Last updated: 2011-12-13
"I had a teacher I liked who used to say good fiction's job was to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. I guess a big part of serious fiction's purpose is to give the reader, who like all of us is sort of marooned in her own skull, to give her imaginative access to other selves." —David Foster Wallace
In Short...
I'm an American expatriate now living in Singapore, and the author of Red Dot Irreal (2011), The Time Traveler's Son (2008), Four Seasons in One Day (2003, with Janet Chui), and over 80 articles, short stories, and book reviews. I am also the co-editor of A Field Guide to Surreal Botany (2008) and Scattered, Covered, Smothered (2004). My writing has appeared in venues such as Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, the Raleigh News & Observer, Qarrtsiluni, Sybil's Garage, Strange Horizons, Subterranean Magazine, The Third Alternative, Electric Velocipede, and many other places.
My short fiction has been nominated for the SLF Fountain Award, shortlisted for the Brenda L. Smart Award for Short Fiction, and honorably mentioned (twice) in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. With my wife, artist-writer Janet Chui, I run Two Cranes Press, a critically-acclaimed independent publishing atelier. I am a graduate of the Clarion Writers' Workshop and hold a degree in creative writing from North Carolina State University.
In Long...
I was born in Brooklyn, a mid-seventies baby. At 10:56 p.m. on 3 October 1975, I came screaming out of my mother with a full head of hair.
Since then, I:
- grew up,
- moved a bunch of times,
- settled in North Carolina,
- graduated high school and college,
- moved out on my own,
- got shot at,
- worked in the real world as an engineering draughtsman,
- took some photos,
- started an online journal,
- went to Clarion in East Lansing,
- fell in love,
- got married,
- attended graduate school,
- presented academic papers,
- sold some fiction and nonfiction,
- participated on convention panels,
- guest-judged in a literary contest,
- hauled up stakes to move halfway around the world to Singapore, and
- created a new life.
Other than that, not much has changed: I'm still hairy and loud.
I am a member of the National Book Critics Circle and The Association of Independent Authors, an associate member of PEN American Center, and a founding member of the Speculative Literature Foundation.
You can find me elsewhere at:
- Diaspora*,
- Facebook,
- Twitter,
- GoodReads,
- Instagram,
- LiveJournal,
- Tumblr,
- The Daily Cabal,
- Red Room,
- Poets & Writers,
- LinkedIn, and
- Threadless
I am also a Buddhist lay practitioner in the Mahayana tradition. I formally took Refuge on 23 March 2008 at the Tai Pei Buddhist Centre and received my refuge name (Thubten Jangchub, which means "Enlightened Mind of the Buddha-Way") from Venerable Thubten Chodron. If you are interested in Buddhism, BuddhaNet is a good place to start, as are Chodron's books Buddhism for Beginners and Open Heart, Clear Mind. I often take Dharma teachings at the Amitabha Buddhist Centre in Singapore.
Writer's Rainbow — December 6, 2010. Conducted by Tamara Kaye Sellman.
Electric Velocipede Blog — July 15, 2009. Conducted by John Klima.
Hour of the Wolf — December 20, 2008. Conducted by Jim Freund.
Writers and Their Soundtracks — September 16 & 23, 2008. Conducted by Julie K. Rose.
Ecstatic Days — February 13, 2008. Conducted by Jeff VanderMeer.
The Story — March 27, 2007. Conducted by Dick Gordon.
Behind the Wainscot — January 12, 2007. Conducted by Darin C. Bradley.
Isthmus: The Daily Page — May 26, 2006. Conducted by Kristian Knutsen.
Tobias Buckell Online — January 26, 2006. Conducted by Tobias Buckell.
I Should Be Writing — December 11, 2005. Conducted by Mur Lafferty.
The Spoken Alexandria Project — April 19, 2005. Conducted by Jamie Bishop.
On Red Dot Irreal:
"Stories exotic, spicy, and redolent as a four-star curry. A fine meal for the mind awaits you in Lundberg's collection."
—Jonathan Carroll, author of Outside the Dog Museum
"Lundberg's writing is that of an Old Soul who views the world through Young Eyes; his work is jamais vu of the highest order: these stories are memories encountered for the first time, but never to be forgotten once they've been experienced."
—James A. Owen, author and illustrator of Here, There Be Dragons
"Red Dot Irreal is a box made of the finest equatorial wood, containing a collection of genuine gems of the early 21st century noble art of fantastika."
