// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Thomas Ha a train engineer? Ha-ha, no, that's just a loco-motive pun.

Thomas Ha
Thomas Ha
Born	Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Occupations	Writer; Lawyer;
	Writing career
Genres	Speculative Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Science Fiction, Weird Horror
Notable awards	Nebula Award (2025); Hugo Award (2026); Locus Award (2026)
Website	www.thomashawrites.com

Thomas Ha is an American speculative fiction writer. He is of Korean and Irish-American descent.^[1]^[2]

Background

Thomas Ha was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was educated on the American East Coast, and worked as an attorney in New York before moving to Los Angeles to care for his family.^[3] His first fiction was published in 2020 in The Colored Lens before being published in various genre magazines, including Clarkesworld, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Lightspeed.^[3]

He writes short fiction, primarily dark fantasy and sci-fi, with touches of weird horror, which he says is a cathartic response to the terrifying nature of the world.^[4]

His debut short story collection, Uncertain Sons and Other Stories, was published by Undertow Publications in September 2025.^[5]

Ha has been nominated for numerous awards. His work has won the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, and two Locus Awards.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Bibliography

Collections

Uncertain Sons and Other Stories. Undertow Publications. 2025. ISBN 9781988964492.

Short Fiction

"Hold on Tight", 2020, The Colored Lens
"Where the Old Neighbors Go", 2020, Metaphorosis Magazine
"Balloon Season", 2020, Fusion Fragment
"Horangi", 2021, Cossmass Infinities
"A Compilation of Accounts Concerning the Distal Brook Flood", 2021, Metaphorosis Magazine
"Where You Left Me", 2021, Lightspeed Magazine
"The Liminal Men", 2021, Dark Matter Magazine
"Orla, Always", 2021, Metaphorosis Magazine
"To People Who’d Never Known Good", 2022, Beneath Ceaseless Skies
"Sweetbaby", 2022, Clarkesworld
"In That Crumbling Home", 2022, Bourbon Penn
"Our Quiet Guests", 2022, Three-Lobed Burning Eye
"For However Long", 2023, Khōréō Magazine^[9]
"On Planetary Palliative Care", 2023, Interzone Digital
"Window Boy", 2023, Clarkesworld
"Cretins", 2023, Weird Horror Magazine
"Gentler Things", 2023, PodCastle
"The Mub", 2023, Clarkesworld
"To Be a Happy Man", 2024, Lightspeed Magazine
"Behind the Gilded Door", 2024, Haven Speculative
"Alabama Circus Punk", 2024, Ergot
"The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video", 2024, Clarkesworld^[10]
"Grottmata", 2024, Nightmare Magazine
"The Fairgrounds", 2024, Metaphorosis Magazine
"The Sort", 2024, Clarkesworld^[11]
"Cages", 2024, Fusion Fragment
"House Traveler", 2024, Bourbon Penn
"St. Fario's Feast", 2024, New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine
"Old Wells", 2025, Three-Lobed Burning Eye
"In My Country", 2025, Clarkesworld^[12]
"Cry, the Carob King", 2025, Beneath Ceaseless Skies
"The Patron", 2025, The Sunday Morning Transport
"The Cephalophore", 2025, The Dark
"Uncertain Sons", 2025, Uncertain Sons and Other Stories
"The Folded Balloon", 2026, Simultaneous Times
"Scion" and "Scion: Afterword", 2026, Clarkesworld^[13]^[14]
"Middle Song", 2025, Bourbon Penn^[15]
"Our Revels Now Are Ended", 2026, Clarkesworld^[16]
"Jempo", 2026, Lightspeed Magazine
"Drive-Thru", 2026, Reactor Magazine

Anthologies

Paula Guran, ed. (2021). The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror: Volume Two. Pyr. ISBN 9781645060321.
Hugh Howey; John Joseph Adams, eds. (2024). The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024. Mariner Books. ISBN 9780063315785.
Michael Kelly, ed. (2025). The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, Vol. 1. Undertow Publications. ISBN 9781988964522.
Nnedi Okorafor; John Joseph Adams, eds. (2025). The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025. Mariner Books. ISBN 9780063441477.
Olivie Blake; John Joseph Adams, eds. (2026). The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2026. Mariner Books. ISBN 9780063441521.

