# Amal El-Mohtar

Amal El-Mohtar (born 13 December 1984) is a Canadian poet and writer of speculative fiction. She is the editor of Goblin Fruit and reviews science fiction and fantasy books for the New York Times Book Review and is best known for the 2019 novella This Is How You Lose the Time War, co-written with Max Gladstone, which won the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novella, the 2020 Locus Award for Best Novella, the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novella, and several other awards.

## Writing career

She has published short fiction, poetry, essays and reviews, and has edited the fantastic poetry quarterly magazine Goblin Fruit since 2006.
El-Mohtar began reviewing science fiction and fantasy books for the New York Times Book Review in February 2018. She has worked as a creative writing instructor at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. In 2018, she also served as a host on Brandon Sanderson's creative writing podcast Writing Excuses for Season 13.

## Awards and honors

Selected awards:
| Award | Category | Work | Result |
| Aurora Award | Short fiction | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019) | Won |
| BSFA Award | Shorter fiction | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019) | Won |
| Hugo Award | Novella | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019) | Won |
| Hugo Award | Short story | "Seasons of Glass and Iron" (2016) | Won |
| Locus Award | Novella | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019) | Won |
| Locus Award | Short story | "The Truth About Owls" (2014) | Won |
| Locus Award | Short story | "Madeleine" (2015) | Nominated |
| Locus Award | Short story | "Seasons of Glass and Iron" (2016) | Won |
| Nebula Award | Novella | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019) | Won |
| Nebula Award | Short story | "The Green Book" (2010) | Nominated |
| Nebula Award | Short story | "Madeleine" (2015) | Nominated |
| Nebula Award | Short story | "Seasons of Glass and Iron" (2016) | Won |
| World Fantasy Award | Short fiction | "Pockets" (2015) | Nominated |
| World Fantasy Award | Short fiction | "Seasons of Glass and Iron" (2016) | Nominated |
This Is How You Lose the Time War was also a finalist for the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award in the Novella category, a finalist for the inaugural Ray Bradbury Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction at the 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, and a finalist for the 2019 Kitschies in the Novel category. It also achieved second place in the 2020 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. El-Mohtar announced in 2019 that the book has been optioned for television, with scripts to be written by herself and Gladstone.
El-Mohtar has also received the Rhysling Award for Best Short Poem in 2009, 2011 and 2014.

## Personal life

El-Mohtar was born in Ottawa, Ontario to a family of Lebanese descent. She grew up in Ottawa with the exception of two years spent in Lebanon beginning when she was six years old.
She is married and lives in Ottawa. She is bisexual.

## Selected works

El-Mohtar's full bibliography includes an extensive list of short stories, poems, essays, and reviews. Her most notable works include a short story collection and novella.
* The Honey Month, collected short fiction, Papaveria Press 2010; ISBN 978-1907881008
* This Is How You Lose the Time War (with Max Gladstone), novella, 2019; ISBN 9781534431003
* The River Has Roots, novel, 2025; ISBN 9781250341082