Clare Winger Harris

Clare Winger Harris (January 18, 1891 – October 26, 1968) was an early science fiction writer whose short stories were published during the 1920s. She is credited as the first woman to publish stories under her own name in science fiction magazines. Her stories often dealt with characters on the "borders of humanity" such as cyborgs.

Harris began publishing magazine stories in 1926, and soon became well liked by readers. She published a total of twelve stories, all but one of which were collected in 1947 as Away From the Here and Now; a full collection was not published until 2019, in The Artificial Man and Other Stories. Her gender was a surprise to Hugo Gernsback, the editor who eventually bought most of her work, as she was the first American woman to publish in science fiction magazines under her own name. Her stories, which often feature strong female characters, have been occasionally reprinted and have received some positive critical response, including a recognition of her pioneering role as a woman writer in a male-dominated field.