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Rebecca Roanhorse

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Rebecca Roanhorse
Roanhorse at the 2022 Texas Book Festival
Born
Rebecca Parish[1]

March 14, 1971
Conway, Arkansas[2]
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)novelist
lawyer
science fiction writer
SpouseMichael Roanhorse
AwardsJohn W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, 2018
Hugo Award for Best Short Story, 2018
Nebula Award for Best Short Story, 2017[3]
Websitehttps://rebeccaroanhorse.com/

Rebecca Roanhorse (born March 14, 1971)[4] is an American science fiction and fantasy writer from New Mexico. She has written short stories and science fiction novels featuring Navajo characters.[5] Her work has received Hugo and Nebula awards, among others.

Background and family

Roanhorse was born Rebecca Parish[1] in Conway, Arkansas in 1971.[2] Raised in northern Texas, she has said that "being a black and Native kid in Fort Worth in the '70s and '80s was pretty limiting"; thus, she turned to reading and writing, especially science fiction, as a form of escape. Her father was an economics professor, and her mother was a high school English teacher who encouraged Rebecca's early attempts at writing stories.[6]

She was adopted as a child by white parents. In a 2020 profile by Vulture Magazine, she said that at 7 years old she learned from looking at her birth certificate that she is "half-Black and half–Spanish Indian".[7] She reunited with her birth mother later in life, though they rarely speak. Roanhorse has said that she is of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and African American descent, though she is not an enrolled tribal member.[7] Members of the Ohkay Owingeh community have disputed her claim, saying she has no connection to their community.[1]

Roanhorse graduated from Yale University and later earned her JD degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law, specializing in Federal Indian Law and lived for several years in the Navajo Nation, where she clerked at the Navajo Supreme Court before working as an attorney.[7] She currently lives in New Mexico with her husband, who is Navajo,[8] and their daughter.

Career

Roanhorse told The New York Times that she initially worked on "Tolkien knockoffs about white farm boys going on journeys", because she figured that is what readers wanted.[9]

On August 19, 2020, Roanhorse was announced as a contributing writer to Marvel Comics' Marvel's Voices: Indigenous Voices #1 anthology, which was released in November 2020. She wrote a story about Echo, joined by Weshoyot Alvitre on art.[10]

Reception

In 2018 Roanhorse received the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. Her short story "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience" (Apex Magazine 2017) won two major awards: the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Short Story and the 2017 Nebula Award for Best Short Story. The story also earned her nominations for the 2018 Locus Award for Best Short Story, the 2018 Theodore Sturgeon Award, and the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction.[11]

Her first novel, Trail of Lightning, is an "apocalyptic adventure" set in Dinétah, formerly the Navajo reservation in the Southwestern United States, with mostly Navajo characters. The novel received significant critical acclaim. Kirkus Reviews described the book as a "sharp, wonderfully dreamy, action-driven novel,"[12] while The Verge praised the book's representation of Native cultures, saying it "takes readers along for a fun ride."[13] It went on to win the 2019 Locus Award for Best First Novel,[14] as well as receive nominations for the 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novel,[15] the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Novel,[16] and the 2019 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.[17]

However, it has been criticized by Navajo/Diné and other Native authors, scholars, and activists, who have argued that, due to a lack of cultural connection, it misrepresents Navajo teachings and spirituality, disrespects Navajo sensibilities, and harms Navajo culture.[1][18] A group of Navajo writers and cultural workers condemned Trail of Lightning as an inaccurate cultural appropriation that uses an at-times mocking and derisive tone.[19] For example, they criticized the hero's use of bullets filled with corn pollen to slay the monster, which they viewed as a violent, disrespectful misuse of sacred ceremonial traditions.[7] When asked in a Reddit AMA about including Navajo cultural aspects into her works, Roanhorse said her goal was "accuracy and respect" and gave examples of what she fictionalized and what she considered off-limits.[20] "I think a lot of Native characters that we see are stuck in the past. So it was important for me to...show Native American readers and non-Native American readers that we're alive and we're thriving in our cultures", she said in 2018.[8]

Prominent Native scholar Debbie Reese (Nambé Pueblo) initially praised Trail of Lightning, but upon hearing from Diné writers, poets and academics, she changed her mind about the book, writing that she'd "come to understand that Roanhorse had crossed the Diné’s 'lines of disclosure,' an offense that many white interlopers had committed in the past." She retracted the review and criticized Roanhorse for sharing ideas outside the culture and misusing sacred stories.[7] Critics argue that because the Indigenous community that Roanhorse has claimed does not claim her, this makes her non-Indigenous.[1] Her defenders do not question her claims of Black Indigenous heritage and have expressed concern that questions about her identity are either racist or a distraction from discussions of her work's content.[7] Others have discussed anti-Blackness within Indigenous communities and how this may impact critiques of Roanhorse.[21] At some point in 2018, when the complaints of cultural appropriation surfaced, references to the Ohkay Owingeh were removed from her official website;[1] Roanhorse has stated that she believes her mother's family descended from Ohkay Owingeh people but is "trying to be more careful" about how she discusses it.[7]

