Nisi Shawl

In my last post I listed off a number of authors with ties to my native city of Kalamazoo, Mich., concluding that despite the number of authors with impressive resumes already listed I was sure I had forgotten some. Sure enough, it's a day later and I've already realized I left a glaring hole in the list: Nisi Shawl.

Shawl is a fantasy and science-fiction writer who now lives in Seattle but lived in Kalamazoo through her high-school years. Earlier this year Shawl became the first African-American woman to win the prestigious James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award, for her 2008 short-story collection "Filter House." The award is an annual $1,000 literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that explore the understanding of gender.

Additionally, "Filter House" and another of Shawl's works, a novella titled "Good Boy," both were nominated for 2009 World Fantasy Awards.

For more information on Shawl, follow her on her blog.