View source for Emma Bull

{{Short description|American speculative fiction writer (born 1954)}}
{{for|the British art director|Emma Bull (art director)}}
{{Infobox writer
| name             = Emma Bull
| image            = Emmabisbee.JPG
| alt              = 
| caption          = In Bisbee, Arizona (2003)
| pseudonym        = 
| birth_name       = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1954|12|13}}
| birth_place      = [[Torrance, California]], U.S.
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| resting_place    = 
| occupation       = Writer
| language         = English
| period           = 
| subject          = [[Science fiction]]<br>[[Fantasy]]
| alma_mater       = [[Beloit College]]
| spouse           = [[Will Shetterly]]
| notableworks     = ''[[War for the Oaks]]''<br>''[[Bone Dance]]''
| awards           = [[Locus Award|Locus]] –[[Locus Award for Best First Novel|First Novel]]
| website          = 
}}

'''Emma Bull''' (born December 13, 1954) is an American [[science fiction]] and [[fantasy]] author. Her novels include the [[Hugo Award for Best Novel|Hugo]]- and [[Nebula Award for Best Novel|Nebula]]-nominated ''[[Bone Dance]]'' and the urban fantasy ''[[War for the Oaks]]''. She is also known for a series of anthologies set in [[Liavek]], a [[shared universe]] that she created with her husband, [[Will Shetterly]]. As a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, she has been a member of the [[Minneapolis]]-based folk/rock bands [[Cats Laughing]] and [[The Flash Girls]].

{{TOC limit|3}}

==Early years==
Emma Bull was born in [[Torrance, California]]. She attended [[Beloit College]] in Wisconsin, and graduated in 1976 with a degree in English Literature and Composition.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Double Feature'' by Emma Bull & Will Shetterly |work=NESFA Press |date=June 6, 2004 |url=http://www.nesfa.org/press/Books/BullShetterly.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102115959/http://www.nesfa.org/press/Books/BullShetterly.htm |archive-date=2016-01-02 |access-date=2015-10-17 }}</ref> After graduating, she worked for a while as a journalist and graphic designer.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

== Career ==
Emma Bull's best-known novel is ''[[War for the Oaks]]'', one of the pioneering works of [[urban fantasy]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

[[File:Emma Bull, Wiscon 2006.jpg|thumb|Emma Bull at [[Wiscon]], 2006]]

Her 1991 [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] science fiction novel ''[[Bone Dance]]'' was nominated for the [[Hugo Award for Best Novel|Hugo]], [[Nebula Award for Best Novel|Nebula]], and [[World Fantasy Award—Novel|World Fantasy Award]]s.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}} She was a member of the writing group [[The Scribblies]], which included her husband, [[Will Shetterly]], as well as [[Pamela Dean]], [[Kara Dalkey]], Nate Bucklin, [[Patricia Wrede]] and [[Steven Brust]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

With Steven Brust, Bull wrote ''Freedom and Necessity'' (1997), an [[epistolary novel]] set during the 19th century [[Chartism|Chartist]] movement of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Angus |first=Ewan |title=''Freedom and Necessity'' book review |work=SFcrowsnest |date=September 1, 2010 |url=http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2010/Freedom-And-Necessity-by-Steven-Brust-and-Emma-Bull-15328.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616051624/http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2010/Freedom-And-Necessity-by-Steven-Brust-and-Emma-Bull-15328.php |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |access-date=January 15, 2011 }}</ref>

=== Shared universes ===
[[File:Will Shetterly Emma Bull Ddb 1059-35.jpg|thumb|right|Will Shetterly and Emma Bull (1994)]]
Bull and Shetterly created the [[shared universe]] of [[Liavek]], for which they have both written stories. There are five Liavek collections extant.

Bull has also participated in [[Terri Windling]]'s [[Borderland (book series)|''Borderland'']] shared universe, which is the setting of her 1994 novel ''[[Finder (novel)|Finder]]''.

