African Australian author Eugen Bacon has been awarded the 2024 Otherwise Fellowship, together with comic artist Mars Lauderbaugh. The Otherwise Fellowship is connected to the Otherwise Award, formerly the Tiptree Award. This esteemed award in science fiction and fantasy is globally recognised, and encourages the exploration and expansion of gender, and grows from the Motherboard’s desire ‘to expand the reach of the award to reflect the changing and expanding landscape both of science fiction/fantasy and of gender itself.’
Photo Credit: Peter W. Allen
Tanzanian-born Eugen’s black speculative fiction is a ‘testament to excellence’ (Booklist), ‘evocative, compelling and lyrical’ (Publishers Weekly), in a kind of storytelling that engages with difference. She appeared on the 2022 Otherwise Fellowship honor list for ‘doing exciting work in gender and speculative fiction’. Her collection of short stories Danged Black Thing by Transit Lounge Publishing in Australia, and Apex Books in the US, made the 2021 Otherwise Award Honor List as a ‘sharp collection of Afro-Surrealist work’.
In awarding this fellowship, the jury chose two fellows from a great number of compelling applications in a strong field of gender-expansive speculative fiction.
Mars Lauderbaugh is an artist whose work explores the rich everyday experiences of gender’s expansiveness. In a time where trans and nonbinary kids’ and teens’ rights are under threat across the world, Lauderbaugh’s dynamic and wonderfully illustrated graphic novel projects and book cover art—often featuring genderqueer characters on exciting and fantastical journeys—are rays of hope for the young readers of today and tomorrow.
Each Fellow will receive USD 500. This fellowship will support an upgrade of Mars Lauderbaugh’s working materials in the trans space, so they might continue with their current project, Brighter Stars, about belonging.
Eugen Bacon will use it to work on her newest genre-bender collection of short stories Black Dingo—a cross-genre miscellany that embraces Eugen’s hybridity as an African Australian who is ‘betwixt’, ‘a sum of parts’. Her new short story collection features a black heroine and the cameo of a black dingo.
Erica Rivera and Issac Kozukhin also received honorable mentions.
As the newest recipients of the Otherwise Fellowship Award, Eugen and Mars will serve on the subsequent year’s fellowship committee and help select another year’s winner(s).
Congratulations Eugen Bacon and Mars Lauderbaugh on this great win!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
