Barton Paul Levenson is an American Writer of science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

, fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 and the macabre

Macabre

In works of art, macabre is the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere. Macabre works emphasize the details and symbols of death....

. He is a long-standing member of one of Pittsburgh's oldest Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writer's Workshops, Carnegie-Mellon University-based Pittsburgh Worldwrights, which includes Pittsburgh science fiction writer Kenneth Chiacchia

Kenneth Chiacchia

Kenneth Chiacchia is an American writer in the Fantasy and Science Fiction genre.- Biography :Chiacchia was born in Hackensack, NJ. He earned a PhD in biochemistry, at the Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1991...

 among its members.

Background

Levenson was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...

. He started writing in 1974. He is a 1983 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

 He became a Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 in 1984.
His first work of fiction was a short story, "Twenty Peasants," published in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine was a quarterly fantasy magazine founded and initially edited by fantasy and science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley. Fifty issues appeared from summer 1988 through December 2000. It was published by MZB Enterprises from 1988-1989, Marion Zimmer Bradley...

in 1991.

Publication

Levenson is a two-time winner of the "Confluence Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story Contest" for "Virtual Bridges" and "Reality Forbidden", cited herein. He is a former member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. Levenson's first separate novel in paperback format, I Will, was released in June 2010. One of Levenson's most intriguing characters, Khuminay, has returned again in "Khuminay and the Servant" in 'Cosmic Crime Stories' cited hereinbelow. This follows on the heels of the long awaited on-again, off-again novel "Year of the Human", cited herein, which will make its debut later this year. Barton's 50th fiction publication, "Sheep Lie!", was accepted in November, 2011 by Ray Gun Revival, cited below.

Style

Reviewers consider Levenson's writing complex. It is often in the first-person

First-person narrative

First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...

 and it sometimes takes on other genders or species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

. Levenson's works often contain Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 Parables, cat-like aliens and complex scientific concepts. Levenson's focus on Science Fiction started when he was eight years old, when his parents took him to the film 2001: A Space Odyssey He has described his writing process in a 2010 interview with author Sonya Clark, stating that he starts writing with either a broad plot outline in mind, or even one daydreamed scene. Often, the process will fail and the result is an incomplete work. His work is inspired by authors ranging from C.S. Lewis to Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...

. In "The Closet" Chiaroscuro, 2003, humankind's unwillingness to accept the consequences of their own choices is examined. Several of his stories are based in Pittsburgh, often in different eras. For example; in "The Boogie-Woogie, Time-Traveling, Cyborg Blues" he chooses Pittsburgh in the 1930s as a back-drop.

Controversy

One of Levenson's most cited essays, "The Ideology of Robert A. Heinlein." has been reprinted in several languages (See Essays herein-below). Levenson argues that Heinlein was making a case for the value of fascism. Levenson has been writing about Climate issues for many years. His colloquoys can often be found on: Real Climate  Levenson's first peer-reviewed scientific article as sole author was published in 2011: "Planet Temperatures with Surface Cooling Parameterized." in Advances in Space Research

Advances in Space Research

Advances in Space Research or ' is a peer reviewed, scientific journal that is published 27 times per year. It was established in 1981, and is the official journal of the Committee on Space Research , as well as being published by Pergamon . The Editor in Chief is J...

  47, 2044–2048, a COSPAR Publication of Elsevier, cited herein below. Levenson's Japan-themed story: "Temple Cat", cited herein-below, is reprinted in the charity anthology: "Healing Waves" from Sky Warrior Book Publishing and edited by Phyllis Irene Radford, who is donating all proceeds from the sales to disaster relief in Japan.

Novels

• "Year of the Human" Solstice Publishing, Expected 2011.
• "Max and Me." Lyrical Press, June 2010.
• "I Will." Virtual Tales, June 2010.
• "Ella the Vampire." Lyrical Press, December 2008 (See discussion of the basis of the novel).

