Michael Damian Thomas

Michael Damian Thomas is an American magazine editor and podcaster. Thomas has won eight Hugo Awards, a British Fantasy Award, and a Parsec Award as co-publisher and co-editor-in-chief of Uncanny Magazine with his wife, Lynne M. Thomas. He has also been active as an advocate for disabled children in Illinois.

Michael Damian Thomas
A smiling white man with dark hair, wearing glasses, a dark jacket, a dark t-shirt, and a lanyard
Michael Damian Thomas in 2023
Occupation(s)Editor, podcaster
Known forUncanny Magazine
SpouseLynne M. Thomas
ChildrenCaitlin Thomas

Early life

Thomas attended the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), a public magnet school in Aurora, Illinois, in 1992.[1] In 2018, IMSA gave him the Alumni Titan Award, recognizing his contributions as "an enthusiastic and energetic champion who has invested significantly in the IMSA community".[2] He graduated from Parkland College in 1998, and worked on the Parkland literary journal.[3][4]

Career

Thomas was managing editor at Apex Magazine from 2012 until 2013,[5] and an associate editor at Mad Norwegian Press.[6] In 2014, he and Lynne M. Thomas began Uncanny Magazine, as "a home for emotional, strongly written, experimental stories and provocative nonfiction" and poetry.[7] He is co-host of the podcast of the same name, and has contributed to other podcasts, including the SF Squeecast with Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, and Catherynne M. Valente,[8] and Down and Safe, a Blake’s 7 podcast with Amal El-Mohtar, Scott Lynch, and L. M. Myles.[9]

Thomas has been the co-editor of several collections of stories and essays, including Glitter & Mayhem (2013 with John Klima and Lynne M. Thomas),[10] and Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the LGBTQ Fans Who Love It (2014, with Sigrid Ellis), and The Best of Uncanny (2019, with Lynne M. Thomas).[11][12]

Thomas has taken a particular interest in disability issues. He chaired the City of DeKalb Advisory Commission on Disabilities and the DeKalb County Local Interagency Networking Council, and served on the planning committee of the Aicardi Syndrome Family Conference. In 2017, the Thomases and Mary Robinette Kowal crafted the "SF/F Convention Accessibility Pledge", a list of three basic accessibility requirements for signers' participation in conventions as participants, panelists, or guests.[13][14] In 2018 and 2019, Uncanny Magazine published the theme issues Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction and Disabled People Destroy Fantasy, exclusively featuring the works of disabled editors and authors.[15]

Bibliography
  • with Sigrid Ellis (editors), Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the LGBTQ Fans Who Love It (Mad Norwegian Press, 2013). ISBN 978-1935234142
  • with John Klima and Lynne M. Thomas (editors), Glitter & Mayhem (Apex Publications, 2013). ISBN 978-1937009199
  • with Catherynne M. Valente, Seanan McGuire and Elizabeth Bear, Harvest Season: An Anthology by the SF Squeecast (ISFiC Press, 2014). ISBN 978-0991002627
  • with Lynne M. Thomas (editors), The Best of Uncanny (Subterranean Press, 2019). ISBN 978-1596069183

Awards

Thomas has been nominated for multiple Hugo Awards between 2013 and 2020, for work on Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, and the anthology Queers Dig Time Lords (2014). He has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award seven times, and for Locus Awards six times.[16]

Awards won by Michael Damian Thomas include the following:

Personal life

Since 2017,[17] the Thomases have lived in Urbana, Illinois[5] with their daughter Caitlin, who has Aicardi syndrome.[18]

References
  1. "Alumni Spotlight – Michael Damian Thomas '92". Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  2. "IMSA to honor three distinguished alumni for excellence". The Voice. 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  3. Mitchell, Tim (August 18, 2019). "Urbana-based Uncanny Magazine lands another rocket at Hugo Awards". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  4. "Parkland College Featured Alum: Michael Damian Thomas". Parkland College. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  5. Meadows, Jim (2018-08-20). "Urbana Couple Wins Two Hugo Awards For Online Science Fiction Magazine". Illinois Public Media. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  6. "Michael Damian Thomas". Nebula Conference 2018. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  7. "An Interview with Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas". A.C. Wise. 2014-08-04. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  8. "About". SF Squeecast. 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  9. "About". Down and Safe. 2015-04-14. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  10. Klima, John; Thomas, Lynne M.; Thomas, Michael Damian, eds. (2013). Glitter & Mayhem. Lexington, Ky.: Apex Publications. ISBN 978-1-937009-19-9. OCLC 857539245.
  11. The Best of Uncanny. Burton, MI: Subterranean Press. 2019. ISBN 978-1-59606-918-3. OCLC 1085972576.
  12. "Paul Di Filippo Reviews The Best of Uncanny, Edited by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas". Locus Online. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  13. Kowal, Mary Robinette (2015-11-18). "SF/F Convention Accessibility Pledge". Mary Robinette Kowal. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  14. Annalee (2016-02-16). "The Geek's Guide to Disability". The Bias. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  15. Holder, Matthew (2020-09-10). "Imagining Accessibility: Theorizing Disability in Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction". Disability Studies Quarterly. 40 (3). doi:10.18061/dsq.v40i3.6685. ISSN 2159-8371.
  16. "Michael Damian Thomas: Awards". SFADB: Science Fiction Awards Database. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  17. Mitchell, Tim (November 8, 2017). "Sci-fi-focused Uncanny Magazine takes up residence in Urbana". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  18. Borrelli, Christopher (2015-06-04). "Nerd Decor Takes Tasteful, Adult Look". Dayton Daily News. p. 30. Retrieved 2021-02-08 – via Newspapers.com.
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