Catherynne M. Valente facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Catherynne M. Valente
Born	(1979-05-05) May 5, 1979 (age 46) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupation	Poet novelist literary critic
Alma mater	UC San Diego University of Edinburgh
Genre	Postmodern, fantasy, mythpunk
Notable awards	James Tiptree Jr. (2006) Million Writers Award (2007) Rhysling Award (2007) Mythopoeic Award (2008) Andre Norton Award (2009) Locus Award (2014)

Catherynne Morgan Valente (born May 5, 1979) is an American writer who creates amazing stories, poems, and even writes about books. She is famous for her speculative fiction novels, which are stories that imagine things that aren't real, like magic or future worlds. She has won many important awards for her books, including the James Tiptree Jr. Award, the Andre Norton Award, and the Mythopoeic Award.

About Her Writing Career

Catherynne Valente has written many popular books. Her 2009 book, Palimpsest, won a special award called the Lambda Literary Award. Her two-book series, The Orphan's Tales, won the Mythopoeic Award in 2008. The first book in that series, The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden, also won the James Tiptree Jr. Award in 2006.

In 2012, Catherynne Valente won three Locus Awards, which are big awards in the world of science fiction and fantasy. She won for her short story White Lines on a Green Field, her novella Silently and Very Fast, and her young adult novel The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.

In 2009, she gave her old writings and papers to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Collection. These are kept at Northern Illinois University so people can study them. She also often joins a podcast called SF Squeecast, where she talks about science fiction.

Her Unique Style: Multimedia and Mythpunk

Catherynne Valente sometimes performs with a singer named S. J. Tucker. They put on shows that include readings from Valente's books, music, and even dancers.

She is also known for using crowdfunding to publish her books. This means people can donate money online to help create a book. Her novel The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making was one of the first books funded this way to win a major award before it was officially published by a company.

In 2006, Catherynne Valente jokingly created the word "mythpunk". This word is now used to describe a type of fantasy story that takes old folklore and myths and tells them in new, modern ways.

Selected Books

Catherynne Valente has written many different kinds of stories. Here are some of her main works:

Novels

• The Labyrinth (2004)
• The Ice Puzzle (2004)
• Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams (2005)
• The Grass-Cutting Sword (2006)
• Palimpsest (2009)
• Deathless (2011)
• Radiance (2015)
• The Glass Town Game (2017)
• Space Opera (2018)
• Mass Effect: Andromeda Annihilation (2018)
• Comfort Me with Apples (2021)
• Space Oddity (2024)

Novellas

Novellas are stories that are longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.

• Silently and Very Fast (2011)
• Six-Gun Snow White (2013)
• Speak Easy (2015)
• The Refrigerator Monologues (2017)
• The Past Is Red (2021)

The Orphan's Tales Series

This is a two-volume series of fantasy stories.

• The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden (Volume 1) (2006)
  • Book of the Steppe
  • Book of the Sea
• The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice (Volume 2) (2007)
  • Book of the Storm
  • Book of the Scald

A Dirge for Prester John Series

• The Habitation of the Blessed (2010)
• The Folded World (2011)

Fairyland Series

This is a popular series of books for middle-grade readers.

• Prequel: The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland—For a Little While (2011)
• The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (2011)
• The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There (2012)
• The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two (2013)
• The Boy Who Lost Fairyland (2015)
• The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home (2016)

Fiction Collections

These books are collections of shorter stories.

• This Is My Letter to the World: The Omikuji Project, Cycle One (2010)
• Ventriloquism (2010)
• Myths of Origin (2011)
• The Melancholy of Mechagirl (2013)
• The Bread We Eat in Dreams (2013)
• The Future Is Blue (2018)

Awards and Recognitions

Catherynne Valente has received many awards for her writing. Here are some of the main ones: