Looking for an exhaustive list of my fiction publications? Drop down here.
I’ve been writing fiction professionally since 2000, with the publication of my first novel, Homecoming, by Serpent’s Tail/High Risk Books. Primarily, I write literary science fiction, but I’ve also written fantasy, horror, and work that drifts between slipstream and magical realism.
My work plays with — and interrogates — issues of othering and colonization; who benefits from technology (and who doesn’t); reworking classic and emblematic past works; and reclaiming Romany voices and stories.
Praise for Homecoming
“A tautly written, haunting tale of loneliness, alienation, and lost hopes and dreams.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“A painful expos of how we avoid feeling, this can be a demanding book for the reader. In the end, though, it works effectively as a prose poem about a nightmare passage in one woman’s life.”
–Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Wave and Other Stories
“A strong novella and ten stories twisted and wrung dry […] Gussoff has a good eye for detail…A tautly written, haunting tale of loneliness, alienation, and lost hopes and dreams.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Three Songs For Roxy
“…a master class in the art of literary economy, of conveying rather a lot in a relatively small number of pages […] There is a playfulness to these stories, a delight in the burlesque, that belies the complexity of the questions at their heart. Gussoff’s use of language is evocative yet piercingly direct. She has a song to sing, a song she seems happiest to express by inviting us to sing it alongside her.”
–Strange Horizons
“…[Caren] takes it to deeply nerdy and human science fiction place.”
–The Seattle Review of Books
Praise for The Birthday Problem
“The Birthday Problem, by Caren Gussoff, is not the typical zombie apocalypse story. This time, the threat to humanity is not an illness but rather a misguided attempt to end human illness for good […] Those who are not infected are left with the ghosts of those they have lost. Some of them feel they are to blame for the disaster. The book is full of grittiness, but it is also rich in characters and heart.”
–ForeWord Reviews
Praise for So Quick Bright Things Come to Confusion
“There are so many great things I could say about this wild, utterly original novella, but I’ll let you discover and delight in them yourself.”
—Nisi Shawl, award-winning author of Everfair
“I wish I could write a blurb as good as this book. I wish I could write ANYTHING as good as this book. What Gussoff Sumption has set before us is a carefully observed tale that is by turns, harrowing, hysterical, and heartbreaking. A thoughtful meditation on communication, connection, belonging, and ultimately, love.”
—Matthew Quinn Martin, author of the NIGHTLIFE series
Below is the complete list of my fiction — books, short stories, essays, and anthology appearances — and related publications, residencies, awards, and other good stuff.
Please note: I’m not including URLs because they change so rapidly. If there’s something you want to find, but can’t — please contact me.
2018 to present
- ‘Balanced in the Borderlands’ in The Rebis (2024)
- ‘All Left Turns’ in Does It Have Pockets? (2023)
- So Quick Bright Things Come To Confusion (Vernacular Press, 2022; Lethe Press, 2023)
- ‘Proving Up’ in The Haunted Quill, An Anthology of Historical Speculative Fiction, edited by Kate Francia (2021)
- ‘The Bars of Orion’ in MetaStellar (2021)
2013 to 2018
- ‘The Women’ in Dracula: Rise of the Beast, edited by David Thomas Moore (2018)
- ‘The Birthday Problem’ in Story Bundle’s Feminist Futures, edited by Cat Rambo (March 2018)
- ‘Anything Chocolate’ in Best of Abyss & Apex 2, edited by Wendy Delmater (2016)
- ‘Spring Forward’ in Black Static (2016)
- Three Songs for Roxy (Conversations #42, Aqueduct Press, 2015)
