Orson Scott Card is an acclaimed American author, best known for his work in science fiction and fantasy. Born in Washington and raised in California, Arizona, and Utah, Card has a diverse writing career that spans across various genres, including historical fiction, thriller, and horror. He is a lifelong member of the Latter-day Saints and served a mission for the church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Card's writing is widely read by adults and younger readers and is increasingly used in schools.
Card's most popular series is the Ender Saga, but he has several other series to his name, including The Tales of Alvin Maker, The Homecoming Saga, Women of Genesis, and the Pathfinder series. In addition to his novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy, biblical novels, poetry, and plays. Some of his notable works include Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Speaker for the Dead, Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys, Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah, and Seventh Son. He has also written many plays and scripts, including his "freshened" Shakespeare scripts for Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Merchant of Venice.
Card is a prolific writer who has written under various pseudonyms, including Frederick Bliss, P.Q. Gump, Byron Walley, Brian Green, Dinah Kirkham, and Noam D. Pellume. He has won several awards for his work, including the Nebula and Hugo Awards for Ender’s Game and the Speaker for the Dead. Besides writing, Card teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He has held a long-term position as a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University. Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, where his primary activities include writing a review column for the local Rhinoceros Times and feeding birds, squirrels, chipmunks, possums, and raccoons on the patio.