Awards and nominations

Awards for Rebecca Roanhorse
Year Work Award Category Result Ref.
2017 "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience" Nebula Award Short Story Won [22]
2018 Hugo Award Short Story Won [23]
Astounding Award (Best New Writer) Won [23]
Locus Award Short Story Nominated [24]
Theodore Sturgeon Award — Nominated [25]
World Fantasy Award Short Fiction Nominated [26]
2019 Trail of Lightning Compton Crook Award — Nominated [27]
Hugo Award Novel Nominated [28][16]
Locus Award First Novel Won [29]
Nebula Award Novel Nominated [30]
Crawford Award — Nominated [31]
World Fantasy Award Novel Nominated [32]
2020 Storm of Locusts Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated [33]
"A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy" Locus Award Short Story Nominated [34]
Black Sun Nebula Award Novel Nominated [35]
2021 Alex Award — Won [36]
Hugo Award Novel Nominated [37]
Ignyte Award Best Novel - Adult Won [38]
Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated [39]
Lambda Literary Award LGBTQ Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Nominated [40]
Race to the Sun Locus Award Young Adult Book Nominated [39]
Igynte Award Middle Grade Novel Nominated [38]

Bibliography

Novels

The Sixth World series

Between Earth and Sky

  • Black Sun (October 13, 2020)
  • Fevered Star (April 19, 2022)

Short stories and essays

  • "Native in Space" in Invisible 3: Essays and Poems on Representation in SF/F, edited by Jim Hines and Mary Anne Mohanraj (June 27, 2017)[41]
  • "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience" in Apex Magazine (August 8, 2017)[42]
  • "Postcards from the Apocalypse" in Uncanny Magazine (January/February 2018)[43]
  • "Thoughts on Resistance" in How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation, edited by Maureen Johnson (2018)[44]
  • "Harvest" originally published in New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color, edited by Nisi Shawl (March 12, 2019)[45] and reprinted in Uncanny Magazine (2019)[46]
  • "The Missing Ingredient" in Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love, edited by Caroline Tung Richmond and Elsie Chapman (July 7, 2019)[47]
  • "A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy" originally published in The Mythic Dream (September 3, 2019)[48] and reprinted in Apex Magazine (October 2, 2021)[49] and The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020, edited by Diana Gabaldon and John Joseph Adams (October 6, 2020)[50]
  • "Dark Vengeance" in Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark (August 25, 2020)[51]
  • "The Boys from Blood River" in Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite, edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker (September 22, 2020)[52]
  • "Takeback Tango" in A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology, edited by Dhonielle Clayton (December 8, 2020)[53]
  • "Rez Dog Rules" in Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, edited by Cynthia L. Smith (February 9, 2021)[54]
  • "Wherein Abigail Fields Recalls Her First Death and, Subsequently Her Best Life" in A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope, edited by Patrice Caldwell (March 10, 2021)[55]
  • "The Demon Drum" in The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories About Mythic Heroes, edited by Rick Riordan (September 28, 2021)[56]

Marvel Comics

  • Marvel's Voices
    • Indigenous Voices (November 18, 2020)
    • Heritage (January 12, 2022)
  • Phoenix Song: Echo #1–5 (October 20, 2021 – February 23, 2022)[57]

