With more than three hundred books to her name, critically acclaimed author Jane Yolen has solidified her status as one of the most renowned authors in the science fiction and fantasy genre.
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Yolen was born in Manhattan in 1939 and shuffled between New York and Los Angeles before settling once again in Manhattan after World War II. Growing up in New York City, Yolen founded a family newspaper with her brother and discovered her penchant for writing—which led to her becoming a published poet as an undergraduate at Smith College in Massachusetts. Not long afterward, Yolen would go on to publish the children’s book Pirates in Petticoats in 1963—the beginning of her illustrious career as a fiction author.
In Cards of Grief, winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, the year is 2132, and there’s no love to be found on the planet Henderson’s IV—or L’Lal’lor, as it’s known to the native population—where grieving and sorrow are the basis of life. Told from the alternating viewpoints of alien and human characters, Cards of Griefputs Yolen’s imaginative writing on full display as the main character, Anthropologist First Class Aaron Spenser, is tempted into committing an inconceivable act in the name of love—or lust.
With a spellbinding catalogue of futuristic works such as Dragonfield and Sister Emily’s Lightship, brilliant spins on![]()
classic myths and tales with works like Merlin’s Booke, and hundreds of other first-rate novels, it’s no wonder Yolen has been referred to as “the Hans Christian Andersen of America” for her unparalleled mastery of storytelling. An artistic pioneer, Yolen’s works showcase her creative genius in its prime. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, among other impressive accomplishments.
Jane Yolen, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, currently divides her time between Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland. To learn more about Yolen and her works of speculative fiction for all ages, visit her author page here.