=== Music ===
[[File:Emma Bull and Lojo Russo in Cats Laughing reunion.jpg|thumb|right|Emma Bull and Lojo Russo at Cats Laughing reunion concert, April 2015]] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Bull sang in the [[Minneapolis]]-based rock-folk band [[Cats Laughing]]. She also reunited with the band for two concerts in 2015, including a reunion show at the [[Minicon|Minicon 50]] science fiction convention.<ref name=minicon50>{{cite web |title=Minicon 50 – The Gold Edition |author=Minnesota Science Fiction Society |url=http://mnstf.org/minicon50/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116043417/http://mnstf.org/minicon50/ |archive-date=2014-11-16 }}</ref><ref name=kicks>{{cite web |first1=Dee |first2=Corwin |last1=Brust |last2=Brust |title=Create a Cats Laughing Twenty Year Reunion Event & Album |work=Kickstarter |date=January 2015 |url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/214684691/create-a-cats-laughing-twenty-year-reunion-event-a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108152957/https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/214684691/create-a-cats-laughing-twenty-year-reunion-event-a |archive-date=2015-01-08 }}</ref> Bull appears on Cats Laughing's two studio albums, and on the live CD and reunion concert DVD ''Cats Laughing: A Long Time Gone'' (2016).<ref name=kicks/><ref name=beyondcons>{{cite web |title=A Long Time Gone |work=Beyond Conventions |access-date=2014-11-15 |url=http://beyondconventions.com/cats.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116042213/http://beyondconventions.com/cats.html |archive-date=2014-11-16 }}</ref>

From the early 1990s to 2001, Bull also both sang and played guitar in the "goth-folk" duo [[The Flash Girls]],<ref name=aboutme>{{cite web |last=Bull |first=Emma |title=Her Biography |work=Emma Bull |year=2008 |type=WordPress blog |url=http://emmabull.wordpress.com/about/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301154038/https://emmabull.wordpress.com/about/ |archive-date=2016-03-01 }}</ref> with whom she recorded three albums.

=== Screenwriting ===
Bull wrote a [[screenplay]] for ''War for the Oaks'', which was made into an 11-minute mini-film designed to look like a [[film trailer]]. She made a cameo appearance as the Queen of the Seelie Court, and Will Shetterly directed.

She is Executive Producer and one of the writers for ''Shadow Unit'',<ref>[http://www.shadowunit.org/index.html ''Shadow Unit''] (official website).</ref> along with Shetterly, [[Elizabeth Bear]], [[Sarah Monette]], and [[Amanda Downum]].

== Personal life ==
Bull and Shetterly live in [[Minneapolis]], Minnesota.

==Bibliography==
===Novels===
* ''[[War for the Oaks]]'' (1987)
* ''Falcon'' (1989)
* ''[[Bone Dance]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Finder (novel)|Finder]]'' (1994)
* ''Freedom and Necessity'' (1997, with [[Steven Brust]])
* ''[[Territory (novel)|Territory]]'' (2007)

===Short works===
* "Rending Dark" (1984) in ''Sword and Sorceress'', edited by [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]
* "Badu's Luck" (1985) in ''Liavek''
* "The Well-Made Plan" (1986) in ''Liavek: The Players of Luck''
* "Danceland Blood" (1986, with [[Will Shetterly]]) as "Danceland" in ''Bordertown'', edited by [[Terri Windling]]
* "Wonders of the Invisible World" (1988 essay) in October–November issue of ''New North Artscape''
* "A Bird That Whistles" (1989) in ''Hidden Turnings'', edited by [[Diana Wynne Jones]]
* "Why I Write Fantasy" (1990 essay) in ''[[Pulphouse Publishing|Pulphouse]] 6''
* "For It All" (1991; poem)
* "Silver or Gold" (1992) in ''After the King:  Stories in Honor of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'', edited by [[Martin H. Greenberg]]
* ''The Princess and the Lord of Night'' (1994)
* ''Wonders of the Invisible World'' (1994; essay)
* "The Stepsister's Story" (1995; poem) in ''The Armless Maiden'', edited by Terri Windling
* "Joshua Tree" (2002) in ''The Green Man:  Tales from the Mythic Forest'', edited by [[Ellen Datlow]] and Terri Windling
* "The Black Fox" (2003) in ''Firebirds'', edited by [[Sharyn November]]
* "De la Tierra" (2004) in ''The Faery Reel'', edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
* "What Used to Be Good Still Is" (2006) in ''Firebirds Rising'', edited by Sharyn November
* "Cuckoo" (2009; with [[Elizabeth Bear]] & Leah Bobet)
* "Nine Oracles" (2011)
* "Incunabulum" (2011)
* "My Generation" (2011; poem)
* "The Last of John Ringo" (2012)
* "Man of Action" (2012)

===Collection===
* ''Double Feature'' (1994, collected works with Will Shetterly) from [[NESFA Press]]
* ''And Other Stories'' (2012) (with Will Shetterly)

