Orson Scott Card

Orson Scott Card, born on August 24, 1951, in Richland, Washington, is a distinguished American writer celebrated for his contributions to science fiction. He is best known for his groundbreaking novel Ender's Game, published in nineteen eighty-five, which earned him both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in consecutive years. The success of this novel was followed by its sequel, Speaker for the Dead, which further solidified his reputation in the literary world. In two thousand thirteen, a feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, brought his work to a broader audience.

Card's literary journey began while he was a student at Brigham Young University, where his plays were performed on stage. He served as a missionary in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and later led a community theater for two summers. His prolific writing career took off in the late nineteen seventies, with twenty-seven short stories published between nineteen seventy-eight and nineteen seventy-nine, culminating in the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in nineteen seventy-eight.

Throughout his career, Card has authored over fifty novels and forty-five short stories across various genres, including science fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, and historical fiction. His acclaimed series, The Tales of Alvin Maker, won the Locus Fantasy Award and spanned from nineteen eighty-seven to two thousand three. Card's works often explore themes of exceptional characters facing high-stakes decisions, reflecting his deep engagement with political, religious, and social issues, which have sometimes sparked controversy.

In addition to his writing, Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University and has penned two books on creative writing. He actively participates in the literary community as a judge for the Writers of the Future contest and has mentored many aspiring authors through his renowned literary boot camps. As a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, Card's life and work are deeply intertwined with his heritage and beliefs.