C. L. Polk
{{short description|Canadian author of fantasy fiction}}
{{use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox writer
|name = C. L. Polk
|image =
|caption =
|birth_name = Chelsea Louise Polk
|pseudonym = C. L. Polk
|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1969}}
|birth_place = New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
|death_date =
|death_place =
|occupation = Author
|genre = Fantasy fiction
|movement =
|notableworks = Witchmark
|awards = World Fantasy Award
Nebula Award
|influenced =
|website = {{URL|http://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 set in a gaslamp secondary world and is followed by two sequels, Stormsong and Soulstar.
Life and career
Polk was born in 1969 in New Westminster, British Columbia and grew up in Surrey and Edmonton. Polk is non-binary and has referred to their gender as a "lava lamp."{{cite web |last1=Polk |first1=C.L. |title=I just failed at describing my gender... |url=https://bsky.app/profile/clpolk.bsky.social/post/3kjnymr2bpi2e |website=Bluesky |access-date=23 January 2024}}{{Cite web |url=https://twitter.com/clpolk/status/1372684683704635396 |title=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... |author=C. L. Polk |date=March 18, 2021 |website=Twitter |access-date=May 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318230203/https://twitter.com/clpolk/status/1372684683704635396 |archive-date=March 18, 2021}} They began writing in their thirties, publishing short fiction in magazines such as Abyss & Apex in the early 2000s.{{efn|Polk uses they/them and she/her pronouns.}} Polk was influenced by the works of fantasy author Tanith Lee, in particular the Tales from the Flat Earth, the historical mystery and fantasy novels of Barbara Hambly, and the Valdemar novels by Mercedes Lackey.{{cite web |url=https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/interview-author-cl-polk |title=Interview With an Author: C.L. Polk |work=Los Angeles Public Library |last=M. |first=Daryl |date=May 31, 2018}}
Polk's first novel Witchmark, featuring a murder mystery set in an alternate history Edwardian England, was written in 2014 and published in 2018. Witchmark won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel,{{cite web |url=http://www.worldfantasy.org/world-fantasy-awards%E2%84%A0-2019/ |title=World Fantasy Awards 2019 |work=World Fantasy Convention |access-date=November 3, 2019}} and received nominations for several awards including the Nebula and Locus Awards.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/c-l-polk-1.5192841 |title=C.L. Polk |work=CBC Books |date=June 27, 2019 |access-date=November 3, 2019}} In 2019, Polk was listed by the CBC as one of "19 Canadian writers to watch".{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/19-canadian-writers-to-watch-in-2019-1.5193090 |title=19 Canadian writers to watch in 2019 |work=CBC Books |date=July 1, 2019}}
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. The third and concluding book of the series, Soulstar, was published in 2021. Other works by Polk include a historical fantasy set in Regency era England, The Midnight Bargain, which was nominated for several speculative fiction prizes and was a contender in the 2021 edition of Canada Reads.{{cite web|url = https://publishingperspectives.com/2021/01/cbc-20th-season-of-canada-reads-five-books-and-their-champions-covid19/
|title = CBC's 20th Season of 'Canada Reads': Five Books and Their 'Champions'|last = Anderson|first = Porter|date = January 14, 2021|website = Publishing Perspectives|publisher = Frankfurter Buchmesse|access-date = July 4, 2024}}
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."{{cite web |last1=Polk |first1=C.L. |title=Nothing worth writing a post about has happened to me in months, part 1-5 |url=https://cpolk.substack.com/p/nothing-worth-writing-a-post-about |website=Small Acts of Writing |date=July 10, 2023 |access-date=13 July 2023}}
