Steve Berman

"This article is about the writer. For the lawyer, see Steve Berman (lawyer); for the Mayor of Gilbert, Arizona see Steven M. Berman."

Steve Berman is an American writer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and now living in New Jersey. Raised in an affluent suburb in southern New Jersey, Berman realized by junior high school he was gay. Years later, Berman chronicled his first homosexual experience, which occurred while he was away at college, in the creative essay "Coming Out 101: Final Exam." Despite the title of this piece, Berman remained closeted from family and friends until after he graduated with his first undergraduate degree.

He attended first Tulane University, earning a Bachelor's degree in English literature, then later studied History at Rutgers-Camden campus in Camden, New Jersey as well as a Master's degree in Liberal Studies in 2006. He briefly worked in the publishing industry, both as a senior book buyer at an academic and then trade wholesaler, and in the marketing department of a small publisher in Philadelphia.

Berman is an active member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and one of the few lifetime members of the RPGA (many of his early publications involved roleplaying games). Most of his short fiction could be considered dark fantasy or urban fantasy. He is a participant in the Nameless Workshop, based in the Philadelphia region, which includes such writers as Judith Berman, Victoria McManus, Lawrence Schoen, John Schoffstall, and Ann Zeddies.

He attended the Clarion East 2006 class, the last year that workshop was held in East Lansing, Michigan.

Though raised Jewish, Berman wavers in his belief between secular Judaism and Agnosticism. He sits on the Advisory Council for the White Crane Institute.

As of January 2007, he has sold nearly 80 articles and short stories, many of them dealing with queer speculative fiction. He has been a finalist four times for the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards and once for the Lambda Literary Award. His first novel, Vintage, a ghost story released in 2007 and is a finalist for the Andre Norton Award.

He regularly associates with friends and fellow authors Holly Black and Will Ludwigsen.

As Editor

*"Charmed Lives: Gay Spirit in Storytelling" (co-edited with Toby Johnson) (2006). The inaugural title in the White Crane Wisdom Series, this anthology of inspirational essays and short fiction for gay men was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.
*"So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction" (2007, Reprinted 2008). This is an anthology of LGBT short fiction dealing with faeries.
*"Magic in the Mirrorstone" (2008). This is an anthology of young adult fiction, all stories dealing with magic.
*"Best Gay Stories" (2008). An anthology reprinting quality short fiction and essays that have gay themes.
*"Wilde Stories" (2008). This new annual anthology offers reprints of the prior year's best works of speculative and interstitial fiction with gay characters and themes.

External links

* [http://www.steveberman.com/ Steve Berman website]
* [http://www.strangehorizons.com/2007/20070129/berman-int-a.shtml/ 20 Questions with Steve Berman (Interview)]
* [http://www.teensreadtoo.com/InterviewBerman.html Interview with Steve Berman at TeensReadToo.com]