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Joe William Haldeman is a science fiction author. He is best known for his novel "The Forever War," which was published in 1974.Haldeman has won seven Hugo Awards, five Nebula Awards, and many other awards for his fiction. He was awarded the SFWA Grand Master for career achievements. In 2012 he was inducted as a member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.Many of Haldeman's works, including his debut novel "War Year" and his second novel "The Forever War," were inspired by his experiences in the Vietnam War. Wounded in combat, he struggled to adjust to civilian life after returning home.From 1983 to 2014, Haldeman was a professor teaching writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Haldeman received his B.S. in Astronomy from the University of Maryland. He was beginning a post-graduate degree in Math & Computer Science when he decided to become a full-time writer instead. He received his M.F.A. in Writing from the Iowa Writers Workshop.

Nisi Shawl is a writer, editor, and journalist. They are best known as an author of science fiction and fantasy short stories. In addition to writing, they teach about how fantastic fiction might reflect real-world diversity of gender, sexual orientation, race, colonialism, physical ability, age, and other sociocultural factors.Shawl's short stories have appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, the Infinite Matrix, Strange Horizons, and Semiotext(e). Their first collection, "Filter House," was published in 2008, and won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. Their first novel, "Everfair," was published in 2016 and was nominated for a Nebula Award.With with Cynthia Ward, Shawl co-authored the creative-writing handbook "Writing the Other: Bridging Cultural Differences for Successful Fiction." The book is derived from the authors' workshop of the same name, in which participants explore techniques to help them write credible characters outside their own cultural experience. It received special mention for the James Tiptree Jr. Award.