Terry Bisson
Encyclopedia
Terry Ballantine Bisson (born February 12, 1942, Owensboro
, Kentucky
) is an American science fiction
and fantasy
author best known for his short stories
. Several of his works, including "Bears Discover Fire
", have won top awards in the science fiction community, such as the Hugo
and the Nebula
.
While a student at Grinnell College
(Iowa
) in 1961, Bisson was one of a group of twelve students who traveled to Washington, D.C.
during the Cuban Missile Crisis
supporting U.S. President
John F. Kennedy
's "peace race". Kennedy invited the group into the White House
(the first time protesters had ever been so recognized) and they met for several hours with McGeorge Bundy
. The group received wide press coverage, and this event is regarded as the start of the student peace movement.
After leaving Grinnell College, Bisson graduated from the University of Louisville
in 1964. He lived "on and off" in New York City for most of the next four decades, moving to Oakland
, California
in 2002. He became a "working" writer in 1981. A self-identified member of the New Left, he operated Jacobin Books, a "revolutionary" mail-order book service, from 1985 to 1990, in partnership with Judy Jensen.
Bisson has been married three times. He and his first wife, Deirdre Holst, have three children. His second marriage was to Mary Corey. Bisson married his "longtime companion" Judy Jensen on December 24, 2004; the couple has one daughter, and Bisson acts as stepfather to Jensen's two children.
In the 1960s, early in his career, Bisson collaborated on several comic book stories with Clark Dimond
, and he edited Major Publications
' black-and-white horror
-comics magazine
Web of Horror, leaving before the fourth issue.
In 1996, he wrote two three-part comic book
adaptations of Nine Princes in Amber
and The Guns of Avalon
, the first two books in Roger Zelazny
's "Amber
" series. A year later, Bisson also finished the writing of Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman
sequel to the classic A Canticle for Leibowitz
.
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
) is an American 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...
and 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...
author best known for his short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
. Several of his works, including "Bears Discover Fire
Bears Discover Fire
"Bears Discover Fire" is a Hugo Award-winning short story by American science fiction author Terry Bisson. It concerns aging and evolution in the US South, the dream of wilderness, and community...
", have won top awards in the science fiction community, such as the Hugo
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
and the Nebula
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
.
While a student at Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
(Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
) in 1961, Bisson was one of a group of twelve students who traveled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
supporting U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's "peace race". Kennedy invited the group into the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
(the first time protesters had ever been so recognized) and they met for several hours with McGeorge Bundy
McGeorge Bundy
McGeorge "Mac" Bundy was United States National Security Advisor to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from 1961 through 1966, and president of the Ford Foundation from 1966 through 1979...
. The group received wide press coverage, and this event is regarded as the start of the student peace movement.
After leaving Grinnell College, Bisson graduated from the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
in 1964. He lived "on and off" in New York City for most of the next four decades, moving to Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 2002. He became a "working" writer in 1981. A self-identified member of the New Left, he operated Jacobin Books, a "revolutionary" mail-order book service, from 1985 to 1990, in partnership with Judy Jensen.
Bisson has been married three times. He and his first wife, Deirdre Holst, have three children. His second marriage was to Mary Corey. Bisson married his "longtime companion" Judy Jensen on December 24, 2004; the couple has one daughter, and Bisson acts as stepfather to Jensen's two children.
In the 1960s, early in his career, Bisson collaborated on several comic book stories with Clark Dimond
Clark Dimond
Clark Dimond is a guitarist, composer and author who runs the Dimond Studios, a recording company in Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Mountains.Born into a musical family in 1941, Dimond started playing piano at the age of five, learned the guitar when he was 17 years old and added the banjo at age 30...
, and he edited Major Publications
Major Publications
Major Publications, also known was Major Magazines, was a publisher specializing in comic magazines, most notably the satirical magazine Cracked, the most durable imitator of Mad magazine. Founded by Robert C...
' black-and-white horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
-comics magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Web of Horror, leaving before the fourth issue.
In 1996, he wrote two three-part comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
adaptations of Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber
Nine Princes in Amber is a new wave fantasy novel and the first in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. It was first published in 1970. The book has also spawned a computer game of the same name...
and The Guns of Avalon
The Guns of Avalon
The Guns of Avalon is the second book in the Chronicles of Amber series by Roger Zelazny. The book continues straight from the previous volume, Nine Princes in Amber, although it soon includes a recap.-Setting:...
, the first two books in Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
's "Amber
The Chronicles of Amber
The Chronicles of Amber is group of novels that comprise a fantasy series written by Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works....
" series. A year later, Bisson also finished the writing of Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman
Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman
Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman is a science fiction novel written by Walter M. Miller, Jr.. It is a follow-up to Miller's 1959 book A Canticle for Leibowitz...
sequel to the classic A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller, Jr., first published in 1960. Set in a Roman Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as...
.
External links
- "They're Made Out of Meat" a Nebula-nominated short story by Terry Bisson. From OmniOmni (magazine)OMNI was a science and science fiction magazine published in the US and the UK. It contained articles on science fact and short works of science fiction...
, April 1991 - Profile of Terry Bisson by Michael SwanwickMichael SwanwickMichael Swanwick is an American science fiction author. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began publishing in the early 1980s.-Biography:...