Nino Cipri is a science fiction writer, editor, and educator. Their works have been nominated for the Nebula, Hugo, Locus, World Fantasy, and Shirley Jackson Awards.
Nino Cipri | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Education | Clarion Workshop University of Kansas (MFA) |
| Genre | Science fiction, fantasy |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Notable works | Finna |
| Website | |
| www | |
Personal life
editCipri identifies as queer and trans/nonbinary.[1] A graduate of the 2014 Clarion Workshop, they earned an MFA in fiction from the University of Kansas in 2019. Cipri has previously worked as a stagehand, bookseller, bike mechanic at Divvy,[2] food columnist for a Chicago culture website, and as a labor organizer.[3][4] Their partner is writer Nibedita Sen.[4]
Career
editCipri's career includes writing plays, poetry, and radio features, as well as performing as a dancer, actor, and puppeteer. Their fiction often integrates humor, critiquing late-stage capitalism[2] and exploring themes of home, alienation, and queer identity.[1]
Their fiction has been published in a number of magazines and publications, including Tor.com, Fireside Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Daily Science Fiction and other places. Cipri's short story "The Shape of My Name," described as "a heart-rending vision of the struggles of time travelers bound to a single house and family,"[5] was a finalist for the 2015 James Tiptree Jr. Award and was reprinted in the Tachyon Publications anthology The New Voices of Science Fiction, edited by Hannu Rajaniemi and Jacob Weisman. Their short story "Opals and Clay" was a finalist for the 2016 Tiptree/Otherwise Award.
Their novella Finna was published in 2020 by Tor.com. It was followed by a sequel, Defekt, in 2021.
Inspirations
editCipri says Kelly Link[1] and Ursula K. Le Guin are two of their main influences, adding about Le Guin that "I was trying to teach myself how to write short stories, she was literally the first author I turned to."[2] They also cite the importance to their writing of queer authors from the 1990s such as Poppy Z. Brite and comics like Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist.[1]
Cipri attributes the layered structure of their work to Charlie Kaufman’s screenwriting style, particularly in films like Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. These influences, alongside other queer and feminist authors from the 1990s, have helped shape their literary focus on gender, identity, and relationships. Cipri's critiques of nostalgia and apocalyptic nihilism draw inspiration from authors such as Octavia Butler, Charlie Jane Anders, Annalee Newitz.[1]
Cipri views current social and environmental movements as major sources of inspiration and the primary reason for their dedication to speculative fiction as a genre, stressing the importance of imagination and working toward a better future. Through their writing, Cipri aims to contribute to these effort, making stories that resonate with underrepresented queer and trans experiences. Their stories frequently experiment with form and structure, as seen in Homesick. Cipri has remarked that these formats allow them to creatively explore ideas and concepts in ways traditional narrative structures may not.[1]
Cipri's humor in Finna reflects an anti-authoritarian approach and subversion of corporate systems. Cipri’s novella Finna was inspired by their visits to IKEA, imagining the labyrinthine stores as places where “reality is thinner and apt to tear.” Cipri’s union-organizing efforts also influence their work. Their personal experiences with labor struggles and low-wage jobs defined much of the anti-capitalist sentiments in Finna.[2]
Awards and honors
editCipri's first short story collection Homesick won the Dzanc Short Fiction Collection Prize[citation needed] and was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and Shirley Jackson Award. Their novella Finna became finalist for the 2021 Nebula Award for Best Novella, Hugo Award for Best Novella, and Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction, and was nominated for the Locus Award for Best Novella.[6]
| Year | Nominee | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "The Shape of My Name" | Otherwise Award | — | Honor List | [7] |
| 2017 | "Opals and Clay" | Honor List | [7] | ||
| 2020 | Homesick | Dzanc Short Fiction Collection Prize | — | Won | [citation needed] |
| Shirley Jackson Award | Collection | Nominated | [7] | ||
| WFA | Collection | Shortlisted | [7] | ||
| 2021 | Finna | Hugo Awards | Novella | Shortlisted | [7] |
| Lambda Literary Award | Transgender Fiction | Shortlisted | [7] | ||
| Locus Award | Novella | Nominated—8th | [7] | ||
| Nebula Awards | Novella | Shortlisted | [7] | ||
| 2022 | Defekt | Locus Award | Novella | Nominated—8th | [7] |
| Philip K. Dick Award | — | Shortlisted | [7] |
Works
editNovellas
edit- —— (2020). Finna. Tor.com. ISBN 9781250245731.
- —— (2021). Defekt. Tor.com. ISBN 9781250787491.
- —— (2024). Dead Girls Don't Dream. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 9781250791405.
Collections
edit- —— (2019). Homesick. Dzanc Books. ISBN 9781945814952.
Selected short stories
edit| Year | Title | Printed | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "The Shape of My Name" | —— (March 4, 2015). "The Shape of My Name". Tor.com. | |
| 2016 | "Opals and Clay" | —— (February 8, 2016). "Opals and Clay". PodCastle. | |
| 2018 | "Ad Astra Per Aspera" | —— (Jan 18, 2018). "Ad Astra Per Aspera". Capricious Magazine (9). |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Nino Cipri on Homesick(ness)" by Bradley Sides, Chicago Review of Books, October 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Interview: Nino Cipri" by Christian A. Coleman, Lightspeed Magazine, Feb. 2020, Issue 117.
- ^ "Embrace The Monstrous: An Interview With Nino Cipri," Cicada Magazine for Teens and Young Adults, September 2017.
- ^ a b "An Interview with Nino Cipri" by A.C. Wise, october 1, 2019, accessed March 28, 2021.
- ^ "Review of The New Voices of Science Fiction" by Annette Lapointe, New York Journal of Books, accessed March 28, 2021.
- ^ Gentes, Brian (2021-03-15). "2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "sfadb : Nino Cipri Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved 2022-06-26.