Lou Antonelli (1957-2021)

SF writer Lou Antonelli, 64, died October 6, 2021 at home in Clarksville TX.

Antonelli began publishing short fiction in the early 2000s. Notable short works include Asimov’s Reader’s Award finalist “A Rocket for the Republic” (2005), Sidewise Award nominee “Great White Ship”, and Hugo Award finalist “On a Spiritual Plane” (2014). In all he published over 100 stories, some collected in Fantastic Texas (2009), Texas & Other Planets (2010), The Clock Struck None (2014), and In the Shadow of the Cross (2018). He wrote Hugo Award finalist Letters from Gardner: A Writer’s Odyssey (2014), which combines memoir, short fiction, and writing advice. He also published novel Another Girl, Another Planet (2017).

Antonelli was a controversial figure in the field, known for feuding with other authors and editors. In the most high-profile example, from 2015, Antonelli wrote to the Spokane WA police department about Sasquan guest of honor David Gerrold, saying he “was insane and a public danger and needs to be watched when the convention’s going on” (as Antonelli described the letter in a podcast). Antonelli later publicly apologized to Gerrold.

Displeased with the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Antonelli founded his own rival organization, the Society for the Advancement of Speculative Storytelling, in 2012. He ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for a position as a SFWA director in 2020.

Louis Sergio Antonelli was born January 6, 1957 in Medford MA. He attended Columbia University, and worked as a journalist. He was active politically, running for various offices as a Republican and Libertarian, and served on a school board in Texas in the ’80s. He is survived by his wife Patricia.

For more, see his entry in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.