Kij Johnson

Kij Johnson (born Katherine Irenae Johnson January 20, 1960 in Harlan, Iowa) is an American writer of fantasy. She is a faculty member at the University of Kansas.

Life and career

Kij Johnson was born in Harlan, Iowa. She received her BA from St. Olaf College in 1982, studied creative writing and literature at the University of Minnesota and at University of Kansas, then earned an MFA in Creative Writing from North Carolina State University in 2012. She joined the University of Kansas English Department as Assistant Professor of Fiction Writing in Fall 2012, where she is associate director of the The Center for the Study of Science Fiction.

Johnson has worked extensively in publishing: managing editor for Tor Books and TSR (Wizards of the Coast), collections editor for Dark Horse Comics, and content manager working on the Microsoft Reader. In her time at Wizards of the Coast, she was also continuity manager for Magic: The Gathering and creative director for AD&D settings Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms. Johnson serves as a final judge for the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.