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Sheri S. Tepper

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Sheri S. Tepper
BornShirley Stewart Douglas
(1929-07-16)July 16, 1929
near Littleton, Colorado, U.S.
DiedOctober 22, 2016(2016-10-22) (aged 87)
Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.[1]
GenreHorror, mystery fiction, feminist science fiction
Notable worksThe Gate to Women's Country,
Beauty, Grass
Notable awardsWorld Fantasy Award for Life Achievement,
Locus Award in 1992 for Beauty

Sheri Stewart Tepper (July 16, 1929 – October 22, 2016)[2] was an American writer of science fiction, horror and mystery novels. She is primarily known for her feminist science fiction, which explored themes of sociology, gender and equality, as well as theology and ecology. Often referred to as an eco-feminist of science fiction literature, Tepper personally preferred the label eco-humanist.[3] Though the majority of her works operate in a world of fantastical imagery and metaphor, at the heart of her writing is real-world injustice and pain. She employed several pen names during her lifetime, including A. J. Orde, E. E. Horlak, and B. J. Oliphant.[4]

Early life and education

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She was born Shirley Stewart Douglas near Littleton, Colorado.[5] As a child, she read science fiction and fantasy by A. Merritt and C.S. Lewis, as well as Frank Baum's 'Oz' books, William Hope Hodgson's The Night Land and Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright. She later commented, "These were the books I went back to again and again."[5]

Career

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Tepper recalled that she "spent ten years...working all kinds of different jobs" as a single mother of two.[5] This included time working as a clerical assistant for the international relief agency, CARE.[5] From 1962 to 1986, she worked for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, eventually as its executive director.[5]

She wrote poetry and children's stories as Sheri S. Eberhart, then took a break from writing. By the mid-1980s, she was publishing science fiction novels, including The Revenants (1984), and the books of the True Game series, including King's Blood Four (1983), Necromancer Nine (1983), and Wizard's Eleven (1984). Other related works followed, including her ecofeminist novels The Gate to Women's Country (1988) and Grass (1989), which were part of the Arbai Trilogy. Later novels in the 1990s and 2000s included Beauty (1991), which won a Locus Award; Shadow's End (1994); The Family Tree (1997); Six Moon Dance (1998); Singer from the Sea (1999); The Visitor (2002); The Companions (2003); and The Margarets (2007).

As of 1998, she operated a guest ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico.[5] That year saw her first and possibly only appearance at a science fiction convention, when she was Guest of Honor at the 25th WisCon, the feminist science fiction convention held annually in Madison, Wisconsin.[6]

In November 2015, she received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.[7][8]

Personal life

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She married at 20, and divorced in her late twenties.[4] She married Gene Tepper in the late 1960s.[4]

She died on October 22, 2016[4] at age 87.[2]

Works

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Novels

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Series

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Non-series

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Short works

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  • "The Gardener" (novella) in Night Visions 6. Released as The Bone Yard (1988) in mass market. Collaboration with F. Paul Wilson and Ray Garton. World Fantasy Award—Long Fiction finalist (1989)
  • "Someone Like You" in The Further Adventures of the Joker (ed. Martin Greenberg) (1990)
  • The "Crazy" Carol Stories
    • "The Gazebo" in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1990
    • "Raccoon Music" in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 1991
    • "The Gourmet" in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 1991

Poetry

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Essays/articles

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Educational pamphlets for Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood:

  • The People Know (1968)
  • The Perils of Puberty (1974)
  • The Problem with Puberty (1976)
  • This Is You (1977)
  • So Your Happily Ever After Isn't (1977)
  • The Great Orgasm Robbery (1977)
  • So You Don't Want to Be a Sex Object (1978)

Pseudonymous works

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  • as E. E. Horlak (horror):
    • Still Life (Bantam, 1987/1988)
  • as B. J. Oliphant (mystery):
    • Shirley McClintock Mysteries, featuring a Colorado rancher and former Washington, DC "advisor":
      • Dead in the Scrub (1990)
      • The Unexpected Corpse (1990)
      • Deservedly Dead (1992)
      • Death and the Delinquent (1993)
      • Death Served Up Cold (1994)
      • A Ceremonial Death (1996)
      • Here's to the Newly Dead (1997)
  • as A. J. Orde (mystery):
    • The Jason Lynx Mysteries, featuring a Colorado antiques dealer and his significant other, a female cop:
      • A Little Neighborhood Murder: A Jason Lynx Novel (1989)
      • Death and the Dogwalker: A Jason Lynx Novel (1990)
      • Death for Old Time's Sake: A Jason Lynx Novel (1992)
      • Looking for the Aardvark (1993) (also published in paperback as Dead on Sunday, 1994)
      • A Long Time Dead (Fawcett, 1994)
      • A Death of Innocents: A Jason Lynx Novel (1996, 1997)

References

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  1. ^ "In Memoriam: Sheri S. Tepper"
  2. ^ a b c Christensen, Ceridwen (October 25, 2016). "In Memorium: Sheri S. Tepper Leaves a Legacy of Stunning Science Fiction & Fantasy". B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy blog. Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Inc. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  3. ^ "Sheri S. Tepper". Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center. Web.[full citation needed] Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  4. ^ a b c d "Sheri S. Tepper (1929-2016)". LocusMag.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Sheri S. Tepper interview". Locus Online; locusmag.com. Excerpt from "Sheri S. Tepper: Speaking to the Universe", Locus 41:3 (September 1998), pp. 4–8. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  6. ^ "Past WisCons" Society for the Furtherance and Study of Fantasy and Science Fiction (SF3), Inc.
  7. ^ "World Fantasy Awards Winners 2015". locusmag.com. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  8. ^ "World Fantasy Convention 2015 -- Life Achievement Awards". WFC2015.org. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  9. ^ "Upcoming4.me". Sheri S Tepper - Fish Tales cover art and synopsis. Archived from the original on 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  10. ^ "1990 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  11. ^ "1993 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  12. ^ "1992 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  13. ^ "1997 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  14. ^ "1998 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  15. ^ "2001 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  16. ^ "2003 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  17. ^ "2004 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  18. ^ "2008 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  19. ^ "2009 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
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