C. L. Polk

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 an alternate history England and is followed by two sequels, Stormsong and Soulstar.

C. L. Polk
BornChelsea Louise Polk
1969 (age 53–54)
New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Pen nameC. L. Polk
OccupationAuthor
GenreFantasy fiction
Notable worksWitchmark
Notable awardsWorld Fantasy Award
Nebula Award
Website
clpolk.com

Life and career

Polk was born in 1969 in New Westminster, British Columbia and grew up in Surrey and Edmonton.[1] Polk is non-binary.[2] They began writing in their thirties, publishing short fiction in magazines such as Abyss & Apex in the early 2000s.[1][lower-alpha 1] Polk was influenced by the works of fantasy author Tanith Lee, in particular the Tales from the Flat Earth,[4] the historical mystery and fantasy novels of Barbara Hambly, and the Valdemar novels by Mercedes Lackey.[5][6]

Polk's first novel Witchmark, featuring a murder mystery set in an alternate history Edwardian England,[7] was written in 2014 and published in 2018.[1] Witchmark won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel,[8] and received nominations for several awards including the Nebula and Locus Awards.[9] In 2019, Polk was listed by the CBC as one of "19 Canadian writers to watch".[10]

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.[11] The third and concluding book of the series, Soulstar, was published in 2021.[12] Other works by Polk include a historical fantasy set in Regency era England, The Midnight Bargain,[13] which was nominated for several speculative fiction prizes.[14] They currently reside in Calgary, Alberta.[15]

Awards
Awards
Pub.
year		 Work Award Category Result[14]
2018 Witchmark Aurora Award Novel Nominated
Lambda Award SF, Fantasy and Horror Nominated
Locus Award First Novel Nominated–4th
Nebula Award Novel Nominated
World Fantasy Award Novel Won
2020 The Midnight Bargain Ignyte Award Adult Novel Nominated
Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated–9th
Nebula Award Novel Nominated
World Fantasy Award Novel Nominated
2021 "The Music of the Siphorophenes" Ignyte Award Novelette Nominated
The Kingston Cycle Hugo Award Series Nominated
Soulstar Aurora Award Novel Nominated
Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated–8th
2022 Even Though I Knew the End Nebula Award Novella Won
Aurora Award[16] Best Novella Nominated
Locus Award Best Novella Nominated

Bibliography

The Kingston Cycle
  • Witchmark (paperback ed.). Tor.com. 2018. pp. 1–318. ISBN 978-1250162687.
  • Stormsong (paperback ed.). Tor.com. 2020. pp. 1–346. ISBN 978-0765398994.
  • Soulstar (paperback ed.). Tor.com. 2021. pp. 1–304. ISBN 978-1250203571.

Other novels and novellas
  • The Midnight Bargain (hardcover ed.). Erewhon Books. 2020. pp. 1–384. ISBN 978-1645660071.
  • Even Though I Knew the End. Tor.com. 2022.

Short fiction
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.

Notes
  1. Polk uses they/them and she/her pronouns.[3]

References
  1. "C.L. Polk: The World Turned Upside Down". Locus Magazine. Vol. 84, no. 5. May 2020. ASIN B088D6T1GB.
  2. Twitter https://twitter.com/clpolk/status/1372684683704635396. Retrieved September 22, 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "About Me". C. L. Polk (Personal website). Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  4. Colyard, K.W. (June 3, 2019). "We Asked 24 Fantasy Authors For The Book That Made Them Fall In Love With The Genre". Bustle.
  5. M., Daryl (May 31, 2018). "Interview With an Author: C.L. Polk". Los Angeles Public Library.
  6. Stubby the Rocket (February 12, 2020). "Writing Advice, Snack Recommendations, and Other Highlights from C.L. Polk's Reddit AMA". Tor.com. Macmillan.
  7. Gutterman, Annabel (October 15, 2020). "The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time: Witchmark by C.L. Polk". Time.
  8. "World Fantasy Awards 2019". World Fantasy Convention. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  9. "C.L. Polk". CBC Books. June 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  10. "19 Canadian writers to watch in 2019". CBC Books. July 1, 2019.
  11. "47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020". CBC Books. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  12. Rockwood, Catherine (July 5, 2021). "Soulstar by C. L. Polk". Strange Horizons.
  13. El-Mohtar, Amal (October 14, 2020). "Dealmakers and Wanderers: New Science Fiction and Fantasy". The New York Times.
  14. "C. L. Polk Chronology". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  15. Coleman, Christian A. (October 2020). "Interview: C.L. Polk". Lightspeed Magazine.
  16. "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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