James Alan Gardner

James Alan Gardner is a highly respected author in the science fiction and fantasy genre. Raised in Simcoe and Bradford, Ontario, he pursued higher education in his home province, earning both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. His passion for writing led him to attend the Clarion West Fiction Writers Workshop, where he honed his skills and began to establish himself in the science fiction community.

Gardner has had numerous short stories and novellas published in esteemed periodicals such as Amazing Stories, Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. His writing prowess was quickly recognized, earning him accolades such as the Grand Prize in the Writers of the Future contest for his short story "Children of the Creche" in 1989. In addition to this, he has won Aurora Awards for his stories "Muffin Explains Teleology to the World at Large" and "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream," which was also nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.

Among his most notable works is the League of Peoples book series, which features a unique universe where murderers are classified as "dangerous non-sentients" and are eliminated by advanced alien species, thereby preventing interstellar wars. Gardner's work often explores themes of gender, as seen in his novel Commitment Hour, where people change their sex every year, and Vigilant, which features traditional group marriages.

In addition to his career as an author, Gardner is also an accomplished educator and technical writer. His book Learning UNIX is utilized as a textbook in some Canadian universities. He currently resides in Waterloo, Ontario, with his family.