Kelly Link
Kelly Link (born July 19, 1969) is an American editor and writer. Mainly known as an author of short stories, she published her first novel, The Book of Love,[25][26] in 2024.[3][4] Many of her stories have been described as slipstream or magical realism, combining science fiction, fantasy, horror, and literary fiction.[5][6] She has won a Hugo Award, three Nebula Awards, and three World Fantasy Awards.[7] She was one of the recipients of the 2018 MacArthur Fellowship.[8]
Kelly Link
Cory Doctorow from London, UK · Gavin Grant and Kelly Link, Hayakawa reception, Tokyo, Japan.JPG · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Kelly Link
- Born
- 19 July 1969
- Birthplace
- Miami, Florida, U.S.[1]
- Occupation
- Writer, professor, bookseller
- Education
- Columbia University (BA) University of North Carolina, Greensboro (MFA)
- Spouse
- Gavin Grant
- Awards
- MacArthur Fellowship Hugo Award Nebula Award World Fantasy Award
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- fantasy · horror
- Honours
- Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign-Language Short Story · Theodore Sturgeon Award · Otherwise Award · MacArthur Fellows Program · O. Henry Award · Hugo Award for Best Novelette
- Languages
- American English
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Documentary summary
Kelly Link (born July 19, 1969) is an American editor and writer. Mainly known as an author of short stories, she published her first novel, The Book of Love,[25][26] in 2024.[3][4] Many of her stories have been described as slipstream or magical realism, combining science fiction, fantasy, horror, and literary fiction.[5][6] She has won a Hugo Award, three Nebula Awards, and three World Fantasy Awards.[7] She was one of the recipients of the 2018 MacArthur Fellowship.[8]
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Note VALÉORINE
Kelly Link (born 1969) is an editor, novelist and publisher, among other activities, of American nationality. The editor was born in Miami.
Kelly Link was educated at Columbia University, Greensboro Day School and University of Massachusetts Amherst, among others. The editor worked for University of Massachusetts Amherst and lived in Northampton.
The work spans fantasy and horror. Languages used include American English. Honours include Hugo Award for Best Novelette, MacArthur Fellows Program and Otherwise Award, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1190926 · wikipedia · Kelly Link
In this article
Biography
Biography
Kelly Link studied at Columbia University, University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The recorded working language is American English. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are fantasy and horror. Residence is recorded at Northampton. Employment is recorded with University of Massachusetts Amherst. Distinctions recorded are Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign-Language Short Story, Theodore Sturgeon Award, Otherwise Award and MacArthur Fellows Program.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Kelly Link • Born — 19 July 1969 • Birthplace — Miami, Florida, U.S.[1] • Occupation — Writer, professor, bookseller • Education — Columbia University (BA) University of North Carolina, Greensboro (MFA) • Genre — Fantasy, horror, magical realism • Spouse — Gavin Grant • Children — 1[2] • Awards — MacArthur Fellowship Hugo Award Nebula Award World Fantasy Award • Website — kellylink.net
Biography
Biography
Link is a graduate of Columbia University and of the MFA program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 1995, she attended the Clarion East Writing Workshop.[9] She and her husband, Gavin Grant, manage Small Beer Press, a publisher based in Northampton, Massachusetts.[10] Small Beer Press has an imprint for intermediate readers called Big Mouth House.[11] Link and Grant co-edit the literary zine Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, published by Small Beer Press.[12] They also co-edited St. Martin's Press's The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthology series with Ellen Datlow for five years, ending in 2008.[13] Link was previously the slush reader for Sci Fiction.[14] In 2019, Link and Grant opened Book Moon, an independent bookstore in Easthampton, Massachusetts.[15] Link taught at Lenoir–Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina, with the Visiting Writers Series during the 2005-2006 semester.[16] She has taught at a number of schools and workshops including Bard College,[17] Cleveland State University,[18] the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University, University of Massachusetts Amherst,[19] and Clarion West Writers Workshop.[20] In 2018, she received a MacArthur Fellowship.[21] She was a professor at Smith College, where she was the Elizabeth Drew Professor of English Language and Literature.[22][23] She received an honorary degree from Smith College in 2023.[24] In 2024, Random House published Link's first novel, The Book of Love.
Selected stories
Selected stories
• "The Game of Smash and Recovery" • "The Summer People" • "Pretty Monsters" • "Magic for Beginners" • "The Faery Handbag" • "Stone Animals" • "Louise's Ghost" • "The Specialist's Hat" • "Travels with the Snow Queen"
As editor
As editor
• Trampoline (Small Beer Press, 2003) • The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror, Volumes 17 - 21 (with Ellen Datlow and Gavin J. Grant, St. Martin's Griffin, 2004 - 2008) • Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories (with Gavin J. Grant, Candlewick Press, 2011) • Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales (with Gavin J. Grant, Candlewick Press, 2014) • The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet (with Gavin J. Grant, Del Rey Books, 2007)
Identity
Identity
Kelly Link is recorded as writer, novelist, publisher and editor.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1969
Kelly Link born at Miami.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Northampton
Residences
Miami.
Birth place
Books
* * * * * * *
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Kelly Link received Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign-Language Short Story, Theodore Sturgeon Award, Otherwise Award, MacArthur Fellows Program, O. Henry Award and Hugo Award for Best Novelette.
Awards
• Work — Year & Award — Category — Result — Ref. • "Travels with the Snow Queen" — 1997 Otherwise Award • 1999 World Fantasy Award — Short Fiction • "The Specialist's Hat" — 1999 World Fantasy Award — Short Fiction • "Shoe and Marriage" — 2001 World Fantasy Award — Short Fiction • "Louise's Ghost" — 2001 Nebula Award — Novelette[29] • Stranger Things Happen — 2001 Salon.com Book Award — Fiction[30] • 2002 World Fantasy Award — Collection • 2002 SF Site Readers Poll — SF/Fantasy Book[31] — 5th Place • 2002 Locus Award — Collection[32] • "Lull" — 2003 Locus Award — Novelette • Small Beer Press (with Gavin Grant) — 2003 World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional award • 2004 World Fantasy Special Award—Professional award • 2005 World Fantasy Special Award—Professional award • 2023 World Fantasy Special Award—Professional award[33] • The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (17th Annual Collection) (with Ellen Datlow and Gavin Grant) — 2004 Bram Stoker Award — Anthology[34] • 2005 Locus Award — Anthology[35] • 2005 British Fantasy Award — Anthology • Small Beer Press and Big Mouth House (with Gavin Grant) — 2009 World Fantasy Special Award—Professional award • "The Faery Handbag" — 2004 BSFA Award — Short Fiction[36] • 2005 Locus Award — Novelette • 2005 World Fantasy Award — Short Fiction • 2005 Hugo Award — Novelette[38] • 2005 Nebula Award — Novelette[39] • 2012 Premio Ignotus — Foreign Story • "Catskin" — 2004 Locus Award — Novelette • "The Hortlak" — 2004 Locus Award — Novelette • 2004 World Fantasy Award — Novella[40] • Trampoline — 2004 Locus Award — Anthology • 2004 World Fantasy Award — Anthology • "Stone Animals" — 2005 Locus Award — Novelette[37] • 2005 Theodore Sturgeon Award — Short Science Fiction[41] • Magic for Beginners — 2005 BSFA Award — Short Fiction[42] • 2006 Young Lions Fiction Award[43] • 2006 Locus Award — Novella • 2006 SF Site Readers Poll — SF/Fantasy Book[44] — 5th Place • 2006 World Fantasy Award — Novella • 2006 Hugo Award — Novella[45] • 2005 Nebula Award — Novella • 2006 Theodore Sturgeon Award — Short Science Fiction[46] — 3rd Place • 2008 Grand prix de l'imaginaire — Foreign Short Story/Collection of Foreign Short Stories[47] • Magic for Beginners — 2005 International Horror Guild Award — Collection[48] • 2005 Bram Stoker Award — Fiction Collection[49] • 2005 Salon Book Award • 2006 Locus Award — Collection • 2006 World Fantasy Award — Collection[50] • "Some Zombie Contingency Plans" — 2005 Bram Stoker Award — Long Fiction • 2006 Locus Award — Short Story[51] • The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (18th Annual Collection) (with Ellen Datlow and Gavin Grant) — 2006 Locus Award — Anthology[52] • The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (19th Annual Collection) (with Ellen Datlow and Gavin Grant) — 2007 Locus Award — Anthology[53] • 2007 British Fantasy Award — Anthology[54] • Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet (with Gavin Grant) — 2007 Hugo Award — Semiprozine[55] • The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet — 2008 Locus Award — Anthology[56] • The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (20th Annual Collection) (with Ellen Datlow and Gavin Grant) — 2008 Locus Award — Anthology • "Pretty Monsters" — 2009 Locus Award — Novella[57] • Pretty Monsters — 2009 Locus Award — Collection • 2009 World Fantasy Award — Collection • The Surfer — 2009 Locus Award — Novella • The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (21st Annual Collection) (with Ellen Datlow and Gavin Grant) — 2009 Locus Award — Anthology[58] • 2009 World Fantasy Award — Anthology[59] • "Secret Identity" — 2010 Locus Award — Novelette • "The Cinderella Game" — 2010 Locus Award — Short Story[60] • "The Summer People" — 2011 Shirley Jackson Award — Novelette[61] • 2012 Locus Award — Novelette • 2013 O. Henry Award — Juror Favorite[62] • Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories (with Gavin Grant) — 2012 Locus Award — Anthology • "Valley of the Girls" — 2012 Locus Award — Short Story[63] • "I Can See Right Through You" — 2015 Locus Award — Novelette • 2015 World Fantasy Award — Short Fiction • Monstrous Affections (with Gavin Grant) — 2015 Locus Award — Anthology • 2015 World Fantasy Award — Anthology[64] • "The Lady and the Fox" — 2015 Locus Award — Short Story • "The New Boyfriend" — 2015 Locus Award — Novelette[65] • Get in Trouble — 2016 Shirley Jackson Award — Collection[66] • 2016 World Fantasy Award — Collection[67] • 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction[68] • 2016 Locus Award — Collection[69] • 2016 Indies Choice Book Awards — Adult Fiction[70] • "The Game of Smash and Recovery" — 2016 Locus Award — Short Story • 2016 Theodore Sturgeon Award — Short Science Fiction[71] • 2017 World Fantasy Special Award—Professional award — Contributions to the Genre[72] • "The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear" — 2020 Locus Award — Short Story[73] • "Skinder's Veil" — 2022 Locus Award — Novelette[74] • White Cat, Black Dog — 2023 Kirkus Prize — Fiction[75] • 2024 BookTube Prize — Fiction[76] — Octofinalist • 2024 World Fantasy Award — Collection • 2024 Locus Award — Collection • 2024 Chautauqua Prize[77] • 2024 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award[78] • "Prince Hat Underground" — 2024 World Fantasy Award — Novella[79] • 2024 Locus Award — Novelette[80] • The Book of Love — 2025 Compton Crook Award — Novel • 2024 Nebula Award[82] • 2024 Los Angeles Times Book Prize — Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction[81][83][84]
Literature
Literature
Literature
The Book of Love, 5.0 by Kelly Link (PDF), 2026
Scholarly footprint
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Kelly Link. About Kelly.
- 2.Grant, Gavin. Small Beer, little baby. Small Beer Press. May 20, 2009.
- 3.Miller, Laura. An interview with Kelly Link. Salon.com. 2001-11-19.
- 4.Miller, Laura. 'Get in Trouble': Going back inside the weird and wonderful world of Kelly Link. Salon.com. February 4, 2015.
- 5.RA Alert: Slipping into Slipstream with Kelly Link. EarlyWord. 2015-02-05.
- 6.Shapiro, Rebecca. The Wild and Wonderful World of Kelly Link. Columbia Magazine. 2024.
- 7.Kelly Link Awards. science fiction awards database.
- 8.Charles, Ron. Short-story writer Kelly Link wins MacArthur 'genius' grant. The Washington Post. October 4, 2018.
- 9.Trotter, Jessica. Kelly Link talks about her participation in the thirty-eighth Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Workshop at Michigan State University. MSU Libraries Digital Repository. 2006-07-24.
- 10.Grant, Gavin J. Early history. Small Beer Press. 2012-01-04.
- 11.Big Mouth House. Small Beer Press.
- 12.LCRW. Small Beer Press.
- 13.Grant, Gavin J. The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror. Small Beer Press. 2009-01-12.
- 14.An Interview with Kelly Link by The Slush God. The Slush God Speaketh.
- 15.The Moon, The Moon; or: About Us. Book Moon Books.
- 16.Visiting Writers Series - Past Writers. Lenoir-Rhyne University. 2024.
- 17.Writers Kelly Link and Jedediah Berry ’99 to Give Reading at Bard College on March 3. Bard College. 2025-02-25.
- 18.End-of-Year Round Up. Cleveland State University Poetry Center. 2017-12-07.
- 19.Flynn, Anne-Gerard. Kelly Link of Northampton named MacArthur Genius Grant recipient. masslive. 2018-10-05.
- 20.Kelly Link’s The Book of Love - Book Club Discussion. Clarion West.
