Michael G. Williams

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Michael G. Williams
Born
Manly Wade Wellman Award
Website
michaelgwilliamsbooks.com

Michael G. Williams is an American author, podcaster, and speaker who writes queer-themed science fiction, horror, and urban fiction novels and short stories.

Manly Wade Wellman Award.[3][4]

Early life and education

Williams grew up in a remote part of Appalachia in Western North Carolina.[5][6]

He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of the social and literary fraternity St. Anthony Hall and the music fraternity Mu Beta Psi.[2][1][7] He is currently pursuing a master's degree in Appalachian studies at Appalachian State University.[2]

Career

Author

Williams wrote The Withrow Chronicles, a vampire suburban fantasy series set in North Carolina.[2] Perishables, the first book in this series, won the 2012 Laine Cunningham Novel Award.[5][8]

His gay science fiction, detective novel, A Fall in Autumn, received the 2020

Manly Wade Wellman Award from the North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation (NCSFF).[3][4][9] This juried competition included more than eighty titles.[4] The NCSFF writes, "Fall in Autumn features staggering world-building in technology, culture, and religion; an amazing, living, breathing, dying, flying city; a private eye for the science fictional ages; and a mystery with plenty of twists and turns that add up to a truly stunning book which reflects on human and artificial human nature, past, present, and future."[4]

Williams also wrote the Servant/Sovereign trilogy, an urban fantasy series of novellas set in San Francisco.[10] His short stories have been included in a number of anthologies, and he also helps develop tabletop role-playing games.[10][2] In addition, he reviews comics under the name Klarion for the website Pink Kryptonite.[5]

Speaker

Williams was a speaker at ConGregate 2, a speculative fiction convention, on July 10 through July 15, 2015, in High Point, North Carolina.[11][12] He participated in panel discussions, including "Defining Rogues and Scoundrels," "The Evolving Role of Authors," "Successful Self-Publishing: Tricks and Traps," "What Horror Should We Be Reading," "The Location Next Door," "The Cross Appeal of Niche Genres," "Beyond Spandex Studs," "Other Loves," and "Tail End in Seat."[11] Williams also gave two readings of his works.[11]

From July 14 through July 16, 2017, he was a literary speaker at the dual event ConGregate 4 / DeepSouthCon 55.[13] He was a panelist for "Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K): The Reboot," "Heroes, Anti-Heroes, Villains," "Writing from Different Perspectives," "Creating Magic," and "The Dichotomy Between Good and Evil."[13] He also gave the presentation "I'll See Your Again in 25 Years" and "Java & Pros", the latter with author William C. Tracy.[13]

Williams was also a guest speaker for ConGregate 5 in July 2018, participating in the panel for "Diverse Voices In Creative Expression," "What Should I Be Reading," "Black Panther Deconstructed," "Writing Local," "Balancing Act: Life & Creative Work," "Critter in SF," "Build an Alien," "Home Recording on the Cheap," "Novellas: The Wave Of The Future," "Discover Discovery," "Silver Anniversaries on The Silver Screen," and "And Then The Thief Said…"[14]

June 2021, Williams was a literary guest speaker at the ConCarolinas.[15] He participated in the panels "21st Century Privacy and Security," "The New Media Primer," "Let's Make a Campaign," "Real Social Media," "When Art Surpasses the Artist," "Hell is Othering People," "Writing Paranormal and Fantasy with Non-Traditional Romantic Pairings," and "Who is Your Favorite Dracula?"[15]

On July 2, 2021, he was the guest speaker on the Wrote Podcast.

Federation," "Appalachian Speculative Fiction," and "Sci-Fighters: Ultimate Visual Showcase."[17] He also did a reading of his work and presented "Arcane Carolinas Presents: Strange Skies Over Chimney Rock."[17]

On June 11, 2022, Williams was a speaker for the WriteHive Annual Conference, the world's largest free virtual writing conference.[18][1] He participated in the panel discussions "Body Positive Representation in Fiction," "LGBTQ+ Rep in Historical Settings," and "Joy is Resistance: The Need for Joyful Stories by Marginalized Creators."[1]

He is scheduled to be a literary guest speaker at ConGregate 8 in July 2022 with the panels "This Wasn’t the Dystopia I Ordered: Post-Pandemic Storytelling," "Telling the Future through Science Fiction," "The Factual Places Behind Fictional Stories," "Stories of Joy & Resistance: Marginalized Communities in Speculative Fiction," "Saving the Day While Getting Stepped On: The Antihero's Anti-Journey," "Queer Fiction on the Rise," "How Did It Hold Up," "Is Horror Back? Did It Ever Leave?" and "Science Fiction: Broken Todays or Better Tomorrows?"[19] He will also record his podcast Arcane Carolinas at the Con with Charlie Mewshaw.[19]

Williams is also scheduled to be the guest of honor at the Ret-Con Literary and Fandom Convention in February 2023.[2]

Podcasts

Arcane Carolinas

Williams and Charlie Mewshaw co-host the podcast Arcane Carolinas, exploring legends and myths of North Carolina and South Carolina.[6] The two met when they both worked for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[6] Since its start in the fall of 2020, Arcane Carolinas has expanded to include a fanzine, live events, trading cards, and clothing.[6] In addition, an Arcane Carolinas book was released in 2023 for which Williams authored the foreword.[20]

