I write sf, fantasy and historical fiction for kids, YAs and adults. My current project is a novel based on the improbably dramatic life of Bronze Age princess Medea, grand-daughter of the Sun.In 2009, Hadley Rille Books published my archaeologically-accurate historical novella set in Delphi and Athens, The Priestess and the Slave. It has had excellent reviews, but I was stunned when legendary sf feminist Pamela Sargent wrote on Goodreads that it was "elegant". I was one of the judges for the World Fantasy Awards 2009. My website is www.jennyblackford.com.I was born in Sydney, went to High School and University in Newcastle, and lived for 30 years in inner Melbourne with writer and philosopher Russell Blackford. In late 2009, we and our Ragdoll cat Felix moved back home to Newcastle, where we are woken by kookaburras and magpies (which terrify Felix when they threaten to eat his beautiful blue eyeballs). The Priestess and the Slave:I was commissioned to write The Priestess and the Slave, a historical novella set in fifth century BC Athens and Delphi, by archaeology buff Eric Reynolds, as the first in a Hadley Rille Books series of archaeologically-accurate short novels about the daily lives of ancient people living and coping with real historical crises.Legendary sf feminist Pamela Sargent wrote on Goodreads, "This elegant short novel, set in classical Greece of the 5th century B.C., tells the interwoven stories of Thrasulla, a Pythia who is one of the oracles of Apollo, and Harmonia, a slave in an Athenian household. The author, with degrees in Classics, brings authority and detail to this story of those so often neglected by history, those without power. Women in classical Greece led especially limited lives, but Jenny Blackford brings both suspense and compassion to Harmonia's tale, which is restricted entirely to her master's house, and to Thrasulla's, when she must confront the madness in a Spartan king and the greed of a sister priestess."Dr Fiona Hobden, Lecturer in Greek Culture in the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, wrote in a review in HerStoria, "The Priestess and the Slave is a rich and enjoyable read. As is to be expected from a writer of science fiction and fantasy, Blackford's world is detailed and convincing. Her women are intriguing and sharply defined, and they have the merit of humanity. In the modern (masculine) imagination, the Pythian priestess is often a mystical, exotic figure. ... Blackford's Thrasulla, by contrast, is a fully-rounded woman of over fifty with a personal history, a clarity of perspective and an ethical code. By bringing women of fifth-century Greece to life, our author rescues them from the obscurity imposed by contemporary historians (who largely ignored them) and from sexualised male fantasies that continue to inform their representation... [Blackford's] attempt to reveal the historical reality of women's lives takes us much closer to seeing ancient women as real people. For this reason, as well as for being an intelligently-executed novel, The Priestess and the Slave is thoroughly recommended."Elizabeth Stockdale from The King's School, Parramatta wrote in Macquarie University's scholarly journal Ancient History: Resources for Teachers, ...her work is of a high quality and is historically accurate to the finest detail... It is extraordinarily moving... This is a rewarding book on both levels. A true ancient historical novel.Jack Dann wrote, "It's such a joy to read a historical novel written by an author who has such authority over her material." Alison Goodman said, "A compelling blend of vivid storytelling and meticulous research. Fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable." Greg Benford called it "wonderful", and said, "It has the arc of a novel, brevity of a short story - quite a job of compaction." And Kate Forsyth, wrote, "Completely fascinating - a vivid and evocative glimpse into the life of the past, with its terrors and joys so strange and yet so familiar."The first two chapters are available as a sample on the Hadley Rille Books website.My non-fiction work:I was one of the five judges of the World Fantasy Awards 2009. The other four judges were Ellen Klages, Delia Sherman, Chris Roberson and Peter Heck. The instructions on how to enter are on this page of the World Fantasy Awards website, with the names of the current year's judges.I have reviewed regularly for the Age (the Melbourne quality broadsheet newspaper), the Australian science magazine Cosmos, the ecological magazine G, for the New York Review of Science Fiction, and for others. Gene Wolfe wrote in a letter of comment to Bruce Gillespie's SF Commentary 80, "Jenny has read my books with far more attention and intelligence than they deserve".I also assess manuscripts of diverse genres for the amazing Kirsty Brooks at Driftwood Manuscripts. I am currently mentoring a fantasy author for the Hunter Writers Centre.During the 1980s, I was a member of the Editorial Collective of Australian Science Fiction Review: Second Series, an award-winning fanzine and a principal in the small press publisher Ebony Books. Our publications include Transmitters: An Imaginary Documentary, by Damien Broderick, and Urban Fantasies, edited by David King and Russell Blackford.Together with my husband Russell Blackford, I ran the Academic Tracks for Aussiecon Two and Aussiecon Three. We produced proceedings volumes for each of them: Contrary Modes: Proceedings of the World Science Fiction Convention, Melbourne, Australia, published by Ebony Books and the University of Newcastle in 1985, and a guest-edited issue of the UK critical journal Foundation (issue 78, Spring 2000.My Background:I studied Classics (Greek and Latin) at the University of Newcastle, NSW, and sneaked in a year of German and Sanskrit as well as four years of Greek and Latin. At the end, I was awarded First Class Honours and a University Medal. I have always been fascinated by prehistory and ancient history, archaeology, ancient languages and mythology. My postgraduate study in ancient religion was rendered discouraging by the shrinkage of Classics departments worldwide. I saw an ad in the paper seeking graduates of all disciplines, which was the start of an unexpected career in computer networking, beginning with seven years with IBM as a Systems Engineer in the field of Data Communications. Since then, I have forgotten more Sanskrit than I ever learned, but my favourite poet is still Catullus, and my favourite playwright is Euripides.