Darcie Little Badger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Darcie Little Badger
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Little Badger in 2024
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| Born | Darcie Erin Ryan 1987 (age 37–38) |
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| Nationality | American |
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Darcie Little Badger (born 1987) is an American novelist, short story writer, and Earth scientist. She writes exciting stories in a genre called speculative fiction. This includes horror, science fiction, and fantasy tales.
Darcie Little Badger is a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas. She often creates stories with Apache characters and themes. She is also part of a movement called Indigenous Futurism. This is where Native artists and authors write science fiction from their own history and culture. Her books also feature characters who are part of the LGBTQ community, showing their importance.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Darcie Little Badger was born Darcie Erin Ryan in 1987. Her father was an English professor, and her mother was the webmaster for the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas. When she was seven, Darcie wrote her first book. She even tried to get it published, but it was politely turned down. As a child, her family moved often because of her father's job. Still, she always thought of Texas as her true home.
After high school, Darcie changed her last name to Little Badger. This was part of a Lipan tradition. She went to Princeton University in New Jersey. There, she studied Geosciences and earned a bachelor's degree. She then went to Texas A&M University and earned a PhD in oceanography. Her research focused on tiny ocean creatures that can cause harmful red tides.
Science and Writing
After finishing her studies, Little Badger worked as an editor for scientific papers. But she loved writing stories even more! She decided to quit her science job after her first novel, Elatsoe, was sold. This allowed her to focus all her energy on writing.
Her Writing Journey
Short Stories and Apache Culture
Darcie Little Badger has written many short stories. These stories have appeared in popular magazines like Strange Horizons and Fantasy Magazine. She often uses Apache history and traditions in her tales.
For example, in "Whalebone Parrot," two Apache sisters meet again in a scary story set in the late 1800s. The story is based on real Lipan Apache history. In "Owl vs. the Neighborhood Watch," she brings an old Native legend to life. An evil shapeshifting owl appears in a modern-day setting.
Her Novels
Little Badger's first novel, Elatsoe, came out in 2020. It quickly became a bestseller! The story is set in Texas today. The main character is Ellie, a 17-year-old Lipan Apache girl. She is asexual. Ellie has a special pet: the ghost of her dog, Kirby. She brought him back using old family traditions.
Ellie, Kirby, and their friend Jay work together to solve a murder. They also face a group of vampires in a mysterious town called Willowbee.
Her second novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, was released in 2021. This book is about Nina, a Lipan Apache girl. She is trying to learn about her grandmother, who recently passed away. Nina meets a cottonmouth snake named Oli. The story jumps between Texas in the near future and a fantasy world where Oli lives. Climate change is an important part of the story's plot.
Indigenous Futurism
Indigenous Futurism is a growing movement in art and books. Native writers create science fiction and fantasy stories. These stories use characters and ideas from their own cultures. Darcie Little Badger is a big part of this movement.
For example, in her story "Né łe!", the main characters are a Navajo space captain and a Lipan Apache veterinarian. They are taking 40 chihuahuas to new homes on Mars!
Community Work
Darcie Little Badger is also involved in her community. She represents the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas at the National Congress of American Indians. She also helps the tribe with science advice.
She was part of an important legal case. She and others wanted to use eagle feathers in their ceremonies. Before, only members of tribes recognized by the U.S. government could do this without fear of trouble. In 2014, they won their case. The court agreed that the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is an American Indian Tribe. This win allowed them and other Native Americans to use eagle feathers for religious reasons.
In 2021, Little Badger helped celebrate a special event in Presidio, Texas. The city returned a historical Lipan cemetery to the Tribe. Darcie spoke at the ceremony. She used her knowledge as a scientist to talk about her people's strength and connection to the land.
Personal Life
Darcie Little Badger is asexual. In 2021, she was living in San Marcos, Texas.
Awards and Honors
For Elatsoe
- 2021-2022 Whippoorwill Book Award Winner
- 2022 American Indian Youth Literature Awards Honor Book
- 2021 Locus Award for Best First Novel Winner
- 2021 Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book Finalist
- 2020 Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction Finalist
- A National Indie Bestseller
- Time's Best 100 Fantasy Books of All Time
- An NPR Best Book of 2020
- A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2020
- A Kirkus Best YA Book of 2020
For A Snake Falls to Earth
- 2022 Ignite Awards: Best Novel Young Adults Winner
- The Inaugural Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction Shortlist
- Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction winner
- 2022 Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book Finalist
- 2022 Newbery Honor Book
- 2022 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
- Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Novel Finalist
- 2021 National Book Awards for Young People's Literature Longlist
- A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021
- A National Indie Bestseller
- A Kirkus’ Best of 2021-YA Books
- New York Public Library Best Books of 2021: Teens
Published Works
Short Stories
| Year | Title | Publication | ISBN |
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| 2014 | "First Ride of the Day" | ||
| "Siren Son" | |||
| "Nkásht íí" | |||
| 2015 | "The Sea Under Texas" | ||
| "The Girl Turns West" | |||
| "When Whales Fall" | |||
| 2016 | "Né łe!" | ISBN: 978-0993997075 | |
| "Black, Their Regalia" | |||
| "Their Laughing Gal" | |||
| 2017 | "Skinwalker, Fast-Talker" | ISBN: 978-1939840394 | |
| "Owl vs. The Neighborhood Watch" | |||
| "The Whalebone Parrot" | |||
| 2019 | "Kelsey and the Burdened Breath" | ISBN: 978-1781085783 | |
| "Robo-Liopleurodon!" | |||
| "Homecoming" | ISBN: 978-1338343700 | ||
| "Grace" | ISBN: 978-1338343700 | ||
| "Story for a Bottle" | ISBN: 978-1988715247 | ||
| 2020 | "Unlike Most Tides" | ||
| "Venom and Bite" | |||
| "The Orphan of Greenridge (Water)" | ISBN: 978-1796549591 | ||
| "How to Use Your Visor (Fire)" | ISBN: 978-1796549522 | ||
| "Making Faces (Earth)" | ISBN: 978-1796549652 | ||
| 2022 | "The Dancers" | ||
| 2023 | "The Scientist's Horror Story" | (2023). The Scientist's Horror Story". Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology | ISBN 9780593468463 |
Nonfiction
- "When Danger is Announced" in Nightmare Magazine #83 (August 2019)
- "Decolonizing Science Fiction and Imagining Futures: An Indigenous Futurisms Roundtable" in Strange Horizons #30 (January 2017) with Rebecca Roanhorse, Elizabeth LaPensée, and Johnnie Jae
- "Writer's Manifesto: Interview with Darcie Little Badger" in Cicada Magazine Volume 19 (July/August 2017)
Editor
- Mermaids Never Drown (Feiwel and Friends, 2023), with Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker
