Mary K. Hobson is a speculative fiction and fantasy writer. She is known for her Veneficas Americana historical fantasy series, which is in a genre she describes as "bustlepunk." She is also a frequent host of the fantasy podcast "PodCastle." Hobson's short fiction has appeared in Sci Fiction, the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Realms of Fantasy, Strange Horizons, and ChiZine, and in anthologies such as "Polyphony 5," "Polyphony 6," and "Medicine Show." Her first novel, "The Native Star," was published in 2010 and was nominated for the Nebula Award. Previously, Hobson was co-editor of the surrealist/anarchist zine Diet Soap.