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.{{cite web |url=https://wandering.shop/@clpolk/109988001409973417 |title=Oh hey, lots of people, hello |last1=Polk |first1=C.L. |website=Mastodon |date=March 8, 2023 |access-date=June 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529014421/https://wandering.shop/@clpolk/109988001409973417 |archive-date=May 29, 2023}}
Awards
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ {{sronly|Awards}} ! scope=col | {{Abbr|Pub.|publication}} ! scope=col style="min-width: 10em" | Work ! scope=col style="min-width: 9em" | Award ! scope=col | Category | |
| rowspan="6" scope="row" style="font-weight: normal" | 2018
| rowspan="6" | Witchmark |{{sho}} | |
|---|---|
| Goodreads Choice Awards
|Debut |{{nom}} | |
| Lambda Literary Award
|{{sho}} | |
| Locus Award
|{{Nominated|Nominated–4th}} | |
| Nebula Award
|{{sho}} | |
| World Fantasy Award
|{{won}} | |
| scope=row style="font-weight: normal" rowspan=4 | 2020
| rowspan=4 data-sort-value=Midnight Bargain, The | The Midnight Bargain |Adult Novel |{{sho}} | |
| Locus Award
|{{Nominated|Nominated–9th}} | |
| Nebula Award
|{{sho}} | |
| World Fantasy Award
|{{sho}} | |
| rowspan="5" style="font-weight: normal" | 2021
| rowspan="2" data-sort-value="Music" of The Siphorophenes, | "The Music of the Siphorophenes" |Novelette |{{sho}} | |
| Locus Award | {{nom|Nominated—19th}} |
| data-sort-value=Kingston Cycle, The |The Kingston Cycle
|{{sho}} | |
| rowspan=2 | Soulstar
|{{sho}} | |
| Locus Award
|{{nom|Nominated–8th}} | |
| rowspan=6 style="font-weight: normal" |2022
|rowspan=6 |Even Though I Knew the End |Aurora Award{{cite web |url=https://www.csffa.ca/awards-information/current-ballot/ |website=The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association |access-date=12 May 2023 |title=Current Ballot – the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA) }} |{{sho}} | |
| Ignyte Award
|Novella |{{sho}} | |
| Hugo Award
|{{sho}} | |
| Locus Award
|{{Nom}} | |
| Nebula Award
|{{win}} | |
| World Fantasy Award
|{{sho}} | |
| rowspan="3" style="font-weight: normal" |2023
| rowspan="3" |"Ivy, Angelica, Bay" |{{Sho}} | |
| Ignyte Award
|Novelette |{{Sho}} | |
| Locus Award
|{{nom|Nominated—12th}} |
Bibliography
= ''The Kingston Cycle'' =
- {{Cite book |last=Polk |first=Chelsea Louise |title=Witchmark |publisher=Tor.com |year=2018 |isbn=9781250162687 |edition=paperback |pages=1–318 |author-mask=2}}
- {{Cite book |last=Polk |first=Chelsea Louise |title=Stormsong |publisher=Tor.com |year=2020 |isbn=9780765398994 |edition=paperback |pages=1–346 |author-mask=2}}
- {{Cite book |last=Polk |first=Chelsea Louise |title=Soulstar |publisher=Tor.com |year=2021 |isbn=9781250203571 |edition=paperback |pages=1–304 |author-mask=2}}
= Other novels and novellas =
- {{Cite book |last=Polk |first=Chelsea Louise |title=The Midnight Bargain |publisher=Erewhon Books |year=2020 |isbn=9781645660071 |edition=hardcover |pages=1–384 |language=en |author-mask=2}}
- {{Cite book |last=Polk |first=Chelsea Louise |title=Even Though I Knew the End |publisher=Tor.com |year=2022 |isbn=9781250849458 |edition=hardcover 1st |pages=1–144 |language=en |author-mask=2}}
= Short fiction =
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Scope !Publication !Ref |
| 2003
|"Le Bel Homme Sans Merci" | |{{Cite journal |last=Polk |first=C.L. |author-mask=0 |date=July–August 2003 |editor-last= |editor-first= |title=Le Bel Homme Sans Merci |url=https://www.abyssapexzine.com/archives/abyss-and-apex2003/abyss-apex-julyaugust-2003-le-bel-homme-sans-merci/ |journal=Abyss & Apex}} | |
|---|
| 2005
|"Bright Wings and Wax" | |{{Cite journal |last=Polk |first=C.L. |author-mask=0 |date=March 2005 |editor-last= |editor-first= |title=Bright Wings and Wax |url= |journal=Ideomancer |volume=4 |issue=1}} | |
| 2007
