Draft:Judah Mahay - Wikipedia

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Judah Mahay is an Alaskan author of science fiction and fantasy known for his experimentation with such stories as "Soul Requisition" about an irate AI demanding a soul.^[1] He has published various works, including short stories like “Lord of the Dome” and "Death Wish".^[2] In 2016, he graduated with his MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook Southampton with the author Roger Rosenblatt as his thesis advisor.^[3]

In 2009, Mahay received a New York Foundation for Arts Grant issued through the East End Arts Council for acceptance into the artist residency at The Watermill Center^[4] founded by theatre director Robert Wilson.^[5][6] In 2013, Mahay was also honored as an "Outstanding Advocate for the Arts" by the Long Island Council for the Arts for his contributions to the artistic community on Long Island.^[7]

Outside his literary pursuits, Mahay serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in English at Penn State Harrisburg^[8] and Millersville University^[9]. Over the summers, Mahay teaches gifted middle school and high school students at Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.^[10]

Mahay was born and raised in the tiny village of Talkeetna, Alaska, and graduated from Susitna Valley High School.^[11] He attended undergraduate school at Curry College before transferring to Calvin University where he completed his BA.^[12]

From a young age, he worked in the family business Mahay's Jet Boat Adventures, where he served as a captain, obtaining his 25-ton US Coast Guard Captain's License at the age of 19.^[13] The business was founded by his homesteading parents author Kristine Drumm and entrepreneur Stephen Mahay.^[14] His father, Stephen Mahay, has numerous distinctions to his name^[15], including being the first person to navigate and survive the whitewaters of Devil's Canyon with a jet boat^[16]. Mahay's older brother Israel Mahay has since taken over the family business, along with advocating for environmental preservation and Alaskan tourism.^[17]

Mahay currently lives in Harrisburg, PA with his wife Lorien Mahay (the Executive Director of historic Theatre Harrisburg)^[18], his two children, and his mother.^[19]

In 2010, Mahay established BeYourArt.com, an artist community and resource. The site expanded to include nearly 700 artists, produced 11 video/audio podcasts, co-published 10 articles with North Shoreian Magazine, and organized an annual “Be Your Art Writing Contest,” awarding the winner a custom artist logo. Mahay closed the site in 2011 due to rising costs and to focus more on his writing career.^[20]

While living in Sag Harbor, NY during 2012, he served as the Co-Chair for the Community Advisory Committee sending reports and requests to the township of Southampton on behalf of citizens.^[21]

Judah Mahay is an Adjunct Lecturer at Penn State Harrisburg^[22] and Millersville University. In this role, he teaches various courses in English, focusing on writing and literature. He also teaches summer courses to gifted youth through Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. He's previously taught at Suffolk County Community College, Stony Brook University, Five Towns College^[23], and St. Joseph's University.^[24]

Course Topics: His courses often cover advanced composition, creative writing, and literary analysis. He aims to help students develop their writing voice and critical thinking skills. Some courses he has taught include but are not limited to English Composition, Advanced Composition, On Being Human: Narrative Essay, Creative Writing, Reading Our World: SFF in Translation, and more.^[25]

Judah Mahay began his literary career with the publication of his story “Lord of the Dome” in New York Twist Magazine in 2008.^[26]

Mahay’s works often explore complex themes human belonging and identity through the lens of SFF and experimentation. Some of his notable publications include “The Trees of Evermore,” “Willow,” and "In the Beginning Was Logos". He has also been involved in various literary projects, such as the Watermill Grimoire, which was supported by a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts,^[27] and he served as judge for storySouth's Million Writers Award.^[28]

Upon graduating with his MFA in Creative Writing in 2016, Mahay created a podcast entitled Aroph Stories where he read contemporary and classic science fiction and fantasy stories.^[29]

After publishing the second-person present tense story "In the Beginning Was Logos" in July of 2016, Sick Lit Magazine picked up Mahay's unconventional POV story "Death Wish" in March of 2017.^[30]

In 2022, the second-person future tense story “In the Future Sense,” was published by Harrisburg Magazine.^[31] The experimental story “Soul Requisition” about an irate AI demanding a soul was Mahay's first pro-paying story published by Pinky Thinker Press, Issue 11, in 2024^[32]

Recognitions & Awards

• In 2008, “The Trees of Evermore” was awarded first place in the Annual Fiction Writing Contest held by North Shoreian Magazine.^[33]
• From 2009 to 2012, he served as a preliminary judge for storySouth’s Million Writers Award from 2009 to 2012.^[34]
• In 2009, he received a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts, provided by the East End Arts Council, to support his Watermill Grimoire project.^[35]
• In 2010, he was accepted to a two-week residency at Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, during which he wrote the Watermill Grimoire and several character-driven vignettes inspired by artifacts from the Watermill archive.^[36][37]
• In 2013, Mahay was recognized by the Long Island Council for the Arts in Freeport for his contributions to the arts community on Long Island.^[38]
• In 2024, he received an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future Contest for his unpublished novelette, The Sky Gilded Gray.^[39]

Current Projects

Mahay has two unpublished novels to date, his MFA thesis Body Insurance, and a character-driven, literary fantasy The Undying. He also has an unpublished romantic novelette The Sky Gilded Gray that explore tragic flaws. Regarding his MFA thesis novel Body Insurance, it is described as a near-future Frankenstein retelling in the vein of Gattaca and Blade Runner, and it has received blurbs from author Roger Rosenblatt and the award-winning SFF author Jason Sanford.^[40][41]

Short Stories

• “Soul Requisition” Pinky Thinker Press^[42]
• “In the Future Sense” Harrisburg Magazine^[43]
• “Death Wish” Sick Lit Magazine^[44]
• “In The Beginning Was Logo” Sick Lit Magazine^[45]
• “Lord of the Dome” New York Twist Magazine^[46]
• “Trees of Evermore” North Shoreian Magazine^[47]

Poems

• “Willow” Mississippi Crow Magazine^[48]