Awards

Year^[17]	Title	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2022	"Sweetbaby"	Shirley Jackson Award	Novelette	Finalist	^[18]
2022	"In That Crumbling Home"	Brave New Weird Award		Won	^[19]
2023	"Window Boy"	Nebula Award	Short Story	Finalist	^[20]
2024		Ignyte Award	Short Story	Finalist	^[21]
		Locus Award	Short Story	Finalist	^[22]
	"The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video"	Nebula Award	Novelette	Finalist	^[7]
2025	"The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video"	Hugo Award	Novelette	Finalist	^[23]
	"Uncertain Sons"	Bram Stoker Award	Long Fiction	Finalist	^[24]
	"Uncertain Sons"	Nebula Award	Novelette	Won	^[7]
	Uncertain Sons and Other Stories	BSFA Award	Collection/Anthology	Finalist	^[25]
	"In My Country"	Nebula Award	Short Story	Finalist	^[7]
2026		Hugo Award	Short Story	Won	^[6]
		Locus Award	Short Story	Won	^[8]
		World Fantasy Award	Short Fiction	Pending	^[26]
	"Uncertain Sons"	Ignyte Award	Novelette	Pending	^[27]
		Locus Award	Novelette	Finalist	^[8]
		World Fantasy Award	Novella	Pending	^[26]
	Uncertain Sons and Other Stories	Locus Award	Collection	Won	^[8]
		Philip K. Dick Award	—	Special Citation	^[28]
		World Fantasy Award	Collection	Pending	^[26]

External links

Official website

References

↑ "Author Spotlight: Thomas Ha". Nightmare Magazine. July 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
↑ "Welhamin: Thomas Ha's Short Story "Grotmatta"". Oct 4, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
1 2 "Fear, Indecision, and Doubt: A Conversation with Thomas Ha". Clarkesworld Magazine. September 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
↑ "Asian Heritage in Horror: Interview with Thomas Ha". Horror Writers Association. May 2, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
↑ "Uncertain Sons and Other Stories by Thomas Ha". Strange Horizons. September 15, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
1 2 "2026 Hugo, Lodestar & Astounding Awards Winners". Locus. 2026-08-30. Retrieved 2026-08-31.
1 2 3 4 "Nebula Awards Winners 2025". Locus. Retrieved 2026-09-09.
1 2 3 4 "2026 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. May 30, 2026.
↑ "For However Long by Thomas Ha". Khoreo Magazine. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
↑ "The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
↑ "The Sort". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
↑ "In My Country". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
↑ "Scion". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
↑ "Scion: Afterward". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
↑ "Middle Song by Thomas Ha". Bourbon Penn 38. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
↑ "Our Revels Now Are Ended". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
↑ year based on official award year
↑ "2022 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners". Locus. 16 Jul 2023. Retrieved 18 Dec 2025.
↑ "Bibliography". Retrieved September 9, 2026.
↑ "2024 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus. Retrieved 2026-09-09.
↑ "2024 Ignyte Award Winners". Locus. 8 Nov 2024. Retrieved 2026-09-09.
↑ "Locus Awards 2024". Retrieved September 9, 2026.
↑ "2025 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2025-08-17. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
↑ "Horror Writers Association Releases the 2025 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot". Bram Stoker Awards. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
↑ "2025 BSFA Awards Winners". Locus Magazine. Retrieved 09-23-2026.
1 2 3 "World Fantasy Awards 2026 Finalists". Locus. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
↑ "2026 Ignyte Awards Finalists". Locus Online. June 8, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
↑ "2026 Philip K. Dick Award Winner Announced". March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.

[Nightmare-1] "Author Spotlight: Thomas Ha". Nightmare Magazine. July 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.

[2] "Welhamin: Thomas Ha's Short Story "Grotmatta"". Oct 4, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2026.

[Clarkesworld-3] 1 2 "Fear, Indecision, and Doubt: A Conversation with Thomas Ha". Clarkesworld Magazine. September 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.

[HWA-4] "Asian Heritage in Horror: Interview with Thomas Ha". Horror Writers Association. May 2, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2026.

[5] "Uncertain Sons and Other Stories by Thomas Ha". Strange Horizons. September 15, 2025. Retrieved September 9, 2026.

