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As described by the Vancouver Public Library in 2010, when Spider Robinson became its writer in residence: Spider Robinson is the author of 36 novels published in 10 languages, including the long-running series of raucous tales centered around Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, and The Stardance Trilogy.
In his long career, Robinson has won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, three Hugo Awards, a Nebula Award and countless other international and regional awards. In 2008 he won the Robert A. Heinlein Award for Lifetime Excellence in Literature.
CITY OR TOWN: Bowen Island
DATE OF BIRTH: November 24, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH: Bronx, New York
ARRIVAL IN CANADA: 1973
ARRIVAL IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: 1987
ANCESTRAL BACKGROUND: Cro-Magnon
EMPLOYMENT OTHER THAN WRITING: folksinging
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: TEXT FROM AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
"Spider Robinson was born in New York City on 3 successive days (they had to handle him in sections), and holds a Bachelors degree in English from the State University of New York. In 1992 he was the Toastmaster for the 50th World SF Convention in Orlando. He was book reviewer for Galaxy, Analog and New Destinies magazines for nearly a decade, and currently writes occasional book reviews and a regular Op-Ed column, "Future Tense," for The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper. He has been married for 28 years to Jeanne Robinson, a Boston-born writer, modern dance choreographer, former dancer, and teacher of dance and the Alexander Technique, and lay-ordained Buddhist monk (Soto Zen lineage); she was Artistic Director of Halifax's Nova Dance Theatre during its 8-year history. They met in the woods of Nova Scotia in the early 1970s, and have since lived in British Columbia where they raise and exhibit hopes. The Robinsons collaborated on the Hugo-, Nebula- and Locus-winning 1976 classic novel STARDANCE [Baen Books pb, Dec 91; Easton Press leatherbound 92], which created the concept of zero-gravity dance, and on its sequels, STARSEED [Ace hc and pb, Oct 91/92, Easton Press leather 91] and STARMIND [Ace hc and pb, Easton leather, June 95/Feb 96]. (Jeanne was on NASA's short list for a Space Shuttle seat, to try out zero-gee dance in practice -- until the Challenger Tragedy ended the Civilian In Space programme.) Their first two books were reissued together in one volume as THE STAR DANCERS by Baen Books in September 97. The final volume, STARMIND, was also reissued by Baen, in May 2001. The Usenet newsgroup alt.callahans, inspired by Spider's Callahan's Place series, was rated the 151st largest newsgroup by bits posted, 172nd by messages posted (placing it in the top 1%), and propagates to over 60% of all Usenet sites, as well as IRC and other cyberbyways. Some claim it is the largest non-porn newsgroup. Mike Callahan has also appeared as a character in Marvel Comics' SPIDERMAN." (2003)
BIBLIOGRAPHY / Partial List
VERY HARD CHOICES (Baen 2009)
"Smelly is a hermit by necessity. He's the world's most receptive telepath--and it hurts. His old college roommate Russell, a Sixties survivor entering his sixties, is one of the few people Smelly can stand to be near. But now sinister government forces are after them both for unknown dark purposes, and Smelly and Russell must depend on Nika, one of the straightest cops in the world, to help them and Russell's visiting son Jesse dodge deadly peril in the dark. Before long Russell finds himself literally up Howe Sound without a paddle--and with a collapsed lung...."
