Editing Bruce Sterling

{{Short description|American author, speaker and futurist (born 1954)}}
{{Other people|Bruce Sterling}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Bruce Sterling
| image = Bruce Sterling 2.jpg
| caption = Sterling in 2011
| pseudonym = Vincent Omniaveritas (in [[fanzine]] ''[[Cheap Truth]]'')
| birth_name = Michael Bruce Sterling
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|4|14|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Brownsville, Texas]], U.S.
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Writer
* speaker
* [[futurist]]
* design instructor
}}
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Jasmina Tešanović]]|2005}}
| period = 1970s–present
| genre = [[Science fiction]]
| subject = [[Cyberpunk]]
| movement = Cyberpunk/[[postcyberpunk]]
| signature = Bruce Sterling signature.jpg
| website = {{URL|well.com/conf/mirrorshades}}
| education = [[University of Texas at Austin]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
}}

'''Michael Bruce Sterling''' (born April 14, 1954) is an American [[science fiction]] author known for his novels and short fiction and editorship of the ''[[Mirrorshades]]'' anthology. In particular, he is linked to the [[cyberpunk]] subgenre.

Sterling's first science-fiction story, "Man-Made Self", was sold in 1976.  He is the author of science-fiction novels, including ''[[Schismatrix]]'' (1985), ''[[Islands in the Net]]'' (1988), and ''[[Heavy Weather (Sterling novel)|Heavy Weather]]'' (1994). In 1992, he published his first non-fiction book, ''[[The Hacker Crackdown|The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.edge.org/memberbio/bruce_sterling|title=Bruce Sterling |website=Edge.org|language=en|access-date=2019-10-25}}</ref>

He has been interviewed for documentaries such as ''[[Freedom Downtime]]'', ''[[TechnoCalyps]]'' and ''[[Traceroute (film)|Traceroute]]''.

==Writing==
Sterling is one of the founders of the [[cyberpunk]] movement in science fiction, along with [[William Gibson]], [[Rudy Rucker]], [[John Shirley]], [[Lewis Shiner]], and [[Pat Cadigan]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Swanwick |first1=Michael |title=A User's Guide to the Postmoderns |journal=Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine |date=August 1986 |volume=10 |issue=8}}</ref> In addition, he is one of the subgenre's chief [[Ideology|ideological]] promulgators. This has earned him the nickname "Chairman Bruce".<ref>{{cite web|author=Nisi Shawl |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2008758249_br22sterling.html |title=Books {{pipe}} "The Caryatids": four clones need a home {{pipe}} Seattle Times Newspaper |publisher=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |date=2009-02-19 |access-date=2010-01-01}}</ref> He was also one of the first organizers of the [[Turkey City Writer's Workshop]], and is a frequent attendee at the [[Sycamore Hill Writer's Workshop]]. He won [[Hugo Award]]s for his novelettes "[[Bicycle Repairman]]" (1996) and "[[Taklamakan (short story)|Taklamakan]]" (1998). His first novel, ''[[Involution Ocean]]'' (1977), features the world Nullaqua where all the [[atmosphere]] is contained in a single, miles-deep [[Impact crater|crater]]. The story concerns a ship sailing on the ocean of dust at the bottom and hunting creatures called dustwhales. It is partially a science-fictional [[pastiche]] of ''[[Moby-Dick]]'' by [[Herman Melville]].

In the early 1980s, Sterling wrote a series of stories set in the [[Shaper/Mechanist universe]]: the [[Solar System]] is [[Space colonization|colonized]], with two major warring factions. The Mechanists use a great deal of computer-based mechanical technologies; the Shapers do [[genetic engineering]] on a massive scale. The situation is complicated by the eventual contact with [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]] [[civilization]]s; humanity eventually splits into many subspecies, with the implication that some of these vanish from the galaxy, reminiscent of the [[Technological singularity|singularity]] in the works of [[Vernor Vinge]]. The Shaper/Mechanist stories can be found in the collections ''[[Crystal Express]]'' and ''Schismatrix Plus'', which contains the novel ''Schismatrix'' and all of the stories set in the Shaper/Mechanist universe. [[Alastair Reynolds]] identified ''Schismatrix'' and the other Shaper/Mechanist stories as one of the greatest influences on his own work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.impactlab.net/2008/04/16/bruce-sterling-at-the-innovations-forum/ |title=The World According to Bruce Sterling |publisher=Impact Lab |access-date=4 September 2013 |archive-date=2 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102172100/http://www.impactlab.net/2008/04/16/bruce-sterling-at-the-innovations-forum/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Bruce Sterling at ARE 2010.jpg|thumb|Bruce Sterling at the 2010 [[Augmented Reality Event]]]]

In the 1980s, Sterling edited the science fiction critical fanzine ''[[Cheap Truth]]'' under the alias of Vincent Omniaveritas. He wrote a column called ''Catscan'' for the now-defunct science fiction critical magazine ''SF Eye''. He contributed a chapter to ''Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture'' (MIT Press, 2008) edited by Paul D. Miller, a.k.a. [[DJ Spooky]]. From April 2009 through May 2009, he was an editor at ''[[Cool Tools]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/003672.php |title=Cool Tools: New Editor, Same Deal |date=27 April 2009 |publisher=Kk.org |access-date=2010-01-01}}</ref>