[Hugo26-6] 1 2 "2026 Hugo, Lodestar & Astounding Awards Winners". Locus. 2026-08-30. Retrieved 2026-08-31.

[Nebula25-7] 1 2 3 4 "Nebula Awards Winners 2025". Locus. Retrieved 2026-09-09.

[Loc26-8] 1 2 3 4 "2026 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. May 30, 2026.

[9] "For However Long by Thomas Ha". Khoreo Magazine. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[10] "The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[11] "The Sort". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[12] "In My Country". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[13] "Scion". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[14] "Scion: Afterward". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[15] "Middle Song by Thomas Ha". Bourbon Penn 38. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[16] "Our Revels Now Are Ended". Clarkesworld. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[17] year based on official award year

[jackson2022-18] "2022 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners". Locus. 16 Jul 2023. Retrieved 18 Dec 2025.

[Bibliography-19] "Bibliography". Retrieved September 9, 2026.

[Nebula24-20] "2024 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus. Retrieved 2026-09-09.

[ignyte2024-21] "2024 Ignyte Award Winners". Locus. 8 Nov 2024. Retrieved 2026-09-09.

[22] "Locus Awards 2024". Retrieved September 9, 2026.

[Hugo25-23] "2025 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2025-08-17. Retrieved 2025-08-17.

[24] "Horror Writers Association Releases the 2025 Bram Stoker Awards® Final Ballot". Bram Stoker Awards. Retrieved 21 March 2026.

[25] "2025 BSFA Awards Winners". Locus Magazine. Retrieved 09-23-2026.

[WFA26-26] 1 2 3 "World Fantasy Awards 2026 Finalists". Locus. Retrieved 2026-08-12.

[27] "2026 Ignyte Awards Finalists". Locus Online. June 8, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.

[28] "2026 Philip K. Dick Award Winner Announced". March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.

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v t e Hugo Award for Best Short Story
Retro Hugos	"How We Went to Mars" by Arthur C. Clarke (1939) "Robbie" by Isaac Asimov (1941) "The Twonky" by Lewis Padgett (1943) "King of the Gray Spaces" by Ray Bradbury (1944) "I, Rocket" by Ray Bradbury (1945) "Uncommon Sense" by Hal Clement (1946) "To Serve Man" by Damon Knight (1951) "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke (1954)
1955–1960	"Allamagoosa" by Eric Frank Russell (1955) "The Star" by Arthur C. Clarke (1956) "Or All the Seas with Oysters" by Avram Davidson (1958) "That Hell-Bound Train" by Robert Bloch (1959) "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes (1960)
1961–1970	"The Longest Voyage" by Poul Anderson (1961) "Hothouse" by Brian W. Aldiss (1962) "The Dragon Masters" by Jack Vance (1963) "No Truce with Kings" by Poul Anderson (1964) "Soldier, Ask Not" by Gordon R. Dickson (1965) ""Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman" by Harlan Ellison (1966) "Neutron Star" by Larry Niven (1967) "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison (1968) "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" by Harlan Ellison (1969) "Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones" by Samuel R. Delany (1970)
1971-1980	"Slow Sculpture" by Theodore Sturgeon (1971) "Inconstant Moon" by Larry Niven (1972) "Eurema's Dam" by R. A. Lafferty / "The Meeting" by Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth (1973) "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974) "The Hole Man" by Larry Niven (1975) "Catch That Zeppelin!" by Fritz Leiber (1976) "Tricentennial" by Joe Haldeman (1977) "Jeffty Is Five" by Harlan Ellison (1978) "Cassandra" by C. J. Cherryh (1979) "The Way of Cross and Dragon" by George R. R. Martin (1980)
1981-1990	"Grotto of the Dancing Deer" by Clifford D. Simak (1981) "The Pusher" by John Varley (1982) "Melancholy Elephants" by Spider Robinson (1983) "Speech Sounds" by Octavia E. Butler (1984) "The Crystal Spheres" by David Brin (1985) "Fermi and Frost" by Frederik Pohl (1986) "Tangents" by Greg Bear (1987) "Why I Left Harry's All-Night Hamburgers" by Lawrence Watt-Evans (1988) "Kirinyaga" by Mike Resnick (1989) "Boobs" by Suzy McKee Charnas (1990)
1991-2000	"Bears Discover Fire" by Terry Bisson (1991) "A Walk in the Sun" by Geoffrey A. Landis (1992) "Even the Queen" by Connie Willis (1993) "Death on the Nile" by Connie Willis (1994) "None So Blind" by Joe Haldeman (1995) "The Lincoln Train" by Maureen F. McHugh (1996) "The Soul Selects Her Own Society" by Connie Willis (1997) "The 43 Antarean Dynasties" by Mike Resnick (1998) "The Very Pulse of the Machine" by Michael Swanwick (1999) "Scherzo with Tyrannosaur" by Michael Swanwick (2000)
2001-2010	"Different Kinds of Darkness" by David Langford (2001) "The Dog Said Bow-Wow" by Michael Swanwick (2002) "Falling onto Mars" by Geoffrey A. Landis (2003) "A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman (2004) "Travels with My Cats" by Mike Resnick (2005) "Tk'tk'tk" by David D. Levine (2006) "Impossible Dreams" by Tim Pratt (2007) "Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear (2008) "Exhalation" by Ted Chiang (2009) "Bridesicle" by Will McIntosh (2010)
2011-2020	"For Want of a Nail" by Mary Robinette Kowal (2011) "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu (2012) "Mono no aware" by Ken Liu (2013) "The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere" by John Chu (2014) No award (2015) "Cat Pictures Please" by Naomi Kritzer (2016) "Seasons of Glass and Iron" by Amal El-Mohtar (2017) "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™" by Rebecca Roanhorse (2018) "A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" by Alix E. Harrow (2019) "As the Last I May Know" by S. L. Huang (2020)
2020-present	"Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher (2021) "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather" by Sarah Pinsker (2022) "Rabbit Test" by Samantha Mills (2023) "Better Living Through Algorithms" by Naomi Kritzer (2024) "Stitched to Skin Like Family Is" by Nghi Vo (2025) "In My Country" by Thomas Ha (2026)