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Agoyo, Acee (24 June 2020). "'The Elizabeth Warren of the sci-fi set': Author faces criticism for repeated use of tribal traditions". Indianz. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Rebecca Roanhorse: From Legend to Fantasy". Locus. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  3. ^ Nebula Awards, 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Video unavailable". www.youtube.com.
  5. ^ Kerry Lengel, "Navajo legends come to life in Rebecca Roanhorse's debut novel 'Trail of Lightning'" AZ Central (June 22, 2018).
  6. ^ "Rebecca Roanhorse: From Legend to Fantasy". Locus Magazine. September 1, 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g The Sci-Fi Author Reimagining Native History. Lila Shapiro, Vulture, October 20, 2020
  8. ^ a b Kyle Muzyka, "A correction of stereotypes: Rebecca Roanhorse's post-apocalyptic books draw on Indigenous experience" CBC Radio (November 16, 2018).
  9. ^ Alexandra Alter (2020-08-14). "'We've Already Survived an Apocalypse': Indigenous Writers Are Changing Sci-Fi". The New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  10. ^ "Marvel's Voices Expands with 'Marvel's Voices: Indigenous Voices' #1". Marvel Entertainment. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  11. ^ "sfadb : Rebecca Roanhorse Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  12. ^ Trail of Lightning, Kirkus Reviews, June 18, 2018
  13. ^ Trail of Lightning is a breathtaking Native American urban fantasy adventure. The Verge, June 26, 2018
  14. ^ locusmag (2019-06-29). "2019 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  15. ^ "2019 Nebula Award Nominees". nebulas.sfwa.org. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  16. ^ a b "2019 Hugo Award Finalists Announced". tor.com. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  17. ^ "World Fantasy Awards 2019 | World Fantasy Convention". Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  18. ^ Denetdale, Jennifer. "New novel twists Diné teachings, spirituality." Navajo Times: Window Rock, November 21, 2018, Opinion.
  19. ^ Saad Bee Hózhǫ́/Diné Writers' Association. "Trail of Lightning is an appropriation of Diné cultural beliefs." Indian Country Today. December 5, 2018. Opinion column, open letter
  20. ^ Rocket, Stubby the (2018-07-20). "Rebecca Roanhorse on Which Aspects of Diné Culture Are Featured in Trail of Lightning". Tor.com. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
  21. ^ Martin, Nick (3 July 2020). "Reckoning with Anti-Blackness in Indian Country". The New Republic.
  22. ^ "2017 Nebula Award Winners". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
  23. ^ a b "2018 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  24. ^ "2018 Locus Awards". Locus. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  25. ^ "Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award 2018". Science Fiction Award Database. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ de Lint, Charles; Wollheim, Elizabeth. "World Fantasy Awards 2018". World Fantasy Convention. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ "Compton Crook Stephen Tall Memorial Award 2019". science fiction awards database. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ "2019 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2019-07-28. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  29. ^ "2019 Locus Awards". Locus. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  30. ^ "2018 Nebula Awards". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  31. ^ Cervone, Skye (2019-02-04). "2019 IAFA Crawford Award and Shortlist Announced". International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ Miyazaki, Hayao; Zipes, Jack. "World Fantasy Awards 2019". World Fantasy Convention. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ "Locus Awards 2020". Locus Awards. 2020-06-07. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ^ "Locus Awards 2020". Locus Awards. 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ "2020 Nebula Awards". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  36. ^ Morales, Macey (2021-01-25). "YALSA announces 2021 Alex Awards". Young Adult Library Services Association. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  37. ^ "2021 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2021-01-01. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  38. ^ a b "2021 Ignyte Awards Winners". Locus Online. 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  39. ^ a b "Locus Awards 2021". Locus Awards. 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  40. ^ Saka, Rasheeda (2021-03-15). "Here are the finalists for the 2021 Lambda Literary Award". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2022-01-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  41. ^ Hines, Jim C.; Mohanraj, Mary Anne (2017-06-27). Invisible 3: Essays and Poems on Representation in SF/F. Jim C. Hines.
  42. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2017-08-08). "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience". Apex Magazine. Retrieved 2019-04-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  43. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2018). "Postcards from the Apocalypse". Uncanny Magazine. Retrieved 2019-04-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  44. ^ Johnson, Maureen (2018-05-15). How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-250-16837-5.
  45. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2019). "Harvest". In Shawl, Nisi (ed.). New suns : original speculative fiction by people of color. Oxford, UK: Solaris. pp. 245–254. ISBN 978-1-78108-578-3. OCLC 1088925711.
  46. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (March–April 2020). "Harvest". Uncanny Magazine (33).
  47. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2020-07-07). "The Missing Ingredient". In Tung Richmond, Caroline; Chapman, Elsie (eds.). Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love. Simon and Schuster. pp. 190–217. ISBN 978-1-5344-2186-8.
  48. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2019-09-03). "A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy". In Parisien, Dominik; Wolfe, Navah (eds.). The Mythic Dream. Simon and Schuster. pp. 67–81. ISBN 978-1-4814-6238-9.
  49. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2021). "A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy". In Mills, Allison (ed.). Apex Magazine Issue 126: Indigenous Futurists. Apex Publications.
  50. ^ Gabaldon, Diana; Adams, John Joseph (2020-10-06). The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-1-328-61310-3.
  51. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2020-08-25). "Dark Vengeance". In Anders, Lou (ed.). The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark. Disney Electronic Content. ISBN 978-1-368-07107-9.
  52. ^ Córdova, Zoraida; Parker, Natalie C. (2020-09-22). Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite. Imprint. ISBN 978-1-250-23000-3.
  53. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2020-12-08). "Takeback Tango". In Clayton, Dhonielle (ed.). A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology. Random House Children's Books. pp. 173–191. ISBN 978-1-9848-9620-9.
  54. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2021-02-09). "Rez Dog Rules". In Smith, Cynthia L. (ed.). Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-286996-8.
  55. ^ Caldwell, Patrice (2020-03-10). A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-9848-3566-6.
  56. ^ Roanhorse, Rebecca (2021-09-28). "The Demon Drum". In Riordan, Rick (ed.). The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories About Mythic Heroes. Disney Electronic Content. ISBN 978-1-368-07321-9.
  57. ^ "Phoenix Song: Echo (2021 - 2022)". Marvel. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
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