Ellen Klages

Ellen Klages (born 1954) is a science, science fiction and historical fiction writer who lives in San Francisco. Her novelette "Basement Magic" won the 2005 Nebula Award for Best Novelette. She had previously been nominated for Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell awards. Her first (non-genre) novel, The Green Glass Sea, was published by Viking Children's Books in 2006. It won the 2007 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Portable Childhoods, a collection of her short fiction published by Tachyon Publications, was named a 2008 World Fantasy Award Finalist.White Sands, Red Menace, the sequel to The Green Glass Sea, was published in Fall 2008. In 2010 her short story "Singing on a Star" was nominated for a World Fantasy Award.

Klages is also known for doing stand-up comedy and other performances as an auctioneer annually at WisCon. The WisCon Tiptree Auction is a fundraiser for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award; Klages also serves on the Board for the award. "At past Tiptree auctions, auctioneer/comedian Ellen Klages has auctioned off her own hair, Mary Doria Russell's brassiere, a hand-knitted uterus, a kangaroo-scrotum purse, a cherry pie, and a Xena lawn butt." Klages was a Guest of Honor at Wiscon 33.

Klages was born in Columbus, Ohio. She holds a degree in Philosophy from the University of Michigan. She got involved in writing fiction while working at the Exploratorium, in San Francisco, when she was selected to co-author a children’s science activity book with science fiction author Pat Murphy. Murphy encouraged Klages to write her own stories as well.

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