Thomas graduated from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), a public magnet school in Aurora, Illinois, in 1992.[1] In 2018, IMSA gave him the Alumni Titan Award, recognizing his contributions as "an enthusiastic and energetic champion who has invested significantly in the IMSA community".[2] He graduated from Parkland College in 1998, and worked on the Parkland literary journal.[3][4]
Career
Thomas was managing editor at Apex Magazine from 2012 until 2013,[5] and an associate editor at Mad Norwegian Press.[6] In 2014, he and Lynne M. Thomas began Uncanny Magazine, as "a home for emotional, strongly written, experimental stories and provocative nonfiction" and poetry.[7] He is co-host of the podcast of the same name, and has contributed to other podcasts, including the SF Squeecast with Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, and Catherynne M. Valente,[8] and Down and Safe, a Blake’s 7 podcast with Amal El-Mohtar, Scott Lynch, and L. M. Myles.[9]
Thomas has been the co-editor of several collections of stories and essays, including Glitter & Mayhem (2013 with John Klima and Lynne M. Thomas),[10] and Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the LGBTQ Fans Who Love It (2014, with Sigrid Ellis), and The Best of Uncanny (2019, with Lynne M. Thomas).[11][12]
Thomas has taken a particular interest in disability issues. He chaired the City of DeKalb Advisory Commission on Disabilities and the DeKalb County Local Interagency Networking Council, and served on the planning committee of the Aicardi Syndrome Family Conference. In 2017, the Thomases and Mary Robinette Kowal crafted the "SF/F Convention Accessibility Pledge", a list of three basic accessibility requirements for signers' participation in conventions as participants, panelists, or guests.[13][14] In 2018 and 2019, Uncanny Magazine published the theme issues Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction and Disabled People Destroy Fantasy, exclusively featuring the works of disabled editors and authors.[15]
Bibliography
with Sigrid Ellis (editors), Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the LGBTQ Fans Who Love It (Mad Norwegian Press, 2013). ISBN978-1935234142
with Lynne M. Thomas (editors), The Best of Uncanny (Subterranean Press, 2019). ISBN978-1596069183
Awards
Thomas has been nominated for multiple Hugo Awards between 2013 and 2020, for work on Apex Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, and the anthology Queers Dig Time Lords (2014). He has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award eight times, and for Locus Awards seven times.[16]
Awards won by Michael Damian Thomas include the following:
2016 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine: Uncanny Magazine (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Erika Ensign, and Steven Schapansky)
2016 Parsec Award for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast: The Uncanny Magazine Podcast (with Lynne M. Thomas, Erika Ensign, Amal El-Mohtar, C. S. E. Cooney, Deborah Stanish, and Steven Schapansky)
2019 British Fantasy Award for Best Magazine / Periodical (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, and Dominik Parisien)
2020 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine: Uncanny Magazine (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Chimedum Ohaegbu, Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky)
2022 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine: Uncanny Magazine (with Lynne M. Thomas, Chimedum Ohaegbu, Elsa Sjunneson, Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky)
2023 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine: Uncanny Magazine (with Lynne M. Thomas, Chimedum Ohaegbu, Monte Lin, Meg Elison, Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky)
