Editing Spider Robinson (section)

== Early life and education ==
Robinson was born in [[the Bronx]], [[New York City]]; his father was a salesman.<ref name=Kimber /><ref name="Ketterer1992">{{Cite book |last=Ketterer |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/canadiansciencef00davi |title=Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-253-33122-6 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/canadiansciencef00davi/page/79 79]–80 |url-access=registration}}</ref> He was an avid reader of science fiction, and it was his early childhood exposure to the [[Heinlein juveniles|juvenile novels]] of [[Robert A. Heinlein]] that later influenced him to become a writer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wells |first=Paul |title=Spider and his long dead co-author {{!}} Maclean's {{!}} October 16, 2006 |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/2006/10/16/spider-and-his-long-dead-co-author |access-date=January 27, 2022 |website=Maclean's {{!}} The Complete Archive |language=en-US}}</ref> He attended a Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a [[seminary]]; this was followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "School Will Be Ending, Next Month" p. 107.</ref> at the [[Stony Brook University|State University of New York at Stony Brook]] in the 1960s,<ref>Robinson, Spider. ''The Crazy Years'', "Buzzed High Zonked Stoned Wasted" p. 44.</ref> where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English.<ref name=Kimber /> While at Stony Brook, Spider entertained at campus coffeehouses and gatherings, strumming his guitar and singing in harmony with his female partner.<ref name="bio">{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Spider |title=Spider Robinson's Bio |url=http://www.spiderrobinson.com/bio.html |access-date=October 13, 2016 |website=SpiderRobinson.com}}</ref> It was at this time that his friends, at his request, stopped calling him his childhood nickname of "Robbie" (a simple contraction of his last name, Robinson) and gave him the nickname "Spider", which he eventually adopted as his official first name.<ref name="JM">{{Cite magazine |last=Richards |first=Linda |title=Spider Robinson talks about...callahan's, usenet & becoming spider |url=https://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/spiderrobinson4.html |magazine=[[January Magazine]]}}</ref>{{Not in source|date=November 2023|reason=Source says "So I've been Spider for so long it's as official as it gets now." and something about bank account in that name but no deed poll or other such judicial or governmental change noted.}}<ref name="Heaphy2010">{{Cite book |last=Heaphy |first=Maura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y65aAAAAYAAJ |title=100 Most Popular Science Fiction Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies |publisher=Libraries Unlimited |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-59158-746-0 |pages=353–354}}</ref> Robinson adopted the name partially out of admiration for blues musician [[John Koerner|"Spider" John Koerner]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Spider |date=July 13, 2006 |title=Spider's Diary: The Best Music Festival I Know |url=http://www.spiderrobinson.com/vimfestival.html |website=Spider Robinson: Online Diary}}</ref>