Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (born June 14, 1986) is a prolific American author of speculative fiction short stories,[1][2] active in the field since 2007.[3] Their works have been published in a number of magazines and anthologies, including various collections of the year's best stories, and have been finalists for the Otherwise, Locus, and Nebula Awards. Some of their early work was published under the name Merc Rustad.[3] They changed their name to Merc Fenn Wolfmoor in 2019.[4]
Wolfmoor's work has appeared in a large number of periodicals[1] including Apex Magazine, Cicada, Fireside Fiction, Intergalactic Medicine Show, Lightspeed, Diabolical Plots, Escape Pod, Shimmer Magazine, Galaxy's Edge, and Uncanny Magazine along with being reprinted in "year's best" anthologies such as the 2015, 2017, and 2018 editions of The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, The Year's Best Fantasy: Volume 1, Wilde Stories 2016: The Year’s Best Gay Speculative Fiction, Transcendent: The Best Transgender Fiction 2016, and Nebula Awards Showcase 2018.[9][10][11]
Their work has also been featured in a number of original anthologies such as Love Hurts edited by Tricia Reeks[12] and A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers edited by Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams.[13] Their story in that latter anthology, "Our Aim Is Not To Die," addresses the issue of ableism[14] and features an autistic "non-binary human being who lives in a world where you're forced to choose a gender, or you are erased." Victor LaValle said the story "knocked me out of my chair."[15]
Critical receptionedit
Publishers Weekly gave a starred review to Wolfmoor's short story collection So You Want to Be a Robot, calling their writing "creative, often whimsical, and deliciously inclusive"[1] while Kirkus Reviews called the collection "A sparkling sequence of tales that bends and flips familiar ideas and fantastic visions."[16]
Apex Magazine described Wolfmoor's fiction as "personal, raw, intimate, and powerful, featuring strong characters who are either on a journey to know exactly who they are, or have already reached that point and are waiting for others to catch up."[9]"
^Wolfmoor, Merc Fenn [@Merc_Wolfmoor] (June 11, 2020). "hi folks! this will be a 'welcome, this is me' thread because it's been awhile :D I'm Merc Wolfmoor, i'm non-binary, aro/ace, autistic, undiagnosed ADHD, queer, and i write things! I tweet about writing, video games, SFFH stuff, movies, and my ridiculous kitten Tater Tot ^-^" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 February 2022 – via Twitter.
^Wolfmoor, Merc Fenn [@Merc_Wolfmoor] (June 11, 2020). "I'm terrible at email (SORRY IN ADVANCE, it is a huge anxiety thing) and have depression and anxiety and I take meds to manage it ^-^ if we meet in person/video online, i'm not super talkative because I don't like *verbal* words, but i'm chatty as hell in text" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 February 2022 – via Twitter.
^Wolfmoor, Merc Fenn [@Merc_Wolfmoor] (November 14, 2021). "*deep breath* in January, when my new insurance from work kicks in, i am going to try and seek an ADHD diagnosis and treatment. putting this here because it's scary and also i need to do something, i am absolutely failing at everything right now" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 February 2022 – via Twitter.
^ ab"Interview with A. Merc Rustad" by Andrea Johnson, Apex Magazine, August 3, 2016.
^"The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018," Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2018.
^"The Nebula Awards Showcase 2018, edited by Jane Yolen" by John O'Neill, Black Gate Magazine, August 14, 2018.