===Anthology series===
* ''[[Liavek]]'' (1985, [[Ace Books]], edited with Will Shetterly)
* ''[[Liavek#Liavek: The Players of Luck|Liavek: The Players of Luck]]'' (1986, Ace Books, edited with Will Shetterly)
* ''[[Liavek#Liavek: Wizard’s Row|Liavek: Wizard's Row]]'' (1987, Ace Books, edited with Will Shetterly)
* ''[[Liavek#Liavek: Spells of Binding|Liavek: Spells of Binding]]'' (1988, Ace Books, edited with Will Shetterly)
* ''[[Liavek#Liavek: Festival Week|Liavek: Festival Week]]'' (1990, Ace Books, edited with Will Shetterly)

==Discography==

'''With Cats Laughing:'''

* ''Bootleg Issue'' (1988)
* ''Another Way to Travel'' (1990)
* ''A Long Time Gone'' (forthcoming CD and concert DVD, 2016)

'''With The Flash Girls'''

* ''The Return of Pansy Smith and Violet Jones'' (1993)
* ''Maurice and I'' (1994)
* ''Play Each Morning Wild Queen'' (2001)

==Awards==
*Nominee, 1986 [[Locus Award]], Best Anthology for ''Liavek'' <ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfadb.com/Emma_Bull|title=sfadb : Emma Bull Awards|website=www.sfadb.com}}</ref>
*Nominee, 1987 [[World Fantasy Award]], Best Collection for ''Liavek: The Players of Luck'' 
* Winner, 1988 Locus Award, Best First Novel for ''War for the Oaks'' <ref name="auto"/>
*Nominee, 1988 [[Mythopoeic Awards#Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards|Mythopoeic Fantasy Award]] for ''War for the Oaks''
*Nominee, 1988 Locus Award, Best Fantasy Novel for ''War for the Oaks'' <ref name="auto"/>
*Nominee, 1990 Locus Award, Science Fiction Novel for ''Falcon'' <ref name="auto"/>
*Nominee, 1991 [[Philip K. Dick Award]], Best Novel for ''Bone Dance''
*Nominee, 1992 Locus Award, Best Science Fiction Novel for ''Bone Dance'' <ref name="auto"/>
*Nominee, 1992 World Fantasy Award, Best Novel for ''Bone Dance''
*Nominee, 1992 [[Hugo Award]], Best Novel for ''Bone Dance''
*Nominee, 1992 [[Nebula Award]], Best Novel for ''Bone Dance''
*Nominee, 1993 Nebula Award, Best Novella for "Silver or Gold"
*Nominee, 1995: Locus Award, Best Fantasy Novel for ''Finder''
*Nominee, 1995: Mythopoeic Awards, Best Children's Literature for ''The Princess and the Lord of Night''
*Nominee, 1998: Locus Award, Best Fantasy Novel for ''Freedom & Necessity'' <ref name="auto"/>
*Nominee, 2007: Locus Award, Best Novelette for ''What Used to Be Good Still Is'' <ref name="auto"/>
*Nominee, 2008: Locus Award, Best Fantasy Novel for ''Territory'' <ref name="auto"/>
*Nominee, 2010: Locus Award, Novella for ''Cuckoo'' <ref name="auto"/>
*Nominee, 2008 World Fantasy Award, Best Novel for ''Territory''
*Nominee, 2014 Cando Award, Best Novel for ''Territory''

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website | emmabull.wordpress.com }} at [[WordPress]]
*{{ISFDB name|id=Emma_Bull|name=Emma Bull}}
*[http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/emma-bull/ Fantastic Fiction bibliography]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020125111136/http://scifan.com/writers/bb/BullEmma.asp Bibliography] on SciFan
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120205014125/http://www.romm.org/silver.html ''The Unusual Suspects'' at Shockwave Silver]
*[http://www.fantasyliterature.net/bullemma.html Reviews for Emma Bull's Fantasy Fiction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804072259/http://www.fantasyliterature.net/bullemma.html |date=2009-08-04 }}

{{Locus Award Best First Novel}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bull, Emma}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American women bloggers]]
[[Category:American bloggers]]
[[Category:American fantasy writers]]
[[Category:American science fiction writers]]
[[Category:Beloit College alumni]]
[[Category:American women science fiction and fantasy writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century American women novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women novelists]]
[[Category:Novelists from Minnesota]]
[[Category:Songwriters from California]]
[[Category:Guitarists from California]]
[[Category:People from Torrance, California]]
[[Category:Novelists from California]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:Cats Laughing members]]
[[Category:20th-century American women guitarists]]