Although they have been approached by sponsors and podcast networks, Williams and Mewshaw want their podcast to remain independent as long as possible.[6] However, they have been in discussions with several production companies about turning the podcast into a television show.[6]

On January 12, 2023, Arcane Carolinas won the WRAL Voter's Choice Award in the podcast category. [21]

In October 2023, Beaufort County, South Carolina's public television station BCTV debuted a series title Sea Island Spirits.[22] The programming is based on different haunts in the Beaufort County area, sharing the history behind the most famous buildings, superstitions, and folklore.[22] Appearing under the Arcane Carolinas banner, Williams and Mewshaw were featured in the first and third episodes (The Lands End Light, and Bottle Trees respectively).[23][24]

Data@Rest

Williams works in information security, serving as the network team lead at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[25] With his former co-worker Charlie Mewshaw, currently chief information security officer at Fayetteville State University, Williams produces the podcast Data@Rest.[25] Data@Rest was started by the duo in 2019 and is released by the university's Information Security Office on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the web.[25]

Social Distancing Radio

Williams hosts and produces Social Distancing Radio where he reads fiction and interviews writers.[2]

Awards

Publications

Novels

Withrow Chronicles

  • Perishables: (Falstaff Books, 2017)
    ISBN 978-1946926098[5]
  • Tooth & Nail (Falstaff Books, 2017)
    ISBN 978-1946926104
  • Deal with the Devil (Falstaff Books, 2017)
    ISBN 978-1946926111
  • Attempted Immortality (Falstaff Books, 2017)
    ISBN 978-1946926128
  • Nobody Gets Out Alive (Falstaff Books, 2019)
    ISBN 978-1645540045

The Flying City of Autumn

Novellas

Servant/Sovereign trilogy

Short story anthologies

Articles

"The Elusive Book Publishing Process: A Little Risk, a Little Reward." Open Source, September 26, 2012.[26]

Personal life

Williams lives in Durham, North Carolina with his husband.[2][8] He has resided in the Research Triangle area since 1992.[5] He serves as the historian of the Xi chapter of St. Anthony Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Michael G. Williams". WriteHive Conference. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Guest of Honor: Michael G. Williams". Ret-Con. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  3. ^ a b c "Williams Wins 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award". Locus. 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Announcing the Winner of the 2020 Manly Wade Wellman Award". North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Exert from 'Perishables,' the 2012 Winner of The Blotter Magazine's Laine Cunningham Novel Award" (PDF). The Blotter: 5–15. July 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Venutolo-Mantovani, Michael (2022-04-27). "'Arcane Carolinas' Podcast Hosts Charlie Mewshaw and Michael G. Williams Share an Obsession with the Unexplained". INDY Week. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  7. ^ "Alumni on the Move" (PDF). The Review (Winter). St. Anthony Hall: 11. 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "The Blotter Magazine Announces with Pride the Winners of the 2012 Laine Cunningham Novel Award" (PDF). The Blotter: 4. July 2012.
  9. ^ "Announcing the Shortlist for the 2021 Manly Wade Wellman Award". North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  10. ^ a b "Announcement/Giveaway: Through the Doors of Oblivion, by Michael G. Williams". Queer Sci-Fi. 2019-10-26. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  11. ^ a b c "Michael G. Williams's Schedule for ConGregate 2: Scoundrels and Rogues". ConGregate 2015. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  12. ^ "What is ConGregate?". ConGregate. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  13. ^ a b c "Michael G. Williams's Schedule for ConGregate 4/DeepSouthCon 55". ConGregate 4 / DeepSouthCon 55. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  14. ^ ConGregate Five (PDF). ConGregate Productions. 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Michael G. Williams's schedule for ConCarolinas 2021". ConCarolinas 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  16. ^ a b Bastian, Vance (2021-07-02). "Michael G. Williams". WROTE Podcast. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  17. ^ a b c "Michael G. Williams's schedule for ConGregate 7 / DeepSouthCon 59". ConGregate 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  18. ^ "WriteHive Annual Conference". WriteHive Con. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  19. ^ a b "Schedule: Michael G. Williams". con-gregate.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  20. ISBN 979-8-8566-9362-0
    .
  21. ^ WRAL (2022-08-05). "2022 WRAL Voters' Choice Awards". WRAL.com. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  22. ^ a b "New Series Sea Island Spirits Premieres on BCTV". www.beaufortcountysc.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  23. ^ Sea Island Spirits Episode 1 Lands End Light, retrieved 2023-11-01
  24. ^ Sea Island Spirits Episode 3 Bottle Tree, retrieved 2023-11-01
  25. ^ a b c "UNC-Chapel Hill Information Security Office Releases Podcast's Fifth Season". University of North Carolina Information Technology Services. 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  26. ^ Williams, Michael G. "The Elusive Book Publishing Process: A Little Risk, a Little Reward". Open Source. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  27. ^ "St. Anthony Hall Donates Autograph album from the 1860s". For the Record. University of North Carolina Libraries. October 9, 2012.
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