Ellen Kushner

Ellen Kushner is an American author best known for her elegant fantasy novels set in the imagined city of Riverside. Her debut novel, "Swordspoint," introduced readers to a world of swordsmen, scholars, and aristocratic intrigue. She followed this with "The Fall of the Kings" (co-written with Delia Sherman) and "The Privilege of the Sword," which won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Beyond writing, Kushner hosted the public radio show "Sound & Spirit" for over a decade. Her work is celebrated for its sophisticated prose, complex characters, and sharp exploration of gender, sexuality, and power dynamics.