity, crime and recovery.

identityenvironmentrecovery

The Blue Place

1998 Crime / Mystery

The first in the Aud Torvingen detective series, a crime novel exploring urban life and the darker sides of society.

crimeurban lifetrauma

Hild

2013 Historical fiction

A historical novel set in 7th-century England, following the youth and political development of Hild.

powerfemale coming-of-agereconstructed history

So Lucky

2018 Contemporary fiction

A novel about a woman living with multiple sclerosis, focusing on embodiment and identity.

disabilityidentityfriendship

Spear

2022 Fantasy / Mythic reimagining

A fantasy novel reimagining mythic weaponry and heroism, examining cycles of power and violence.

mythviolence and powertransformation

Bibliography

  • Ammonite (1992)
  • Slow River (1995)
  • The Blue Place (1998)
  • Stay (2002)
  • With Her Body (collection, 2004)
  • And Now We Are Going to Have a Party (memoir, 2007)
  • Hild (2013)
  • Menewood (2023)
  • So Lucky (2018)
  • Spear (2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
detailed, meticulous descriptionlayered narratives incorporating historical researchgenre-crossing (SF, historical fiction, mystery)
Recurring Motifs
gender and sexualityembodiment and disabilitypower and politics

Health

  • Multiple sclerosis
    1990s–present
    Diagnosed in 1993. Affects mobility and bodily function; influenced her writing and led to advocacy and creation of #CripLit, a community for disabled writers.

Legacy

Through genre-crossing works and the active incorporation of LGBTQ+ and disability perspectives, she has had a major influence on contemporary science fiction, fantasy and LGBTQ+ literature. Her many awards, induction into the SFF Hall of Fame (2024) and selection as SFWA Grand Master (2025) attest to her impact.

Academic Societies

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (associated)

In Popular Culture

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame induction (2024)
  • SFWA Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master (named 2025)

Trivia

  • Knew she was gay by age 13.
  • Was lead singer and cofounder of the band Janes Plane.
  • Was among the first openly lesbian writers to receive a National Interest Waiver to remain in the United States on the basis of her importance as a writer.
  • Has won major genre awards including the Nebula and multiple Lambda Literary Awards.