James Frenkel

James Frenkel
Frenkel in 2005
Born
James Raymond Frenkel

1948 (age 75–76)
Queens, New York, United States
Occupation(s)Editor, literary agent
Spouse
​
(m. 1980)​

James Raymond Frenkel (born 1948) is an American editor and agent of science fiction, fantasy, mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, and other books, formerly for Tom Doherty Associates (Tor Books and Forge Books).[1] He has edited numerous prominent authors such as Vernor Vinge, Joan D. Vinge, Frederik Pohl, Andre Norton, Loren D. Estleman, Dan Simmons, Jack Williamson,[2] Timothy Zahn, Marie Jakober and Greg Bear. His agency clients include John C. Wright and L. Jagi Lamplighter. He and his wife, author Joan D. Vinge lived in Madison, Wisconsin for many years, but have moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

In 1968, Frenkel founded The Science Fiction Forum at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a student-run organization which continues to operate a large lending library of science fiction, fantasy, and horror books. He was the publisher of Bluejay Books, an independent trade publisher of the mid-1980s. Bluejay Books published Gardner Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction for three years.[3] He also was the packager of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror series edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (for sixteen years) and then Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant (for five years).

In July 2013, Frenkel left Tor after two complaints about sexual harassment at WisCon, a feminist science fiction convention where he had been a regular attendee and presenter, and (in 1994) a Guest of Honor.[4] Frenkel was subsequently permanently banned from attending the convention, with science fiction editor Michi Trota describing Frenkel as "someone who has been an industry missing stair for decades."[5][6] However, in 2017, he was on the convention committee of Odyssey Con, a different science fiction convention also held in Madison, and scheduled as a presenter, prompting several authors (one of whom claimed to have had unpleasant experiences with Frenkel in the past)[7] to withdraw from the convention.[8]

  1. ^ Dahlin, Robert (March 2, 1984). "Science fiction - without apologies and without scrimping on production". The Christian Science Monitor.
  2. ^ Miller, Stephen (2006-11-15). "Jack Williamson, 98, Science Fiction Master". The Sun.
  3. ^ "The SF Site: 1998 Short Fiction by David A. Truesdale". www.sfsite.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  4. ^ Wiscon, Mystickeeperwrote in; Wiscon, Mystickeeper Mystickeeper. "WisCon Subcommittee Statement on Jim Frenkel". wiscon.livejournal.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  5. ^ "Procedure Fail: WisCon, Feminism and Safe Spaces". Feministe. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  6. ^ Wiscon, Wiscon_postswrote in; Wiscon, Wiscon_posts Wisconsf3. "Concom decision on Jim Frenkel". wiscon.livejournal.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Withdrawing as a GOH from Odyssey Con | Monica Valentinelli". 2017-04-12. Archived from the original on 2017-04-12. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  8. ^ Glyer, Mike (April 11, 2017). "Monica Valentinelli Withdraws as GoH of Odyssey Con". Archived from the original on 16 June 2018.