Short fiction

• "Sheep Lie!" Ray Gun Revival 2011
• "Aquilonia, my Zelky", Fender Stitch, expected 2012
• "The Starship Pilot", in the anthology 'Warrior Wisewoman IV', Roby James Editor, expected 2012
• "Ballad" Ray Gun Revival 2011
• "Sophie and the Supernova." in the Anthology 'Cheer Up, Universe!' (paperback) Whortleberry Press 2011
• "Gauntlet" Andromeda Spaceways In-flight Magazine (Australia) 2011
• "Brianna the Pie Girl" in the Anthology: 'WTF?!', Pink Narcissus Press, Expected 2011
• "Khuminay and the Servant" in 'Cosmic Crime Stories', published by Karen L. Newman July 2011.
• "An Exercise in Logic" in the Anthology 'Infinite Space, Infinite God II' (paperback) 2011
• "Khuminay and the Shapeshifter" in the Anthology 'Space Cops', compiled by David Reilly June 2009.
• "The Boogie-Woogie, Time-Traveling, Cyborg Blues" 'Electric Spec' February 2009
• "Colonizing Mars" 'M-Brane' 2008
• "The Primitives" 'Wrong World' (Audio) 2008
• "Second Visit" 'Whispering Spirits' Issue Number 19 - November 20, 2008
• "Raid" Atomjack Issue Number 11 - August 2008
• "Wisdom." Anathema On-Line Anthology, January, 2008
• "Wifey." Written Word, Holiday Edition 2007
• "The Fate of the Crystal Eye." In the anthology Forbidden Speculation (2007)
• "Side Trip." Science Fiction Trails, #2, 2007
• "Katie Belle." Whispering Spirits, October 2007
• "Dedication Day." Art & Prose, October 2007
• "The Rescue." Beyond Centauri, Issue 18, 2007
• "Problem in Logic." Staffs & Starships, Issue 1, 2007
• "The Extraordinary Circumstances On Board H.M.S. Steadfast." Cicada, January–February 2007.
• "The Curse." In the anthology Shadow Regions(2006)
• "Rain and Revenge." RAGE Machine Issue #2, March 2006
• "The Intruder." In the anthology, Travel Guide to the Haunted Mid-Atlantic Region(2006)
• "Pet Cat." In the anthology Animal Magnetism (2005)
• "All the Horrible Dragons." The Sword Review, December 2005.
• "Van Helsing in London." Hungur magazine Issue 1, Halloween 2005. See Review
• "Undead." Insidious Reflections, July 2005.
• "The Problem of Pain." The Sword Review, July 2005. Forum
• "The Horror in the Monkey-Squeezing Room." ScienceFictionFantasyHorror.com, June 2005.
• "Temple Cat." Cricket, Vol. 32 Issue 10, p20-26, June 2005.
• "The Closet." Chiaroscuro, March 2003, see also podcast Read by British Actor Alasdair Stuart Pluggd TV.
• "Writer's Block." Dark Seasons, January 2003.
• "Along with Captain Gooding." Future Orbits, Vander Neut Publications LLC June 2002.
• "Scrunched Up." Future Orbits, Vander Neut Publications LLC February 2002.
• "Sometimes We Lie." Eternity On-Line, March 2000. ...Reprinted in the anthology Leaps of Faith 2003, (Writer's Cafe Press.)
• "The Physics of Space Beer Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Clones." Maelstrom, April 1999.
• "Reality Forbidden." Confluence Program Book 1998 (First Prize Winner).
• "Virtual Bridges." Confluence Program Book 1997 (First Prize Winner).
• "Twenty Peasants." Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, August 1991.

