Unnatural Creatures

CREATURE CONTRIBUTORS

BEAGLE, Peter S. (1939– ) is the author of The Last Unicorn, and more than twenty-five other books, both fiction and nonfiction. He’s also a poet, screenwriter, and songwriter, and the winner of a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011.

“Come Lady Death” was first published in 1963.

BOUCHER, Anthony, aka William Anthony Parker White, aka H. H. Holmes, (1911–1968) was a science-fiction author, respected literary critic, and writer of mysteries and short stories. He was also the first English translator of Jorge Luis Borges, the author of numerous radio plays, and a founder of the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

“The Compleat Werewolf” was first published in 1942.

DAVIDSON, Avram (1923–1993) was the author of dozens of short stories and novels. He wrote everything from space opera to science fiction to detective novels, along with a series of alternate history novels about the medieval magician Vergil Magus (derived from Virgil).

“Or All the Seas with Oysters” was first published in 1958.

DELANY, Samuel R. (1942– ) is an author, professor, and critic. He’s written a number of award-winning books in a variety of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, memoir, and criticism, the first (The Jewels of Aptor) published when he was twenty. He is a member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

“Prismatica” was first published in 1977.

GAIMAN, Neil (1960– ) is the author of many novels and short stories, including Coraline and The Graveyard Book, as well as screenplays, graphic novels, songs, and television scripts. He’s the winner of a Newbery Medal.

“Sunbird” was first published in 2005.

HEADLEY, Maria Dahvana (1977– ) is the author of The Year of Yes: A Memoir, and the historical fantasy novel, Queen of Kings, as well as many short stories and plays.

“Moveable Beast” was first published in this anthology.

HOPKINSON, Nalo (1960– ) is the World Fantasy Award–winning author of four novels (Brown Girl in the Ring, Midnight Robber, The Salt Roads, The New Moon’s Arms), a short-story collection (Skin Folk), and editor of several anthologies.

“The Smile on the Face” was first published in 2004.

JONES, Diana Wynne (1934–2011) was the British science-fiction and fantasy author responsible for, among many other things, the novel Howl’s Moving Castle and the Chrestomanci series. She won a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011.

“The Sage of Theare” was first published in 1982.

KURASHIGE, Megan (1983– ) is a professional dancer and writer. She and her sister, Shannon Kurashige, collaborate on wild and quixotic dance projects under the name Sharp & Fine in San Francisco. Her fiction and poetry have previously appeared in Sybil’s Garage, Strange Horizons, and Electric Velocipede.

“The Manticore, The Mermaid, and Me” was first published in this anthology.

NESBIT, E., aka Edith Nesbit, (1858–1924) was the author of more than sixty books for children, most famously The Railway Children, along with many short stories and poems.

“The Cockatoucan” was first published in 1900.

NIVEN, Larry (1938– ) is the author of many works of science fiction and fantasy, including the novel Ringworld. He’s also a humorist, particularly known for the Superman spoof “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex.”

“Flight of the Horse” was first published in 1969, under the variant title “Get a Horse!”

OKORAFOR, Nnedi (1974– ) is the author of three young-adult novels, two children’s books, and the 2010 World Fantasy Award–winning novel Who Fears Death.

“Ozioma the Wicked” was first published in this anthology.

SAKI, aka H. H. Munro, (1870–1916) was born in British Burma (now Myanmar), and worked in England for most of his life. He wrote political sketches, plays, a novel, and a quantity of short stories, many of which deal with the notion of feral adolescence.

“Gabriel-Ernest,” Saki’s werewolf plus Lost Boy tale, was first published in 1909.

STOCKTON, Frank R. (1834–1902) was an American writer and humorist particularly known for his children’s fairy tales. He was, for years, a wood engraver, and then a newspaper journalist. Interestingly, his fable The Lady or the Tiger—neither fairy tale nor humorous, is his most famous work and a classroom staple.

“The Griffin and the Minor Canon” was first published in 1885.

WILSON, Gahan (1930– ) is an American author, cartoonist, and illustrator best known for his cartoons depicting horror-fantasy scenarios. His work has been seen in publications ranging from The New Yorker to National Lampoon.

was first published in 1972.

YU, E. Lily (1990– ) was born in Oregon and raised in New Jersey. Her stories have appeared in Kenyon Review Online, Clarkesworld, and The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year. She received the 2012 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” was first published in 2011.

CREATURE ILLUSTRATOR

MORROW-CRIBBS, Briony (1982– ) is a fine artist who has also illustrated two New York Times bestsellers: Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities and Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon’s Army and Other Diabolical Insects. Currently Briony teaches etching at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

www.brionymorrow-cribbs.com