[2] What's father deserted from the Red army shortly before the end of World War 2, escaping to the Western lines after his unit entered Berlin.

[3] What grew up in Southern California, attending Santa Ana College and earning a certificate in Vocational Nursing.

She then moved to Oregon to be near science fiction authors and Clarion leaders Damon Knight and Kate Wilhelm.

After a hiatus, during which she married and became a mother, What moved back to Oregon in October 1985, submitting a story she had spent two years writing to Knight for critique.

[5] Her non-speculative work has appeared in Utne Reader, Oregun 55, Perigree, Lilith, Calyx, The Clackamas Review, and True Love.

"[1]In addition to her short story and novelist career, What has been the senior nonfiction editor for "Silk Road, a literary crossroads" journal.