Orson Scott Card


Best known for his science fiction novels ENDER’S GAME and ENDER’S SHADOW, Orson Scott Card has written in many other forms and genres. Beginning with dozens of plays and musical comedies produced in the 1960s and 70s, Card’s first published fiction appeared in 1977 ― the short story “Gert Fram” in the July issue of The Ensign, and the novelette version of “Ender’s Game” in the August issue of Analog.

While Card’s early science fiction stories and novels were earning attention (Card won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer from the World Science Fiction Convention in 1978), he supported his family primarily by writing scripts for audiotapes produced by Living Scriptures of Ogden, Utah.

Later, in the mid-1980s, he wrote the screenplays for animated children’s videos from the NEW TESTAMENT and BOOK OF MORMON, while the novel version of ENDER’S GAME and its sequel SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD were winning the Hugo and Nebula awards. In fact, Card remains the only author to have won both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards in two consecutive years.

Card’s writing ranges from traditional sci-fi (THE MEMORY OF EARTH; ENDER’S SHADOW; SHADOW OF THE HEGEMONY) to biblical novels (STONE TABLES; RACHEL & LEAH); from contemporary fantasies (ENCHANTMENT; LOST BOYS) to books on writing (CHARACTERS AND VIEWPOINT; HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY). His Tales of Alvin Maker series (beginning with SEVENTH SON) reinvented medieval fantasy in an American frontier setting.

Meanwhile, Card’s commentaries on subjects from literature and film to restaurants and consumer products appear weekly in his column Uncle Orson Reviews Everything (published by the Rhinoceros Times in Greensboro, NC, and then online), while his writings on culture, politics, and world affairs, online at The Ornery American (www.ornery.org), are a part of the new blog journalism.

Card’s first collection of poetry, AN OPEN BOOK, appeared in 2004, and that same year, in Los Angeles, he directed a production of Posing As People, three one-acts adapted by other writers from short stories by Card.

Card's first venture in writing illustrated novels is the comic series Ultimate Iron Man for Marvel; he will also be scripting the comic book prequels to Advent Rising, a videogame he helped write.

Card offers writing workshops from time to time, and recently committed himself to a longterm relationship with Southern Virginia University, where he teaches writing and literature. His Hatrack River website (www.hatrack.com) also offers free writing workshops, for both adults and younger writers.

Orson Scott Card lives with his wife Kristine in Greensboro, North Carolina.