—Zoran Zivkovic, author of The Last Book
"Red Dot Irreal teems with imagination, location, originality, and fine writing."
—Jeffrey Ford, author of The Empire of Ice Cream
"There's a lot of very competent fiction around these days -- we're a very professional bunch, us SF writers. And sometimes I'll come across a story that's perfectly-paced, which has clearly-distinguished characters, strong settings and lots of surprises, written in sentences that are never badly-formed, with not a single word out of place. And they're soulless. Sometimes I think writers can be far too good, if you see what I mean. But then I'll come across a story that might be full of rough edges but which just leaps out from the page: a distinctive voice, a quirky take on the world, a way with words that's like no other. I'd choose spark over polish every time. It's probably invidious to name names, so I'll skip over the established writers who are most likely to do this for me, but some of the newer writers I'm particularly excited about include Neil Williamson, Anna Tambour, Chris Dolley, Jason Erik Lundberg, and Lavie Tidhar."
—Keith Brooke, editor of Infinity Plus, in an interview with Jeff VanderMeer for SF Site
On "The Time Traveler's Son":
"What I'm really interested in are stories like 'The Time Traveler's Son' by Jason Erik Lundberg. Ironically, this is the least 'speculative' of the bunch [in The Immersion Book of SF] as it could be interpreted as either 'realistic' or science fictional, giving it that extra layer of engagement. What made 'The Time Traveler's Son' work for me is the emotional investment it gives the reader, even when the narrative is told in short chunks."
—Charles Tan, The World SF Blog
On "Stuck":
"'Stuck' raises issues regarding responsibility for one's actions. It left me pondering whether a man, any man, stuck in a marriage and placed in this kind of situation, is able to overcome sexual temptation alone, much less able to when sexual temptation is combined with ego boosting overtures. Without spoiling the denouement, which I didn't care for, it nevertheless made me wonder what Lundberg intended. Although the story is well-written and thought provoking, it would have been much better with a different ending. Still, I recommend it."
—Z.S. Adani, The Fix
On "Wombat Fishbone":
"The inexplicably-titled 'Wombat Fishbone' by Jason Erik Lundberg is a bizarre story about a strange phenomenon that has begun striking towns with no warning. While its approach terrifies one town's inhabitants, one of the men who is swept up by the movement discovers its unforeseen positive effects. Using some frankly hilarious imagery, Lundberg explores the randomness of magical occurrences and how a life without magic can be just as deadening as it is safe."
—Elizabeth Vail, Green Man Review
"'Wombat Fishbone' is a delightful story with a strong and encouraging message, reminding even female readers that being a man has nothing to do with having washboard abs. It made this reader want to join the parade of chanting, marching crusaders; although, as a woman, I don't think my participation would be received in quite the same way."
—Rae Bryant, The Fix
On "Most Excellent and Lamentable":
"This story has a surprise ending, which usually I wouldn't like, except in this case it turned what would have been a forgettable story into one that demands to be reread and enjoyed a second time."
—Daniel Ausema, Tangent
On "Reality, Interrupted":
"The writing is smooth and crisply visual, and the dialog sparkles ... Go with the flow, and you'll meet an interesting character who ultimately is given a thought-provoking choice, one which comes with a unique sacrifice."
—Douglas Hoffman, Tangent
"A fantasy tale of the highest calibre, at times I thought I was reading the last chapter of a great novel and it has certainly made me want to hear more from this author. A world of magic suddenly springs from a fairly ordinary beginning as Goran soon realises that things are not what they seem, and he quickly plunges into a new and disturbing world that is set to change his life forever."
—Tracy Sherrin-Miller, Whispers of Wickedness
"Particular reference must be made to 'The House Of The Rising Sun' by Elizabeth Bear and 'Reality Interrupted' written by Jason Erik Lundberg. I read both while sitting in the conservatory with torrential rain pouring down outside — there are worse ways to spend an hour or so."
—Rod MacDonald, SF Crowsnest
"A congenial tale of posthumous revenge, discarded boyfriend versus careless water elemental."
—Nick Gevers, Locus
On "Songstress":
"Now board the chariot to the capital of Allegory in the realm of Technical Fantasy ... It succeeds rather well."
—Alan Lattimore, Tangent
On "Solipsister":
"A good 'solipsism' story."
—Rich Horton, sff.net