v t e Nebula Award for Best Novelette
1965–1979	"The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" by Roger Zelazny (1965) "Call Him Lord" by Gordon R. Dickson (1966) "Gonna Roll the Bones" by Fritz Leiber (1967) "Mother to the World" by Richard Wilson (1968) "Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones" by Samuel R. Delany (1969) "Slow Sculpture" by Theodore Sturgeon (1970) "The Queen of Air and Darkness" by Poul Anderson (1971) "Goat Song" by Poul Anderson (1972) "Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand" by Vonda N. McIntyre (1973) "If the Stars Are Gods", by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford (1974) "San Diego Lightfoot Sue" by Tom Reamy (1975) "The Bicentennial Man" by Isaac Asimov (1976) "The Screwfly Solution" by Raccoona Sheldon (1977) "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye" by Charles L. Grant (1978) "Sandkings" by George R. R. Martin (1979)
1980–1999	"The Ugly Chickens" by Howard Waldrop (1980) "The Quickening" by Michael Bishop (1981) "Fire Watch" by Connie Willis (1982) "Blood Music" by Greg Bear (1983) "Bloodchild" by Octavia Butler (1984) "Portraits of His Children" by George R. R. Martin (1985) "The Girl who Fell into the Sky" by Kate Wilhelm (1986) "Rachel in Love" by Pat Murphy (1987) "Schrödinger's Kitten" by George Alec Effinger (1988) "At the Rialto" by Connie Willis (1989) "Tower of Babylon" by Ted Chiang (1990) "Guide Dog" by Michael Conner (1991) "Danny Goes to Mars" by Pamela Sargent (1992) "Georgia on My Mind" by Charles Sheffield (1993) "The Martian Child" by David Gerrold (1994) "Solitude" by Ursula K. Le Guin (1995) "Lifeboat on a Burning Sea" by Bruce Holland Rogers (1996) "The Flowers of Adult Prison" by Nancy Kress (1997) "Lost Girls" by Jane Yolen (1998) "'Mars is No Place for Children", by Mary Turzillo (1999)
2000–2019	"Daddy's World" by Walter Jon Williams (2000) "Louise's Ghost" by Kelly Link (2001) "Hell is the Absence of God" by Ted Chiang (2002) "The Empire of Ice Cream" by Jeffrey Ford (2003) "Basement Magic" by Ellen Klages (2004) "The Faery Handbag" by Kelly Link (2005) "Two Hearts" by Peter S. Beagle (2006) "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang (2007) "Pride and Prometheus" by John Kessel (2008) "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast" by Eugie Foster (2009) "That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made" by Eric James Stone (2010) "What We Found" by Geoff Ryman (2011) "Close Encounters" by Andy Duncan (2012) "The Waiting Stars" by Aliette de Bodard (2013) "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i" by Alaya Dawn Johnson (2014) "Our Lady of the Open Road" by Sarah Pinsker (2015) "The Long Fall Up" by William Ledbetter (2016) "A Human Stain" by Kelly Robson (2017) "The Only Harmless Great Thing" by Brooke Bolander (2018) "Carpe Glitter" by Cat Rambo (2019)
2020–present	"Two Truths and a Lie" by Sarah Pinsker (2020) "O2 Arena" by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (2021) "If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You" by John Chu (2022) "The Year Without Sunshine" by Naomi Kritzer (2023) "Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being" by A. W. Prihandita (2024) "Uncertain Sons" by Thomas Ha (2025)

