Alex Shvartsman is a Brooklyn-based science fiction and fantasy writer, editor, translator, and game designer. Since launching his writing career in 2010, he has published over 120 short stories in renowned outlets such as Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, and Fireside. His work is particularly noted for its humor and inventive storytelling, exemplified by his award-winning piece "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma," which earned him the 2014 WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction.

Shvartsman has edited more than a dozen anthologies, including the Unidentified Funny Objects series, and served as editor-in-chief of Future Science Fiction Digest, a magazine highlighting international speculative fiction. His translations from Russian have appeared in Clarkesworld, Tor.com, and Asimov’s. As a novelist, he authored Eridani’s Crown (2019), The Middling Affliction (2022), and Kakistocracy (2023).

Beyond literature, Shvartsman is a former professional Magic: The Gathering player and owns Kings Games, a game store in Brooklyn.