Poems

• "Do Red Dwarfs Have Habitable Planets?" Astropoetica Volume 7.1, Spring 2009
• "Off-Topic." Astropoetica Volume 4.2, Spring 2006

Essays

• "The Ideology of Robert A. Heinlein." The New York Review of Science Fiction, June 1998. ...Reprinted in Gigamesh (Spain) 1999. ...Reprinted in Ikarie (Czech Republic) 2003. "In a scorching analysis, Barton Paul Levenson has attempted to show that his [Robert A. Heinlein's] final point was a version of fascism (Levenson, 1998)." p. 59, X, Y, Z, T: Damien Broderick

Book reviews

• "S. L. Viehl's Stardoc." The New York Review of Science Fiction, November 2002.
• "Jeffrey Sackett's Candlemas Eve." The New York Review of Science Fiction, March 2001.
• "James White's The Dream Millennium." The New York Review of Science Fiction, April 1999.

Non-Fiction and scientific

• "Planet Temperatures with Surface Cooling Parameterized." Levenson, B.P. 2011. Advances in Space Research
  Advances in Space Research
  Advances in Space Research or ' is a peer reviewed, scientific journal that is published 27 times per year. It was established in 1981, and is the official journal of the Committee on Space Research , as well as being published by Pergamon . The Editor in Chief is J...
  
  , 47, 2044–2048.
• "Analysis of the August 17, 1989 Total Lunar Eclipse." The Strolling Astronomer (J. Am. Lunar Planetary Soc.) 38, 61-64. Graham, Francis G. and B.P. Levenson 1995.
• "An Examination of Jules Verne's Moon Gun, 'Columbiad'." Selenology 7, 19-21. Levenson, B.P. 1988.
• "Social Design Considerations for a Lunar Colony." Selenology 6, 22-28. Levenson, B.P. 1987.
• "Statistical Data on Orthoselection for Intelligence." Tripolitan (J. Tripoli Sci. Assn.) 15, 5-10. Levenson, B.P. 1983.

Reviews

• Rise Reviews - "I Will by Barton Paul Levenson" Beatrice Underwood-Sweet January 1, 2011
• Toni V. Sweeney - "Max and Me by Barton Paul Levinson" Toni V. Sweeney August 19, 2010
• Bookwenches - "Max and Me" Bobby D. Whitney August 17, 2010
• Manic Readers - "Ella The Vampire" Stacey May 2, 2010
• Marginalia - "The Boogie-Woogie, Time-Traveling, Cyborg Blues" Boudica June 16, 2009
• E Book Guru - "Parole" Staff March 23, 2009
• You Gotta Read Reviews - "Parole" Stephanie March 12, 2009
• Emmatyville - "Parole" Emma Wayne Porter March 2, 2009
• Dark Diva Reviews - "Ella The Vampire" Jennifer Campbell February 23, 2009
• You Gotta Read Reviews - "Ella The Vampire" Tami February 22, 2009
• Literary Nymphs - "Parole" Scandalous Minx February 18, 2009
• Toasted Scimitar - "Raid" Staff August 12, 2008
• Blogtide Rising - "Problem in Logic" Deven D Atkinson January 4, 2008
• Horror World - "The Curse" Joe Kroeger January 2007
• SFReader - "Problem in Logic" Robert J. Santa November 13, 2006
• Tangent Online
  Tangent Online
  Tangent Online is an online magazine launched in 1997. Tangent Online is edited by Dave Truesdale, Joseph Giddings and Eric James Stone...
  
   - "All the Horrible Dragons" Paul Abbamondi October 14, 2006
• SFReader - "Van Helsing in London" David A. Olson September 21, 2006
• Oz Horror Scope (Australia) - "The Curse" Miranda Siemienowicz August 9, 2006
• Tangent Online - "The Curse" Janice Clark December 24, 2005

Interviews

• "Page Readers Talks with Barton Paul Levenson" BlogTalkRadio - Hosted by Page Readers, February 2010 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/page-readers/2010/02/19/page-readers-talks-with-barton-paul-levenson
• "Interview with B.P. Levenson" Art & Prose Magazine, October 2007, p. 40. #61 Showcase Writer

External links

• Official Web site