Marge Simon

Last updated
Marge Simon
Marge Simon.jpg
American artist and a writer
Born1942 (age 8182)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation
  • writer
  • poet
  • painter
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of Northern Colorado (B.A., M.S.)
Art Center College of Design
Genre speculative fiction
Notable awards Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement (r. 2021)
Spouse
(m. 2001)

Marge Baliff Simon (born 1942) is an American artist and a writer of speculative poetry and fiction.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Marge Simon was born in Bethesda, Maryland, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado.

Education and career

She received her BA and MA degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, and then continued her studies at the ArtCenter College of Design. Deciding against a career as a commercial artist, she began working as an art teacher in elementary schools instead. [1]

In the mid-1980s, Simon began writing and illustrating for the small press and went on to become an award-winning writer. Simon's poems, short fiction, and illustrations have appeared in hundreds of publications, including Amazing Stories, Nebula Awards 32, Strange Horizons, The Pedestal Magazine, Chizine, Niteblade, Vestal Review, and Daily Science Fiction .

Simon is a former president of the Small Press Writers and Artists Organization and of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA). She is additionally a former editor of Star*Line, the SFPA's bimonthly journal.

In 2013, Simon began editing the column "Blood and Spades: Poets of the Dark Side" for the monthly newsletter of the Horror Writers Association. She serves as the Chair of the HWA Board of Trustees. [2]

Marriage

Simon lives in Ocala, Florida, with her husband, writer Bruce Boston, with whom she sometimes collaborates.

Published works

Poetry collections

Poetry and fiction collections

Fiction collections

Art

Recognition

Simon's poem "Variants of the Obsolete" won the 1996 Rhysling Award for speculative poetry in the Long category. Her poems "Shutdown" and "George Tecumseh Sherman’s Ghosts" placed first in the Short category of the Rhyslings in 2015 and 2017, respectively. [4]

Simon's short-form poem "Blue Rose Buddha" won the 2012 Dwarf Stars Award. [5]

Vectors: A Week in the Death of a Planet, written by Simon in collaboration with Charlee Jacob, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Poetry Collection in 2008. In 2012, Simon's collection Vampires, Zombies, and Wanton Souls was a recipient of the same award.

Sweet Poison, co-written with Mary A. Turzillo, won the 2015 Elgin Award for best full-length speculative poetry collection. Simon's Small Spirits: Dark Dolls placed second in the full-length book category of the 2017 Elgins, and Satan's Sweethearts, another collaborative work with Turzillo, placed second in the 2018 Elgins. War, written by Simon in collaboration with Alessandro Manzetti, won the 2019 Elgin for full-length book. [6]

In 2015, Simon was created a Grand Master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association in recognition of more than twenty years of contributions to the field of speculative verse. [7]

Related Research Articles

The Rhysling Awards are an annual award given for the best science fiction, fantasy, or horror poem of the year. The award name was dubbed by Andrew Joron in reference to a character in a science fiction story: the blind poet Rhysling, in Robert A. Heinlein's short story "The Green Hills of Earth". The award is given in two categories: "Best Long Poem", for works of 50 or more lines, and "Best Short Poem", for works of 49 or fewer lines.

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Speculative poetry is a genre of poetry that focusses on fantastic, science fictional and mythological themes. It is also known as science fiction poetry or fantastic poetry. It is distinguished from other poetic genres by being categorized by its subject matter, rather than by the poetry's form. Suzette Haden Elgin defined the genre as "about a reality that is in some way different from the existing reality."

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) is a society based in the United States with the aim of fostering an international community of writers and readers interested in poetry pertaining to the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror. The SFPA oversees the quarterly production of literary journals dedicated to speculative poetry and the annual publication of anthologies associated with awards administered by the organization, i.e. the Rhysling Awards for year's best speculative poems in two length categories and the Dwarf Stars Award for year's best very short speculative poem. Every year since 2013, the SFPA has additionally administered the Elgin Awards for best full-length speculative poetry collection and best speculative chapbook.

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References

  1. An interview with Marge Simon, 7 March 2013, archived from the original on February 18, 2015, retrieved 27 April 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. The 2013 Rhysling Winners , retrieved 27 April 2016
  3. "Strange Horizons Gallery". 2008-04-24. Archived from the original on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  4. "SFPA Rhysling Award Archive". Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association.
  5. "The Dwarf Stars Award". Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association.
  6. "The SFPA Elgin Awards". Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association.
  7. "Grand Master Award". Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association.