Amal El-Mohtar | |
|---|---|
 El-Mohtar in 2017 | |
| Born | (1984-12-13)13 December 1984 (age 40) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction,fantasy |
| Notable work | This Is How You Lose the Time War |
| Notable awards | Hugo Award for Best Short Story (2017) Hugo Award for Best Novella (2020) Nebula Award for Best Short Story (2017) Nebula Award for Best Novella (2020) Locus Award for Best Short Story (2015, 2017) Locus Award for Best Novella (2020) |
Amal El-Mohtar (born 13 December 1984[1]) is a Canadian poet and writer ofspeculative fiction,[2] best known for the 2019 novellaThis Is How You Lose the Time War. She is the editor ofGoblin Fruit and reviewsscience fiction andfantasy books for theNew York Times Book Review.
She has published short fiction, poetry, essays and reviews, and has edited thefantastic poetry quarterly magazineGoblin Fruit since 2006.[3]
El-Mohtar began reviewing science fiction and fantasy books for theNew York Times Book Review in February 2018.[4] She has worked as a creative writing instructor atCarleton University and theUniversity of Ottawa.[5] In 2018, she also served as a host onBrandon Sanderson's creative writing podcastWriting Excuses for Season 13.[6]
Her 2019 novellaThis Is How You Lose the Time War, co-written withMax Gladstone, won the 2019Nebula Award for Best Novella,[7][8] the 2020Locus Award for Best Novella, the 2020Hugo Award for Best Novella,[9] and several other awards. In 2025, her first solo novella,The River Has Roots, was published.
Selected awards:
| Award[a] | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora Award | Short fiction | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019)[b] | Won | [10] |
| BSFA Award | Shorter fiction | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019)[b] | Won | [11] |
| Hugo Award | Novella | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019)[b] | Won | [12] |
| Short story | Seasons of Glass and Iron (2016) | Won | [13][5] | |
| Locus Award | Novella | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019)[b] | Won | [12] |
| Short story | The Truth About Owls (2014) | Won | [14] | |
| Madeleine (2015) | Nominated | [12] | ||
| Seasons of Glass and Iron (2016) | Won | [15] | ||
| Nebula Award | Novella | This Is How You Lose the Time War (2019)[b] | Won | [16][17] |
| Short story | The Green Book (2010) | Nominated | [18] | |
| "Madeleine" (2015) | Nominated | [19] | ||
| Seasons of Glass and Iron (2016) | Won | [20] | ||
| Rhysling Award | Best Long Poem | Damascus Divides the Lovers by Zero; or, The City Is Never Finished (withCatherynne M. Valente) (2009) | Third place | [21] |
| Best Short Poem | Songs to an Ancient City (2009) | Won | [21] | |
| Peach-Creamed Honey (2011) | Won | [22] | ||
| Turning the Leaves (2014) | Won | [23] | ||
| World Fantasy Award | Short fiction | Pockets (2015) | Nominated | [24] |
| Seasons of Glass and Iron (2016) | Nominated | [25] | ||
| John Hollowback and the Witch (2024) | Nominated | [26] |
This Is How You Lose the Time War was also a finalist for the 2019Shirley Jackson Award in the Novella category,[27] a finalist for the inauguralRay Bradbury Award for Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction at the 2019Los Angeles Times Book Prizes,[28] and a finalist for the 2019Kitschies in the Novel category.[29] It also achieved second place in the 2020Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.[30] El-Mohtar announced in 2019 that the book has beenoptioned for television, with scripts to be written by herself and Gladstone.[31]
El-Mohtar was born inOttawa,Ontario to a family of Lebanese descent. She grew up in Ottawa with the exception of two years spent in Lebanon beginning when she was six years old.[1][32]
She is married[33] and lives in Ottawa.[34] She is bisexual.[35]
El-Mohtar's full bibliography includes an extensive list of short stories, poems, essays, and reviews.[36]
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