Jordan Kurella is an American fantasy and horror author. His fiction, which has been described as new weird "with a strong moral bent," has won the Shirley Jackson Award and been a finalist for the Nebula Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Theodore Sturgeon Award."SH@25 Episode 10: An interview with Jordan Kurella" by Kat Kourbeti, Strange Horizons, March 17, 2025."The Death of Mountains by Jordan Kurella," Publishers Weekly, January 9, 2025."Winners Announced for the 2025 Shirley Jackson Awards," The Shirley Jackson Awards, accessed Sept. 1, 2026.
Biography
Kurella lives in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kenyon College in 1999."Valentine’s Day got you down? You’re not alone in feeling lonely. How to give yourself a boost" by Erin Jensen, USA Today, February 12, 2021."Kenyon Class of 1999 Fall Class Letter," Kenyon College, accessed 4/2/2026."Book Shelf," Kenyon Alumni Magazine, accessed 4/2/2026. He is transgender and disabled and has previously worked as a photographer, radio station disc jockey, and social worker."Press Kit," Jordan Kurella's website, accessed 4/2/2026."
Career
Kurella initially wrote literary fiction, but published only a single short story before realizing that he preferred to write fantasy and horror stories."Bite into a baconless BLT with Jordan Kurella in Episode 201 of Eating the Fantastic," Scott Edelman, Eating the Fantastic podcast, episode 201, June 30, 2023. Since then, his short fiction has been published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Three-Lobed Burning Eye, Apex Magazine, and Lightspeed Magazine. In 2024, his short story "Evan: A Remainder" was published by Reactor Magazine and named a finalist for the Nebula Award and the Theodore Sturgeon Award."Jordan Kurella: Past Nominations and Wins," The Nebula Awards, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, accessed 4/2/2026."Loyer Wins 2025 Sturgeon Award," Locus Magazine, October 3, 2025.
His first book of long fiction, I Never Liked You Anyway, was released in 2022 by the small press Vernacular and selected as a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella."I Never Liked You Anyway by Jordan Kurella," Publishers Weekly, June 02, 2022. His follow-up novella The Death of Mountains was released in 2025 by Lethe Press. The Death of Mountains won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novella and was named a finalist for both the 2025 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction and the Nebula Award."Here Are the Finalists for the 2025 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction" by Molly Templeton, Reactor Magazine, February 18, 2026."L.A. Times Book Prizes 2025: Amy Tan, Adam Ross among honorees" by Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, February 18, 2026.
He has also served on the board of directors of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America"2022 SFWA Election Results," Locus Magazine, May 10, 2022.
Critical reception
Kurella's stories have been noted for being "serious, thoughtful, melancholy" and carried by "beautifully rendered characters and their voices.""Small Press Dispatch: The Voice of the Hills" by Roseanna Pendlebury, Ancillary Review of Books, July 2, 2025. His stories have also been noted to belong to the new weird genre and described as haunting allegories "with a strong moral bent.
The Ancillary Review of Books called Kurella's novella The Death of Mountains "a delightful, thoughtful, moving story of a mountain who doesn’t want to die, and the Death that doesn’t want to kill her." Publishers Weekly called the book "a fabulist take on the cli-fi formula that makes a powerful case for the triumph of the natural world."
Publishers Weekly called his novella I Never Liked You Anyway "funny, sexy, and wrenching" while also noting that "Kurella's beautifully queer take on this story shows Eurydice's full and compelling humanity."
Bibliography
Novellas
The Death of Mountains (Lethe Press, 2025) Winner of the Shirley Jackson Award Finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction Finalist for the World Fantasy Award—Novella
I Never Liked You Anyway (Vernacular, 2022) Finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella
Short Story Collections
When I Was Lost (Trepidatio Press, 2022)
Selected Short Fiction
"All Her Rows of Teeth" (Three-Lobed Burning Eye, 2024) Longlisted for the Locus Award."2025 Locus Poll Award," Internet Speculative Fiction Database, accessed 4/3/2026.
"Evan: A Remainder" (Reactor, 2024) Finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Short Story Longlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story"2025 Hugo Awards," Internet Speculative Fiction Database, accessed 4/2/2026.
References
External links