Support Young Writers: The Zoe Sarah Kaplan Memorial Award

Zoe Sarah Kaplan (may her memory be for a blessing) was a brilliant, aspiring young publishing professional and writer of Jewish speculative fiction from Brooklyn, NY, and Asheville, NC. On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, at the age of 28, Zoe tragically passed away from complications arising from COVID-19 and Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Zoe's parents, Sam and Geri, her sibling Avi, and all who loved her are deeply in mourning. Zoe was so friendly, witty, kind, generous, a light to this world, intelligent and creative beyond measure, with a heart the size of New York City. Zoe was an industrious writer, had published several short stories in Tree and Stone Magazine and Hidden Realms, among others; and her story "The Test" was nominated for the 2022 Brave New Weird award. Her enormous promise was cut short by her untimely death; several drafts of novels remain sadly unpublished. She had her whole life ahead of her.

To honor Zoe's remarkable memory, comfort those who mourn her heartbreaking loss, and to carry on in her stead, it is her family's dream to establish the Zoe Sarah Kaplan Memorial Award for Jewish Speculative Fiction. This award will be presented annually to an aspiring, young writer of Jewish speculative fiction as a way to honor Zoe every year and elevate an area of writing that she valued deeply. This initial round of donations will provide seed funding to ultimately establish the award on a much larger financial scale through a new nonprofit organization, or under an existing nonprofit in this field. Donating generously to the ZSK Memorial Award fund will be a wonderful way for those who loved Zoe and who love Jewish fiction and speculative fiction to express their caring and to help fulfill this special dream.

Zoe's family also urges all of those who suffer from Type 1 Diabetes, or know and love someone who has T1D, to have a crisis plan in place for the appearance of any cold-like or flu-like symptoms and/or diabetic complications. The combination of certain strains of COVID-19 and T1D can escalate into a deadly crisis within just a day or two, and the mortality rate is high. Have a friend, relative, coworker, or neighbor look after you in person; go to urgent care; call 911; go the ER; but do not take this lightly and do not be caught unprepared for such a health crisis. It is the family's hope and dearest wish that others may be spared the searing pain of such an untimely loss.

Please consider adding a 3% tip to your donation. None of this tip goes to the organizer, David Tucker, of course, who does this work as a volunteer. Instead, any tip would help to cover the 2.9% fee that GoFundMe deducts from donations as part of their business model. Thank you for considering this request.

Please see also the very moving memorial website established by Zoe's New York City area friends here , where you can read memories of her, see photos, and share your own stories and condolences.

For those wishing to see Zoe's professional writing website, her blogs, and her bio, please visit ZoeKaplanWrites here .

Though it is now closed, I would also note that there was a wonderful, parallel fundraiser for those who wished to assist Zoe's family in the immediate aftermath of her passing with the family's many, sudden, and unexpected funeral and travel costs. The archival webpage for the "Cover Funeral and Travel Costs for Zoe" GoFundMe, established by family friends Crista Flores and Marta Alcala, can be accessed here.

The initial custodian for the GoFundMe drive for the Zoe Sarah Kaplan Memorial Award for Jewish Speculative Fiction is David Rexford Tucker of Durham, NC, best friend to Sam, and "Unka Dave" to the inimitably lovely young Zoe. His most wonderful co-organizer is Angela Hinck.