- ‘Peculiar Institution’ in The Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls, edited by Jennifer Brozek (2015)
- The Birthday Problem (Pink Narcissus Press, 2014)
- ‘The Bars of Orion’ in Interzone (2014)
- ‘Black Friday’ in Fiction Vortex (2014, voted Editor’s Choice for July, 2014)
- ‘Dandelion Girl’ in Geek Force Five, Vol. 2 (2014)
- The Wave and Other Stories, Tenth Anniversary Edition (2014)
- ‘Ring Little Bell, Ring’ in A Krampus Anthology, edited by Kate Wolford (2014)
- ‘Deus Ex Machina’ in Black Apples (2014)
- ‘As They Get Warmer, They Give a Little’ in After The Fall, edited by Alex Davis (2014)
- ‘The Cure’ in Handsome Devil: Tales of Sin and Seduction, edited by Steve Berman (2014)
- ‘Cicada’ in MISERIA’S CHORALE, edited by David Nell (2013)
- ‘Across the Universe’ in Song Stories: Dark Side of the Moon (2013)
- ‘Section iii’ in Dark Fiction (“Under The Hollow Hills”: Episode 14: 2013)
- ‘Emeritas’ in Mad Scientist Journal (2013)
- ‘Anything Chocolate’ in Toasted Cake (2013)
- ‘No Substitute’ in Witches, Stitches, and Bitches, edited by Shannon Page (2013)
- ‘Proving Up’ in Shades of Blue and Gray: Ghosts of the Civil War, edited by Steve Berman (2013)
- ‘Free Bird’ in Bloodchildren: Stories by the Octavia E. Butler Scholars, edited by Nisi Shawl (was available only until June 22, 2013, Octavia’s birthday, as a fundraiser for the Carl Brandon Society)
- ‘As They Get Warmer, They Give a Little’ in SKEW, edited by Ben Lehman (2013)
- ‘Pretty Maids All in a Row’ in Daughters of Icarus, edited by Rose Mambert and Josie Brown (2013)
- ‘The Devil and the Lawyer’ in Varney the Vampire: A Literary Remix, a GalleyCat project edited by Jason Boog (2013)
- ‘Glasses Guy’ in Synthetic Biology for Human Health (SYBHEL) e-Book Project
2009 to 2012
- ‘The Moon Illusion’ in mixer (2012)
- ‘Games’ in Destination: Future, edited by Z.S. Adani and Eric T. Reynolds (2010)
- ‘Emeritas’ in Daikaijuzine (February, 2010)
- ‘Anything Chocolate’ in Abyss & Apex (1st quarter, 2010)
- ‘Correspondence’ in Birkensnake 2, (2009)
- ‘As They Get Warmer, They Give a Little’ in M-BRANE SF #5 (2009)
- ‘The Ghost of Henry’s Past,’ 2nd place winner in Fantasy Magazine’s May 2009 Micro-fiction contest
- ‘Basic Biology’ in Cabinet des Fées (2009)
- in Thaumatrope (Twitter Microfiction): “Astronaut” (July 20, 2009); “Mutt” (August 27, 2009); “Mother” (August 30, 2009)
- ‘Section III’ in Abyss & Apex (4th quarter, 2009)
- ‘Pretty Maids All in a Row’ in M-BRANE SF #12 (2009)
- ‘Wanda’s Watching,’ winner of A Poor Mojo’s ‘Worst Possible Cover Letter’ Rant in Poor Mojo’s Almanac(k) (Summer 2009, Rant #455)
2008 and earlier
- in Fucking Daphne: Mostly True Stories and Fictions (Seal Press. 2008)
- in Tied in Knots: Funny Stories from the Wedding Day (Seal Press, 2006)
- in Inappropriate Random: Stories on Sex and Love (Seal Press, 2003)
- in the Gotham Guide to Writing Fiction (Bloomsbury USA, 2003)
- The Wave and Other Stories (Serpent’s Tail, 2002)
- in Strictly Casual: Women on Love (Serpent’s Tail, 2001)
- Homecoming (Serpent’s Tail, 2000)
Residencies, appearances, & awards
- 2024, AWP
- 2024, February pick for Roma Words, Roma Worlds Book Group, Roma Peoples Project at Columbia University and New Providence Memorial Library
- 2023, on Story Hour
- 2023, on Romanistan podcast
- 2022, on Story Hour
- 2018, on the Horrible Writing show
- 2016, Hedgebrook (return stay)
- 2013, Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop
- 2013, Shortlisted, Synthetic Biology for Human Health (SYBHEL) Project (European Commission on Science and Society)
- 2010, Hedgebrook (Elizabeth George Award winner)
- 2009, Gulliver Travel Research Grant (The Speculative Literature Foundation)
- 2008, Clarion West (Carl Brandon Octavia E. Butler Scholar)
- 2008, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, “Geek of the Week”
- 2001, Village Voice, Writer on the Verge