James Tiptree, Jr

James Tiptree, Jr. was the pen name of American science fiction author Alice Bradley Sheldon, used from 1967 to her death. She also occasionally wrote under the pseudonym Raccoona Sheldon . Tiptree/Sheldon was most notable for breaking down the barriers between writing perceived as inherently "male" or "female" — it was not publicly known until 1977 that James Tiptree, Jr. was a woman. Bradley came from a family in the intellectual enclave of Hyde Park, a university neighborhood in Chicago. Her father was Herbert Bradley, a lawyer and naturalist, and her mother was Mary Hastings... Bradley, a prolific writer of fiction and travel books. She travelled the world with her parents from an early age. In 1921–22, the Bradleys made their first trip to central Africa, which later contributed to Sheldon’s short story, "The Women Men Don't See." She was a graphic artist and a painter, and — under the name "Alice Bradley Davey" — an art critic for the Chicago Sun between 1941 and 1942. She met and married William Davey, her first husband, at age 19 because she felt as if it was her duty as a daughter. They were married from 1934 until 1941.
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