Jordan Kurella

Jordan Kurella
Jordan Kurella holding a copy of his book I Never Liked You Anyway.
OccupationWriter
Writing career
LanguageEnglish
Years active2015–present
GenresScience fiction, fantasy, horror
Notable worksThe Death of Mountains, I Never Liked You Anyway

Jordan Kurella is an American fantasy and horror author. His fiction, which has been described as new weird "with a strong moral bent," has won the Shirley Jackson Award and been a finalist for the Nebula Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Theodore Sturgeon Award.

Biography

Kurella lives in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kenyon College in 1999. He is transgender and disabled and has previously worked as a photographer, radio station disc jockey, and social worker.

Career

Kurella initially wrote literary fiction, but published only a single short story before realizing that he preferred to write fantasy and horror stories. Since then, his short fiction has been published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Apex Magazine, and Lightspeed Magazine. In 2024, his short story "Evan: A Remainder" was published by Reactor Magazine and named a finalist for the Nebula Award and the Theodore Sturgeon Award.

His first book of long fiction, I Never Liked You Anyway, was released in 2022 by the small press Vernacular and selected as a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella. His follow-up novella The Death of Mountains was released in 2025 by Lethe Press. The Death of Mountains won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novella and was named a finalist for both the 2025 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction and the Nebula Award.

He has also served on the board of directors of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

Critical reception

Kurella's stories have been noted for being "serious, thoughtful, melancholy" and carried by "beautifully rendered characters and their voices." His stories have also been noted to belong to the new weird genre and described as haunting allegories "with a strong moral bent.

The Ancillary Review of Books called Kurella's novella The Death of Mountains "a delightful, thoughtful, moving story of a mountain who doesn’t want to die, and the Death that doesn’t want to kill her." Publishers Weekly called the book "a fabulist take on the cli-fi formula that makes a powerful case for the triumph of the natural world."

Publishers Weekly called his novella I Never Liked You Anyway "funny, sexy, and wrenching" while also noting that "Kurella's beautifully queer take on this story shows Eurydice's full and compelling humanity."

Bibliography

Novellas

Short Story Collections

Selected Short Fiction

  • Longlisted for the Locus Award.

References

  1. 1 2 "SH@25 Episode 10: An interview with Jordan Kurella" by Kat Kourbeti, Strange Horizons, March 17, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Death of Mountains by Jordan Kurella," Publishers Weekly, January 9, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Winners Announced for the 2025 Shirley Jackson Awards," The Shirley Jackson Awards, accessed Sept. 1, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Valentine’s Day got you down? You’re not alone in feeling lonely. How to give yourself a boost" by Erin Jensen, USA Today, February 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Kenyon Class of 1999 Fall Class Letter," Kenyon College, accessed 4/2/2026.
  6. ↑ "Book Shelf," Kenyon Alumni Magazine, accessed 4/2/2026.
  7. ↑ "Press Kit," Jordan Kurella's website, accessed 4/2/2026."
  8. ↑ "Bite into a baconless BLT with Jordan Kurella in Episode 201 of Eating the Fantastic," Scott Edelman, Eating the Fantastic podcast, episode 201, June 30, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Jordan Kurella: Past Nominations and Wins," The Nebula Awards, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, accessed 4/2/2026.
  10. ↑ "Loyer Wins 2025 Sturgeon Award," Locus Magazine, October 3, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 "I Never Liked You Anyway by Jordan Kurella," Publishers Weekly, June 02, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Here Are the Finalists for the 2025 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction" by Molly Templeton, Reactor Magazine, February 18, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "L.A. Times Book Prizes 2025: Amy Tan, Adam Ross among honorees" by Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, February 18, 2026.
  14. ↑ "2025 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners". Locus. 11 Jul 2026. Retrieved 13 Jul 2026.
  15. ↑ "2022 SFWA Election Results," Locus Magazine, May 10, 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Small Press Dispatch: The Voice of the Hills" by Roseanna Pendlebury, Ancillary Review of Books, July 2, 2025.
  17. ↑ "2026 World Fantasy Awards Finalists". Locus Online. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  18. ↑ "2025 Locus Poll Award," Internet Speculative Fiction Database, accessed 4/3/2026.
  19. ↑ "2025 Hugo Awards," Internet Speculative Fiction Database, accessed 4/2/2026.