John Wiswell


John Wiswell is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Since 2020, he has won the Nebula Award and the Locus Award, each twice. He has also been a finalist for the Hugo, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Awards. His debut fantasy novel, Someone You Can Build a Nest In, was released in April 2024 by DAW Books and Quercus.

Fiction

Wiswell's short fiction has been characterized as making outlandish and unsettling concepts feel familiar, often overlapping with metaphors for disability, while also frequently having a "lighthearted and clever" tone. He has written fiction for numerous venues including Nature, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Lightspeed, Tor.com, the NoSleep Podcast, and Uncanny Magazine.
In 2022, DAW Books acquired the rights to publish Wiswell's first two fantasy novels. The debut novel, Someone You Can Build a Nest In, is described as a "creepy, charming monster-slaying sapphic romance — from the perspective of the monster" and was released in spring 2024.

Awards

YearWorkAwardResult
2020Open House on Haunted HillNebula Award for Best Short StoryWon
2021Open House on Haunted HillHugo Award for Best Short Story
2021Open House on Haunted HillLocus Award for Best Short Story
2021Open House on Haunted HillWorld Fantasy Award—Short Fiction
20218-Bit Free WillBritish Fantasy Award for Short Fiction
2021For Lack of a BedNebula Award for Best Short Story
2021That Story Isn't the StoryNebula Award for Best Novelette
2022For Lack of a BedLocus Award for Best Short Story
2022That Story Isn't the StoryHugo Award for Best Novelette
2022That Story Isn't the StoryLocus Award for Best NoveletteWon
2022D.I.Y.Nebula Award for Best Short Story
2023D.I.Y.Hugo Award for Best Short Story
2023D.I.Y.Locus Award for Best Short Story
2023The Coward Who Stole God's NameLocus Award for Best Short Story
2023Bad DoorsNebula Award for Best Short Story
2024Someone You Can Build a Nest InNebula Award for Best NovelWon
2025Someone You Can Build a Nest InHugo Award for Best Novel
2025Someone You Can Build a Nest InLocus Award for Best First NovelWon