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C. L. Polk

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C. L. Polk
BornChelsea Louise Polk
1969 (age 54–55)
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Pen nameC. L. Polk
OccupationAuthor
GenreFantasy fiction
Notable worksWitchmark
Notable awardsWorld Fantasy Award
Nebula Award
Website
clpolk.com

Chelsea Louise Polk (born 1969) is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction, best known for the debut novel Witchmark which won the World Fantasy Award in 2019. A blend of murder mystery and fantasy, Witchmark is a set in a gaslamp secondary world and is followed by two sequels, Stormsong and Soulstar.

Life and career

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Polk was born in 1969 in New Westminster, British Columbia and grew up in Surrey and Edmonton.[1] Polk is non-binary and has referred to their gender as a "lava lamp."[2][3] They began writing in their thirties, publishing short fiction in magazines such as Abyss & Apex in the early 2000s.[1][a] Polk was influenced by the works of fantasy author Tanith Lee, in particular the Tales from the Flat Earth,[5] the historical mystery and fantasy novels of Barbara Hambly, and the Valdemar novels by Mercedes Lackey.[6][7]

Polk's first novel Witchmark, featuring a murder mystery set in an alternate history Edwardian England,[8] was written in 2014 and published in 2018.[1] Witchmark won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel,[9] and received nominations for several awards including the Nebula and Locus Awards.[10] In 2019, Polk was listed by the CBC as one of "19 Canadian writers to watch".[11]

Witchmark is the first book of the Kingston Cycle, with the sequel Stormsong listed by CBC Books as among the Canadian fiction to watch for in 2020.[12] The third and concluding book of the series, Soulstar, was published in 2021.[13] Other works by Polk include a historical fantasy set in Regency era England, The Midnight Bargain,[14] which was nominated for several speculative fiction prizes[15] and was a contender in the 2021 edition of Canada Reads.[16]

Even Though I Knew the End, a period novella set in early 1900s Chicago about a damned woman fighting for a chance to be with the woman she loves, was nominated for multiple major awards and won the Nebula Award. Polk expressed surprise at the flood of nominations, saying that they didn't think it was "an award book."[17]

In 2023, Polk underwent treatment with ketamine and blogged about their experience. Their intent was to manage Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder impacting their life and writing career.[18]

As of 2020, Polk resides in Calgary, Alberta.[19]

Awards

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Awards
Pub.
year 		Work Award Category Result[15]
2018 Witchmark Aurora Award Novel Shortlisted
Goodreads Choice Awards Debut Nominated
Lambda Literary Award SF, Fantasy and Horror Shortlisted
Locus Award First Novel Nominated–4th
Nebula Award Novel Shortlisted
World Fantasy Award Novel Won
2020 The Midnight Bargain Ignyte Award Adult Novel Shortlisted
Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated–9th
Nebula Award Novel Shortlisted
World Fantasy Award Novel Shortlisted
2021 "The Music of the Siphorophenes" Ignyte Award Novelette Shortlisted
Locus Award Novelette Nominated—19th
The Kingston Cycle Hugo Award Series Shortlisted
Soulstar Aurora Award Novel Shortlisted
Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated–8th
2022 Even Though I Knew the End Aurora Award[20] Novella Shortlisted
Ignyte Award Novella Shortlisted
Hugo Award Novella Shortlisted
Locus Award Novella Nominated
Nebula Award Novella Won
World Fantasy Award Novella Shortlisted
2023 "Ivy, Angelica, Bay" Hugo Award Novelette Shortlisted
Ignyte Award Novelette Shortlisted
Locus Award Novelette Nominated—12th

Bibliography

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The Kingston Cycle

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  • —— (2018). Witchmark (paperback ed.). Tor.com. pp. 1–318. ISBN 9781250162687.
  • —— (2020). Stormsong (paperback ed.). Tor.com. pp. 1–346. ISBN 9780765398994.
  • —— (2021). Soulstar (paperback ed.). Tor.com. pp. 1–304. ISBN 9781250203571.

Other novels and novellas

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Short fiction

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Year Title Scope Publication Ref
2003 "Le Bel Homme Sans Merci" "Le Bel Homme Sans Merci". Abyss & Apex. July–August 2003.
2005 "Bright Wings and Wax" "Bright Wings and Wax". Ideomancer. 4 (1). March 2005.
2007 "Kether Station" "Kether Station". Jim Baen's Universe. 2 (3). October 2007.
2020 "St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid" Chen, Ruoxi, ed. (February 5, 2020). "St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid". Tor.com.
2021 "The Music of the Siphorophenes" Novelette "The Music of the Siphorophenes". F&SF. 140 (3 & 4). March–April 2021.
2023 "Ivy, Angelica, Bay" Novelette "Ivy, Angelica, Bay". Reactor. December 8, 2023.

Notes

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  1. ^ Polk uses they/them and she/her pronouns.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "C.L. Polk: The World Turned Upside Down". Locus Magazine. Vol. 84, no. 5. May 2020. ASIN B088D6T1GB.
  2. ^ Polk, C.L. "I just failed at describing my gender..." Bluesky. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  3. ^ C. L. Polk (March 18, 2021). "Hello! I didn't Make a big deal announcement because it didn't seem like the right time but it will never be the right time. I caucus with women, but I am nonbinary..." Twitter. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "About Me". C. L. Polk (Personal website). Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Colyard, K.W. (June 3, 2019). "We Asked 24 Fantasy Authors For The Book That Made Them Fall In Love With The Genre". Bustle.
  6. ^ M., Daryl (May 31, 2018). "Interview With an Author: C.L. Polk". Los Angeles Public Library.
  7. ^ Stubby the Rocket (February 12, 2020). "Writing Advice, Snack Recommendations, and Other Highlights from C.L. Polk's Reddit AMA". Tor.com. Macmillan.
  8. ^ Gutterman, Annabel (October 15, 2020). "The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time: Witchmark by C.L. Polk". Time.
  9. ^ "World Fantasy Awards 2019". World Fantasy Convention. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  10. ^ "C.L. Polk". CBC Books. June 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "19 Canadian writers to watch in 2019". CBC Books. July 1, 2019.
  12. ^ "47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020". CBC Books. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  13. ^ Rockwood, Catherine (July 5, 2021). "Soulstar by C. L. Polk". Strange Horizons.
  14. ^ El-Mohtar, Amal (October 14, 2020). "Dealmakers and Wanderers: New Science Fiction and Fantasy". The New York Times.
  15. ^ a b "C. L. Polk Chronology". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  16. ^ Anderson, Porter (January 14, 2021). "CBC's 20th Season of 'Canada Reads': Five Books and Their 'Champions'". Publishing Perspectives. Frankfurter Buchmesse. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  17. ^ Polk, C.L. (July 10, 2023). "Nothing worth writing a post about has happened to me in months, part 1-5". Small Acts of Writing. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  18. ^ Polk, C.L. (March 8, 2023). "Oh hey, lots of people, hello". Mastodon. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  19. ^ Coleman, Christian A. (October 2020). "Interview: C.L. Polk". Lightspeed Magazine.
  20. ^ "Current Ballot – the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA)". The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
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