Karen Joy Fowler

**Karen Joy Fowler** (born February 7, 1950, Bloomington, Indiana) is an American novelist and author. She usually does science fiction, fantasy and literary fiction. Her work often focuses on the lives of women and the 19th-century.

Fowler is best-known for being the novelist of the best-selling book _The Jane Austen Book Club_. It was later adapted into a movie of the same name.

Fowler began publishing short stories in the mid-to-late 1980s. Two of her stories were _Recalling Cinderella_ (1985) and _Artificial Things_ (1986).

Fowler's first novel, _Sarah Canary_ (1991), received strong positive reviews from book critics and readers. The novel is of several people that are alienated in the 19th-century America while dealing with peculiar first contact. One character is a Chinese American. The second character carries mental illness. The third character is a feminist. The last is Sarah herself.

Fowler later teamed up with the science fiction writer Pat Murphy to found the James Tiptree Jr. Award, the literary prize for science fiction and fiction which "expands of explores our understanding of gender." The prize was named for the science fiction author Alice Sheldon. Sheldon used the pen name James Tiptree Jr. for writing her books. The award's main focus is to recognize authors/novelists, female or male, who challenge and reflect shifting gender roles.

In 1987, Fowler received the Hugo Award related to her writing career.

Fowler's second novel, _The Sweetheart Season_ (1996), is a romantic comedy mixed with historical and fantasy elements.

Fowler's 1998 collection, _Black Glass_, won a World Fantasy Award. Her 2010 collections _What I Didn't See_ and _Other Stories_ won the same award.

In 2004, Fowler received a Nebula Award for her short book _What I Didn't See_.

In 2008, Fowler won the Nebula Award a second time for the Best Short Story. The 2008 win was for her 2007 short story _Always_. Another short story, _The Pelican Bar_ won a Shirley Jackson Award in 2009 and a World Fantasy Award one year later.

Fowler's most recent novel, _We are All Completely Beside Ourselves_ (2013) won a Pen/Faulkner Award for 2014. It was also nominated for a 2014 Nebula Award. It was later shortlisted with a 2014 Man Booker Prize.

Fowler received the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award during the 2020 convention.

## The awards and honors

- 1985 Published Winner for "Recalling Cinderella," a new writer short story winner in _L. Ron Hubbard Presents: Writer's of the Future Vol 1_ edited by Algis Budrys
- 1998 World Fantasy Award for "Black Glass", a collection of short stories.
- 2004 Nebula Award for "What I Didn't See", a short story.
- 2008 Nebula Award for "Always", a short story.
- 2009 Shirley Jackson Award for "The Pelican Bar", a short story
- 2010 World Fantasy Award for "What I Didn't See, and Other Stories", a collection of short stories.
- 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves", a novel.
- 2014 Specsavers National Book Awards "International Author of the Year" winner for _We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves_
- 2017 World Fantasy Award for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016 for Best Anthology (nominee)

## The novels

- _Sarah Canary_ (1991) - Novel concerning a mysterious woman in 1873 Pacific Northwest.
- _The War of the Roses_ (1991) - Chapter book publication of the novelette.
- _The Sweetheart Season_ (1996) - Fantasy novel about the Sweetwheat Sweethearts, a female baseball team from 1947 Minnesota.
- _Sister Noon_ (2001) - Novel set in 1890s San Francisco.
- _The Jane Austen Book Club_ (2004) - Six members of an early 21st century book club discuss Jane Austen books.
- _Wit's End_ (Putnam, 2008) - A young woman visits her godmother, one of America's most successful mystery writers.
- _We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves_ (2014 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Winner, A Marian Wood Book/Putnam, 2013, shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize)

## The collections

- _Artificial Things_ (1986) - Collection of 13 short stories.
- _Peripheral Vision_ (1990) - Collection of 5 stories, 1 original. Author's Choice Monthly #6
- _Letters from Home_ (1991) with Pat Cadigan and Pat Murphy. Collection of short fiction by Fowler, Cadigan, and Murphy.
- _Black Glass_ (1997) - Collection of 15 short stories, 2 original. Includes the contents from _Peripheral Vision_ and _Letters from Home_.
- _What I Didn't See and Other Stories_ (2010) - Collection of 12 short stories, 1 original.

## As editor

- _MOTA 3: Courage_ (2003) - Anthology of short fiction.
- _The James Tiptree Award Anthology 1_ (2005) with Debbie Notkin, Pat Murphy and Jeffrey D. Smith.  Anthology of winners of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. Tachyon Publications.
- _The James Tiptree Award Anthology 2_ (2006) with Debbie Notkin, Pat Murphy and Jeffrey D. Smith. Tachyon Publications.
- _The James Tiptree Award Anthology 3_ (2007) with Debbie Notkin, Pat Murphy and Jeffrey D. Smith. Tachyon Publications.