|"Kether Station" | |{{Cite journal |last=Polk |first=C.L. |author-mask=0 |date=Oct 2007 |editor-last= |editor-first= |title=Kether Station |url= |journal=Jim Baen's Universe |volume=2 |issue=3}} | |
| 2020
|"St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid" | |{{Cite journal |last=Polk |first=C.L. |author-mask=0 |date=Feb 5, 2020 |editor-last=Chen |editor-first=Ruoxi |title=St. Valentine, St. Abigail, St. Brigid |url=https://www.tor.com/2020/02/05/st-valentine-st-abigail-st-brigid-cl-polk/ |journal=Tor.com}} | |
| 2021
|"{{Sort|Music of the Siphorophenes|The Music of the Siphorophenes}}" |Novelette |{{Cite journal |last=Polk |first=C.L. |author-mask=0 |date=Mar–Apr 2021 |editor-last= |editor-first= |title=The Music of the Siphorophenes |url= |journal=F&SF |volume=140 |issue=3 & 4}} | |
| 2023
|"Ivy, Angelica, Bay" |Novelette |{{Cite journal |last=Polk |first=C. L. |author-mask=0 |date=December 8, 2023 |editor-last= |editor-first= |title=Ivy, Angelica, Bay |url=https://reactormag.com/ivy-angelica-bay-c-l-polk-2/ |journal=Reactor}} | |
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite news
| url = https://www.cbc.ca/books/47-works-of-canadian-fiction-to-watch-for-in-spring-2020-1.5426273
| title = 47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020
| work = CBC Books
| date = 2020-02-05
| archiveurl =
| archivedate =
| accessdate = 2020-02-07
}}
{{cite magazine |url=https://locusmag.com/2020/05/c-l-polk-the-world-turned-upside-down/ |title=C.L. Polk: The World Turned Upside Down |magazine=Locus Magazine |volume=84 |number=5 |date=May 2020 |asin=B088D6T1GB}}
{{cite magazine |url=https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/interview-c-l-polk/ |title=Interview: C.L. Polk |magazine=Lightspeed Magazine |last=Coleman |first=Christian A. |date=October 2020}}
{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/collection/100-best-fantasy-books/5898528/witchmark/ |title=The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time: Witchmark by C.L. Polk |magazine=Time |last=Gutterman |first=Annabel |date=October 15, 2020}}
{{cite magazine |url=http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/soulstar-by-c-l-polk/ |title=Soulstar by C. L. Polk |magazine=Strange Horizons |last=Rockwood |first=Catherine |date=July 5, 2021}}
{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/books/review/susanna-clarke-piranesi.html |title=Dealmakers and Wanderers: New Science Fiction and Fantasy |work=The New York Times |last=El-Mohtar |first=Amal |author-link=Amal El-Mohtar |date=October 14, 2020}}
{{cite web|url=http://www.sfadb.com/C_L_Polk_Chronology |title=C. L. Polk Chronology |website=Science Fiction Awards Database |publisher=Locus Science Fiction Foundation |access-date=21 September 2022}}
{{cite magazine |url=https://www.tor.com/2020/02/12/writing-advice-snack-recommendations-and-other-highlights-from-c-l-polks-reddit-ama/ |title=Writing Advice, Snack Recommendations, and Other Highlights from C.L. Polk's Reddit AMA |magazine=Tor.com |publisher=Macmillan |author=Stubby the Rocket |date=February 12, 2020}}
{{cite magazine |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/24-fantasy-authors-on-the-books-that-made-them-fall-in-love-with-the-genre-17908858 |title=We Asked 24 Fantasy Authors For The Book That Made Them Fall In Love With The Genre |magazine=Bustle |last=Colyard |first=K.W. |date=June 3, 2019}}
}}
External links
- [https://clpolk.com/ Official website]
- {{isfdb name |id=105357}}
{{Nebula Award Best Novella}}
{{World Fantasy Award Best Novel}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polk, C. L.}}
Category:Canadian fantasy writers
Category:Canadian feminist writers
Category:People from New Westminster
Category:Writers from British Columbia
Category:21st-century Canadian novelists
Category:Black Canadian novelists
Category:Canadian non-binary writers
Category:Black Canadian LGBTQ people
Category:Canadian LGBTQ novelists