Photo: Laura Hanifin / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jemisin is, plainly, one of the most important voices in modern speculative fiction. Winning the Hugo Award for Best Novel three years running with the Broken Earth trilogy wasn't just a record, it was a statement about who gets to define the genre. What moves me is how she smuggles real reckonings with race, oppression and grief inside immersive worldbuilding, never sacrificing story for message or the reverse. A former therapist from Iowa City, she writes with both rigor and raw feeling. I admire writers who change how readers see the actual world, and she has unmistakably done that.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- N. K. Jemisin
- Name (Japanese)
- N・K・ジェミシン
- Reading
- N・K・じぇみしん
- Born
- September 19, 1972 (age 53)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rat
- Origin
- Iowa City, Iowa, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- novelist / science fiction writer / writer / therapist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Tulane University of Louisiana
Awards & achievements
- 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novel
- 2011 Locus Award for Best First Novel
- 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel
- 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novel
- 2018 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel
- 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novel
- 2019 Locus Award for Best Collection
- 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novelette
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Inheritance Trilogy | — | |
| Notable work | The Broken Earth | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was N. K. Jemisin born?
Born September 19, 1972 (age 53).
Where is N. K. Jemisin from?
N. K. Jemisin is from Iowa City, Iowa, United States.
What does N. K. Jemisin do?
N. K. Jemisin works as novelist, science fiction writer, writer, therapist.
What is N. K. Jemisin known for?
Notable works include The Inheritance Trilogy, The Broken Earth.
Novelist — see all → · Science fiction writer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.