VARIABLE STAR (Key Porter, 2006)
CALLAHAN'S CON (novel) (Tor/Fenn hc/pb 2004)
GOD IS AN IRON AND OTHER STORIES (collection) (Five Star/Tekno trade pb 2002)
BY ANY OTHER NAME (collection) Baen pb (2001)
THE FREE LUNCH (novel) Tor hc/pb (2002)
CALLAHAN'S KEY (novel) Bantam hc/pb (Jy 00/2001)
USER FRIENDLY (collection) Baen paperback (1998)
THE STAR DANCERS [with Jeanne Robinson; Baen pb (1997)] (combined-reprint of STARDANCE and STARSEED)
LIFEHOUSE (novel) Baen pb/Easton leather (1997)
THE CALLAHAN CHRONICALS (omnibus of CCS, TTSC & CS, below) Tor trade pb (1997)
CALLAHAN'S LEGACY (novel) Tor hc & pb (1996/97)
DEATHKILLER (contains MINDKILLER and TIME PRESSURE, below) Baen pb (1996)
STARMIND (novel-collab w. JEANNE ROBINSON) Ace hc/pb+Easton leather (June 95/1996); Baen pb (2001)
THE CALLAHAN TOUCH (novel) Ace hc/pb (1993/1995)
OFF THE WALL AT CALLAHAN'S (collection) Tor pb (1994)
LADY SLINGS THE BOOZE (novel) Ace hc/pb (1992/93)
KILL THE EDITOR (novella) Axolotl signed leather & hc (1991) [excerpt from above novel]
STARSEED (novel-collaboration w. JEANNE ROBINSON) Ace hc (1991/pb 1992); Easton leatherbound signed ed. (91) Cz
TRUE MINDS (collection) Pulphouse Press hc & pb (1990)
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION (novelette) Pulphouse limited ed. signed leatherbound& hc (1990)
CALLAHAN'S LADY (novel) Ace hc/pb (Mr89/90); Baen pb (2001); I
CALLAHAN AND COMPANY (coll)--Phantasia hc, 1988(omnibus of CCS, TTSC & CS, below)
TIME PRESSURE (novel)--Ace hc/pb (Oc87/1988), out of print (see DEATHKILLER, above)
CALLAHAN'S SECRET (collection)--pb Ace (1986); Tor (2002) F, G, I
NIGHT OF POWER (novel)--hc Baen (1985); pb Berkley (1986) I, G
MELANCHOLY ELEPHANTS (collection)--trade Penguin Canada (1984) (Canada only); pb TOR (US only) (Jy85) F, G, I, R; out of
print in English
MINDKILLER (novel)--hc Holt, Rinehart & Winston (1982); pb Berkley (1983) (Fitzhenry & Whiteside in Canada); (Ace pb 1988)
I, G temp. out of print (see DEATHKILLER, above)
TIME TRAVELERS STRICTLY CASH (collection)--pb Ace (1981) et al; Tor pb (2001) F, G, I, S
THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS (anthology)--pb Ace (1980); out of print
ANTINOMY (collection)--pb Dell 1980; out of print
STARDANCE (novel, collaboration w. JEANNE ROBINSON)--hc Dial Press (1978), Easton Press leatherbound (1991); pb Dell (1979);
TOR (1986); Baen (1991) F, G, J, I, P, D, Pl, Cz
CALLAHAN'S CROSSTIME SALOON (collection)--hc Ridley Enslow (1978); pb Ace (1977) (14th printing: Ace 1989); F, G, I, S
TELEMPATH (novel)--hc Berkley (1976); pb Berkley (1977); TOR pb (1992); Baen pb (1901) F, G
(Translations: F--French G--German P--Portuguese J--Japanese I--Italian S--Spanish D--Dutch Pl--Polish Cz-Czechoslovakian R--Russian)
AWARDS:
International:
1974 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
1976 Hugo Award for Best Novella (for a portion of TELEMPATH)
1977 Hugo Award for Best Novella (w. Jeanne Robinson, for "Stardance")
1977 Nebula Award for Best Novella (w. Jeanne Robinson for "Stardance")
1977 Pat Terry Memorial Award for Humorous Writing (from the Sydney, Australia, Science Fiction Foundation)
1977: American Library Association designates CALLAHAN'S CROSSTIME SALOON a Best Book for Young Adults
1983 Hugo Award for Best Short Story (for "Melancholy Elephants")
(Note: The Hugo and Nebula are science fiction's top international honours. The Science Fiction Achievement Awards, popularly called "Hugos," are (with the Campbell Award) given annually by worldwide popular vote--making them virtually unique among arts awards. The Nebulas, analogous to Oscars, are awarded annually by vote of working professional sf writers, members of Science Fiction Writers of America.)
National & Regional:
1973-84 Frequent winner of AnLab, the Analog magazine readers poll award
1976 Locus Award for Best Critic (voted by the readers of Locus, the newspaper of science fiction)
1977 Locus for Best Novella (w. Jeanne, for "Stardance")
1977 E.E. Smith Memorial Award ("Skylark") for Speculative Fiction (from the New England Science Fiction Association)
1981 "Stardance" (ad. by Ken Methold) voted Best Australian Radio Drama of 1981
[BCBW 2010] "Fiction" "SF"
In his long career, Robinson has won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, three Hugo Awards, a Nebula Award and countless other international and regional awards. In 2008 he won the Robert A. Heinlein Award for Lifetime Excellence in Literature.
