Otherwise Award (formerly the James Tiptree, Jr. Award)
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (2021) Winner
Rivers Solomon
リヴァーズ・ソロモン
Riversu Soromon
Profile
- Gender
- non-binary
- Born
- 1989 （California, U.S.）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- California → Indiana → Texas → New York → Cambridge, UK
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Author
- Active Years
- 2017-2024
- Influenced By
- Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia E. Butler, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston, Ray Bradbury, Jean Toomer, Doris Lessing
- Nominations
- Locus Award Finalist (An Unkindness of Ghosts, 2018), Lambda Literary Award Finalist (An Unkindness of Ghosts, 2018), Otherwise Award Long List (An Unkindness of Ghosts, 2017), Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Finalist (An Unkindness of Ghosts), John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer Finalist, Nebula Award Best Novella Shortlist (The Deep, 2019), Locus Award Best Novella Shortlist (The Deep, 2020), Hugo Award Best Novella Shortlist (The Deep, 2021), Locus Award Horror Category Nominee (Model Home, 2025)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | — | Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity | BA | — | United States |
| Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin | — | Fiction Writing | MFA | — | United States |
Stanford University
Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin
Fiction Writing
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Firecracker Award | An Unkindness of Ghosts | Fiction | Community of Literary Magazines and Presses | Winner |
| 2018 | Stonewall Honor Book | An Unkindness of Ghosts | — | American Library Association | Honor |
| 2020 | Lambda Literary Award | The Deep | SF/ファンタジー/ホラー | Lambda Literary Foundation | Winner |
| 2021 | Otherwise Award | Sorrowland | — | Otherwise Foundation | Winner |
Firecracker Award
2018
Work:
An Unkindness of Ghosts
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Community of Literary Magazines and Presses
Result:
Winner
Stonewall Honor Book
2018
Work:
An Unkindness of Ghosts
Organization:
American Library Association
Result:
Honor
Lambda Literary Award
2020
Work:
The Deep
Category:
SF/ファンタジー/ホラー
Organization:
Lambda Literary Foundation
Result:
Winner
Otherwise Award
2021
Work:
Sorrowland
Organization:
Otherwise Foundation
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Stonewall Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 49 (2022) Winner
Works
Major Works
An Unkindness of Ghosts
2017 Science fiction 340 pagesScience fiction novel exploring structural racism and generation ships.
structural racismgeneration shipsslavery allegory
The Deep
2019 Speculative fiction 240 pagesUtopian underwater society of descendants of pregnant slaves thrown overboard.
African diasporaunderwater utopiamemory and trauma
Sorrowland
2021 Gothic fiction 368 pagesGenre-bending gothic fiction on racism, escape, self-acceptance, and queer love.
racismgenocidemotherhoodqueer love
Model Home
2024 Psychological horrorPsychological horror exploring family dynamics, memory, gender identity, and sexuality.
family dynamicsgender identityhorror
Bibliography
- An Unkindness of Ghosts
- The Deep
- Sorrowland
- Model Home
- The Vela (collaboration)
- Blood Is Another Word for Hunger
- St. Juju
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- sharply detailed and viscerally realizedtightly structured scenescharacter-focused
- Recurring Motifs
- Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade legacyexploitation of black bodiesqueer identityself-acceptance and escape
Health
-
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)生涯Part of personality, discussed re capitalism.
-
Autism spectrum生涯Part of their identity.
Legacy
Rising star in speculative fiction, acclaimed for themes of racism, queerness, marginalization; winner of Firecracker, Lambda, Otherwise Awards.
In Popular Culture
- Co-Guest of Honor at Wiscon 46
Trivia
- Non-binary and intersex; uses fae/faer and they/them pronouns.
- Self-describes as 'dyke, anarchist, she-beast, exile, shiv, wreck, refugee of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade'.
- Grew up across US states; resides in Cambridge, UK since 2018.