v t e Locus Award for Best Short Story
1971-1979	"The Region Between" by Harlan Ellison (1971) "The Queen of Air and Darkness" by Poul Anderson (1972) "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin (1973) "The Deathbird" by Harlan Ellison (1974) "The Day Before the Revolution" by Ursula K. Le Guin (1975) "Croatoan" by Harlan Ellison (1976) "Tricentennial" by Joe Haldeman (1977) "Jeffty Is Five" by Harlan Ellison (1978) "Count the Clock that Tells the Time" by Harlan Ellison (1979)
1980-1989	"The Way of Cross and Dragon" by George R. R. Martin (1980) "Grotto of the Dancing Deer" by Clifford D. Simak (1981) "The Pusher" by John Varley (1982) "Sur" by Ursula K. Le Guin (1983) "Beyond the Dead Reef" by James Tiptree Jr. (1984) "Salvador" by Lucius Shepard (1985) "With Virgil Oddum at the East Pole" by Harlan Ellison (1986) "Robot Dreams" by Isaac Asimov (1987) "Angel" by Pat Cadigan (1988) "Eidolons" by Harlan Ellison (1989)
1990-1999	"Lost Boys" by Orson Scott Card (1990) "Bears Discover Fire" by Terry Bisson (1991) "Buffalo" by John Kessel (1992) "Even the Queen" by Connie Willis (1993) "Close Encounter" by Connie Willis (1994) "None So Blind" by Joe Haldeman (1995) "The Lincoln Train" by Maureen F. McHugh (1996) "Gone" by John Crowley (1997) "Itsy Bitsy Spider" by James Patrick Kelly (1998) "Maneki Neko" by Bruce Sterling (1999)
2000-2009	"macs" by Terry Bisson (2000) "The Missing Mass" by Larry Niven (2001) "The Bones of the Earth" by Ursula K. Le Guin (2002) "October in the Chair" by Neil Gaiman (2003) "Closing Time" by Neil Gaiman (2004) "Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire" by Neil Gaiman (2005) "Sunbird" by Neil Gaiman (2006) "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" by Neil Gaiman (2007) "A Small Room in Koboldtown" by Michael Swanwick (2008) "Exhalation" by Ted Chiang (2009)
2010-2019	"An Invocation of Incuriosity" by Neil Gaiman (2010) "The Thing About Cassandra" by Neil Gaiman (2011) "The Case of Death and Honey" by Neil Gaiman (2012) "Immersion" by Aliette de Bodard (2013) "The Road of Needles" by Caitlín R. Kiernan (2014) "The Truth About Owls" by Amal El-Mohtar (2015) "Cat Pictures Please" by Naomi Kritzer (2016) "Seasons of Glass and Iron" by Amal El-Mohtar (2017) "The Martian Obelisk" by Linda Nagata (2018) "The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington" by P. Djèlí Clark (2019)
2020-present	"The Bookstore at the End of America" by Charlie Jane Anders (2020) "Little Free Library" by Naomi Kritzer (2021) "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather" by Sarah Pinsker (2022) "Rabbit Test" by Samantha Mills (2023) "How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub" by P. Djèlí Clark (2024) "Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole" by Isabel J. Kim (2025) "In My Country" by Thomas Ha (2026)