CITY OR TOWN: Bowen Island
DATE OF BIRTH: November 24, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH: Bronx, New York
ARRIVAL IN CANADA: 1973
ARRIVAL IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: 1987
ANCESTRAL BACKGROUND: Cro-Magnon
EMPLOYMENT OTHER THAN WRITING: folksinging
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: TEXT FROM AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
"Spider Robinson was born in New York City on 3 successive days (they had to handle him in sections), and holds a Bachelors degree in English from the State University of New York. In 1992 he was the Toastmaster for the 50th World SF Convention in Orlando. He was book reviewer for Galaxy, Analog and New Destinies magazines for nearly a decade, and currently writes occasional book reviews and a regular Op-Ed column, "Future Tense," for The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper. He has been married for 28 years to Jeanne Robinson, a Boston-born writer, modern dance choreographer, former dancer, and teacher of dance and the Alexander Technique, and lay-ordained Buddhist monk (Soto Zen lineage); she was Artistic Director of Halifax's Nova Dance Theatre during its 8-year history. They met in the woods of Nova Scotia in the early 1970s, and have since lived in British Columbia where they raise and exhibit hopes. The Robinsons collaborated on the Hugo-, Nebula- and Locus-winning 1976 classic novel STARDANCE [Baen Books pb, Dec 91; Easton Press leatherbound 92], which created the concept of zero-gravity dance, and on its sequels, STARSEED [Ace hc and pb, Oct 91/92, Easton Press leather 91] and STARMIND [Ace hc and pb, Easton leather, June 95/Feb 96]. (Jeanne was on NASA's short list for a Space Shuttle seat, to try out zero-gee dance in practice -- until the Challenger Tragedy ended the Civilian In Space programme.) Their first two books were reissued together in one volume as THE STAR DANCERS by Baen Books in September 97. The final volume, STARMIND, was also reissued by Baen, in May 2001. The Usenet newsgroup alt.callahans, inspired by Spider's Callahan's Place series, was rated the 151st largest newsgroup by bits posted, 172nd by messages posted (placing it in the top 1%), and propagates to over 60% of all Usenet sites, as well as IRC and other cyberbyways. Some claim it is the largest non-porn newsgroup. Mike Callahan has also appeared as a character in Marvel Comics' SPIDERMAN." (2003)
BIBLIOGRAPHY / Partial List
VERY HARD CHOICES (Baen 2009)
"Smelly is a hermit by necessity. He's the world's most receptive telepath--and it hurts. His old college roommate Russell, a Sixties survivor entering his sixties, is one of the few people Smelly can stand to be near. But now sinister government forces are after them both for unknown dark purposes, and Smelly and Russell must depend on Nika, one of the straightest cops in the world, to help them and Russell's visiting son Jesse dodge deadly peril in the dark. Before long Russell finds himself literally up Howe Sound without a paddle--and with a collapsed lung...."
