Jack L. Chalker

Jack L. Chalker was a renowned American author, best known for his science fiction novels. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1944 and attended Baltimore City College. Chalker went on to earn his Bachelor's degree in English from Towson University in Maryland and then his MLA from Johns Hopkins University. After completing his education, he began a teaching career where he taught high school history and geography.

In addition to his career in education, Chalker was also an active member of the science fiction community. He was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society and was a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association. Chalker also published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971, which was a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine. He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004, and his hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees.

Chalker won several awards for his work, including the Daedalus Award, The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books, Skylark Award, and the Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award. He was also a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.

Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1). He was married in 1978 and had two sons. He passed away on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.