- 21.Kelly Link - MacArthur Foundation. www.macfound.org.
- 22.Kelly Link. Smith College.
- 23.Author Spotlight: Kelly Link. Lightspeed Magazine.
- 24.Speakers & Honorary Degrees. Smith College.
- 25.Garrett, Yvonne C. Kelly Link's The Book of Love. The Brooklyn Rail. 2024-07-29.
- 26.Gould, Emily. How Kelly Link Wrote a Very Good First Novel. The Cut. 2024-02-22.
- 27.El-Mohtar, Amal. Book Review: 'The Book of Love,' by Kelly Link. The New York Times. 2024-02-12.
- 28.Iglesias, Gabino. Kelly Link's debut novel 'The Book of Love' is magical, confusing, heartfelt, strange. NPR. 2024-02-15.
- 29.2001. Nebula Awards.
- 30.Salon Book Award. LibraryThing.
- 31.SF Site Readers Poll 2002. science fiction awards database.
- 32.sfadb : Locus Awards. www.sfadb.com.
- 33.Announcing the 2023 World Fantasy Awards Winners. Reactor.com.
- 34.2004 Bram Stoker Award Winners & Nominees. The Bram Stoker Awards.
- 35.2005 Locus Finalists. locusmag.com.
- 36.Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link. smallbeerpress.com.
- 37.2005 Locus Winners. locusmag.com.
- 38.2005 Hugo Awards. thehugoawards.org.
- 39.2005 Nebula Awards. nebula.sfwa.org.
- 40.2004 World Fantasy Awards Final Ballot. locusmag.com.
- 41.2005 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. www.isfdb.org.
- 42.BSFA Past Winners. bsfa.co.uk.
- 43.2006 Young Lions Fiction Award Finalists. Barnes and Noble.
- 44.sfadb: SF Site Readers Poll 2006. www.sfadb.com.
- 45.2006 Hugo Awards. thehugoawards.org.
- 46.2006 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. www.isfdb.org.
- 47.2008 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire. www.isfdb.org.
- 48.International Horror Guild. horroraward.org.
- 49.2005 Bram Stoker Award Winners and Nominees. thebramstokerawards.com.
- 50.2006 World Fantasy Award Finalists. fact.org.
- 51.2006 Locus Awards Finalists. locusmag.com.
- 52.2006 Locus Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 53.2007 Locus Awards Finalists. locusmag.com.
- 54.British Fantasy Society Award nominees 2007. sffworld.com.
- 55.2007 Hugo Award Winners and Nominees. thehugoawards.org.
- 56.2008 Locus Awards Finalists. locusmag.com.
- 57.2009 Locus Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 58.2009 Locus Awards Finalists. locusmag.com.
- 59.2009 World Fantasy Award Winners. locusmag.com.
- 60.2010 Locus Awards Finalists. locusmag.com.
- 61.2011 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 62.Understanding Kelly Link's "The Summer People". thoughtco.com.
- 63.2012 Locus Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 64.2015 World Fantasy Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 65.2015 Locus Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 66.sfadb: Shirley Jackson Awards 2016. www.sfadb.com.
- 67.2016 World Fantasy Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 68.2016 Pulitzer Prizes. pulitzer.org.
- 69.2016 Locus Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 70.Indies Choice and E.B. White Real-Aloud Awards 2016: 2016 Winners & Finalists. bookreporter.com.
- 71.2016 Campbell and Sturgeon Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 72.2017 World Fantasy Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 73.2020 Locus Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 74.2022 Locus Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 75.Finalists Announced for 2023 Kirkus Prizes. Kirkus Reviews.
- 76.2024 Fiction - 2025 BOOKTUBE PRIZE. www.booktubeprize.org.
- 77.2024 Chautauqua Prize. chautauquabookstore.com.
- 78.Publishers Weekly. 2024 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award Shortlist. 23 Aug 2024.
- 79.2024 World Fantasy Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 80.2024 Locus Awards Winners. locusmag.com.
- 81.Compton Crook Award | Nominee | 2025 | Awards and Honors | LibraryThing. LibraryThing.com.
- 82.2024 Nebula Awards. nebula.sfwa.org.
- 83.Kelly Link Wins the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for SFF. Reactor.
- 84.2024 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. bookreporter.com.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1190926: Kelly LinkWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,960 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Kelley ArmstrongAuthor
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- Kelwyn SoleAuthor
- Kelzang GyatsoAuthor
- Kemal BurkayAuthor
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