VARIABLE STAR (Key Porter, 2006)
CALLAHAN'S CON (novel) (Tor/Fenn hc/pb 2004)
GOD IS AN IRON AND OTHER STORIES (collection) (Five Star/Tekno trade pb 2002)
BY ANY OTHER NAME (collection) Baen pb (2001)
THE FREE LUNCH (novel) Tor hc/pb (2002)
CALLAHAN'S KEY (novel) Bantam hc/pb (Jy 00/2001)
USER FRIENDLY (collection) Baen paperback (1998)
THE STAR DANCERS [with Jeanne Robinson; Baen pb (1997)] (combined-reprint of STARDANCE and STARSEED)
LIFEHOUSE (novel) Baen pb/Easton leather (1997)
THE CALLAHAN CHRONICALS (omnibus of CCS, TTSC & CS, below) Tor trade pb (1997)
CALLAHAN'S LEGACY (novel) Tor hc & pb (1996/97)
DEATHKILLER (contains MINDKILLER and TIME PRESSURE, below) Baen pb (1996)
STARMIND (novel-collab w. JEANNE ROBINSON) Ace hc/pb+Easton leather (June 95/1996); Baen pb (2001)
THE CALLAHAN TOUCH (novel) Ace hc/pb (1993/1995)
OFF THE WALL AT CALLAHAN'S (collection) Tor pb (1994)
LADY SLINGS THE BOOZE (novel) Ace hc/pb (1992/93)
KILL THE EDITOR (novella) Axolotl signed leather & hc (1991) [excerpt from above novel]
STARSEED (novel-collaboration w. JEANNE ROBINSON) Ace hc (1991/pb 1992); Easton leatherbound signed ed. (91) Cz
TRUE MINDS (collection) Pulphouse Press hc & pb (1990)
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION (novelette) Pulphouse limited ed. signed leatherbound& hc (1990)
CALLAHAN'S LADY (novel) Ace hc/pb (Mr89/90); Baen pb (2001); I
CALLAHAN AND COMPANY (coll)--Phantasia hc, 1988(omnibus of CCS, TTSC & CS, below)
TIME PRESSURE (novel)--Ace hc/pb (Oc87/1988), out of print (see DEATHKILLER, above)
CALLAHAN'S SECRET (collection)--pb Ace (1986); Tor (2002) F, G, I
NIGHT OF POWER (novel)--hc Baen (1985); pb Berkley (1986) I, G
MELANCHOLY ELEPHANTS (collection)--trade Penguin Canada (1984) (Canada only); pb TOR (US only) (Jy85) F, G, I, R; out of
print in English
MINDKILLER (novel)--hc Holt, Rinehart & Winston (1982); pb Berkley (1983) (Fitzhenry & Whiteside in Canada); (Ace pb 1988)
I, G temp. out of print (see DEATHKILLER, above)
TIME TRAVELERS STRICTLY CASH (collection)--pb Ace (1981) et al; Tor pb (2001) F, G, I, S
THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS (anthology)--pb Ace (1980); out of print
ANTINOMY (collection)--pb Dell 1980; out of print
STARDANCE (novel, collaboration w. JEANNE ROBINSON)--hc Dial Press (1978), Easton Press leatherbound (1991); pb Dell (1979);
TOR (1986); Baen (1991) F, G, J, I, P, D, Pl, Cz
CALLAHAN'S CROSSTIME SALOON (collection)--hc Ridley Enslow (1978); pb Ace (1977) (14th printing: Ace 1989); F, G, I, S
TELEMPATH (novel)--hc Berkley (1976); pb Berkley (1977); TOR pb (1992); Baen pb (1901) F, G
(Translations: F--French G--German P--Portuguese J--Japanese I--Italian S--Spanish D--Dutch Pl--Polish Cz-Czechoslovakian R--Russian)
AWARDS:
International:
1974 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
1976 Hugo Award for Best Novella (for a portion of TELEMPATH)
1977 Hugo Award for Best Novella (w. Jeanne Robinson, for "Stardance")
1977 Nebula Award for Best Novella (w. Jeanne Robinson for "Stardance")
1977 Pat Terry Memorial Award for Humorous Writing (from the Sydney, Australia, Science Fiction Foundation)
1977: American Library Association designates CALLAHAN'S CROSSTIME SALOON a Best Book for Young Adults
1983 Hugo Award for Best Short Story (for "Melancholy Elephants")
(Note: The Hugo and Nebula are science fiction's top international honours. The Science Fiction Achievement Awards, popularly called "Hugos," are (with the Campbell Award) given annually by worldwide popular vote--making them virtually unique among arts awards. The Nebulas, analogous to Oscars, are awarded annually by vote of working professional sf writers, members of Science Fiction Writers of America.)
National & Regional:
1973-84 Frequent winner of AnLab, the Analog magazine readers poll award
1976 Locus Award for Best Critic (voted by the readers of Locus, the newspaper of science fiction)
1977 Locus for Best Novella (w. Jeanne, for "Stardance")
1977 E.E. Smith Memorial Award ("Skylark") for Speculative Fiction (from the New England Science Fiction Association)
1981 "Stardance" (ad. by Ken Methold) voted Best Australian Radio Drama of 1981
[BCBW 2010] "Fiction" "SF"