From October 2003<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2003/10/hello_world/ |title=HELLO WORLD {{pipe}} Beyond The Beyond |website=[[Wired (magazine)#Website|Wired.com]] |date=2003-10-30 |access-date=2010-01-01}}</ref> to May 2020 Sterling blogged at [http://blog.wired.com/sterling/ "Beyond the Beyond"], which was hosted by ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' until the COVID-19 pandemic led [[Condé Nast]] to cut back because of an advertising slump. He also contributed to other print and online platforms, including ''[[The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, May/June 2020 |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53295430-the-magazine-of-fantasy-science-fiction-may-june-2020 |website=goodreads |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref>

===Writing projects===
He has been the instigator of three projects which can be found on the Web:

* The [[Dead Media Project]]: A collection of "research notes" on dead media technologies, from [[Inca]]n [[quipu]]s, through Victorian [[phenakistoscope]]s, to the departed [[video game]] and home computers of the 1980s. The Project's homepage, including Sterling's original ''Dead Media Manifesto'' can be found at deadmedia.org.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dead Media Project |url=http://www.deadmedia.org/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=www.deadmedia.org}}</ref>
* The [[Viridian design movement|Viridian Design Movement]]: His attempt to create a "green" design movement focused on high-tech, stylish, and ecologically sound design.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bigpicture.tv/index.php?id=83&cat=&a=224 |title=Big Picture Business |publisher=Bigpicture.tv |access-date=2012-12-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314025831/http://www.bigpicture.tv/index.php?a=224&cat=&id=83 |archive-date=2016-03-14 }}</ref> The Viridian Design home page, including Sterling's ''Viridian Manifesto'' and all of his ''Viridian Notes'', is managed by [[Jon Lebkowsky]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Viridian Design Movement |url=http://www.viridiandesign.org/ |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=www.viridiandesign.org}}</ref> The Viridian Movement helped to spawn a popular "bright green" environmental weblog [[Worldchanging]]. WorldChanging contributors include many of the original members of the Viridian "curia".
* Embrace the Decay: A web-only art piece commissioned by the Los Angeles [[Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles|Museum of Contemporary Art]] (MOCA) in 2003.<ref>[http://www.moca.org/museum/dg_detail.php?&dgDetail=bsterling "DIGITAL GALLERY: Bruce Sterling: Embrace the Decay"], ''moca.org''</ref> Incorporating contributions solicited through The Viridian Design 'movement', Embrace the Decay was the most visited piece/page at LA MOCA's Digital Gallery, and included contributions from Jared Tarbell of [http://www.levitated.net/ levitated.net] and co-author of several books on advanced [[Adobe Flash|Flash]] programming, and Monty Zukowski, creator of the winning 'decay algorithm' sponsored by Sterling.

===Neologisms===
Sterling has coined various [[neologism]]s to describe things that he believes will be common in the future, especially items which already exist in limited numbers.
* In the December 2005 issue of ''Wired'' magazine, Sterling coined the term buckyjunk to refer to future, difficult-to-recycle consumer waste made of [[Carbon nanotube|carbon nanotubes]], a.k.a. buckytubes, based on buckyballs or [[fullerene|buckminsterfullerene]].
* In his 2005 book ''Shaping Things'',<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/shaping-things|title=Shaping Things|series=Mediaworks Pamphlets|date=7 October 2005|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=9780262195331|access-date=2016-09-30}}</ref> he coined the term [[design fiction]] which refers to a type of speculative design which focuses on [[worldbuilding]].
* In July 1989, in ''SF Eye #5'', he was the first to use the word "[[slipstream genre|slipstream]]" to refer to a type of speculative fiction between traditional science fiction and fantasy and mainstream literature.
* In August 2004, he suggested a type of technological device (he called it "[[spime]]") that, through pervasive [[Radio-frequency identification|RFID]] and [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] tracking, can track its history of use and interact with the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.viridiandesign.org/notes/401-450/00422_the_spime.html |title=Viridian Note |publisher=Viridiandesign.org |access-date=2010-01-01}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
{{Main|Bruce Sterling bibliography}}Sterling's novels include:

* ''[[Involution Ocean]]'' (1977)
* ''[[The Artificial Kid]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Schismatrix]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Islands in the Net]]'' (1988)
* ''[[The Difference Engine]]'' (1990; with [[William Gibson]])
* ''[[Heavy Weather (Sterling novel)|Heavy Weather]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Holy Fire (novel)|Holy Fire]]'' (1996)
* ''[[The Zenith Angle]]'' (2004)
* ''[[The Caryatids]]'' (2009)
* ''Love Is Strange'' (2012)

==Personal life==
[[File:Bruce Sterling at Robofest.jpg|thumb|Sterling at [[Robofest]] '94]]
In the beginning of his childhood he lived in [[Galveston, Texas]] until his family moved to India.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruce Sterling |url=https://www.nndb.com/people/722/000023653/ |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=www.nndb.com}}</ref> Sterling spent several years in India and has a fondness for [[Hindi cinema|Bollywood]] films.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/370-Shapeways-interviews-Bruce-Sterling.html |title=Shapeways interviews Bruce Sterling - Shapeways Blog on 3D Printing News & Innovation |publisher=Shapeways.com |date=2010-02-05 |access-date=2012-12-09}}</ref> In 1976, he graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://egs.edu/faculty/bruce-sterling|title=Bruce Sterling - The European Graduate School|website=egs.edu|access-date=2019-10-25}}</ref> In 1978, he was the [[Dungeon Master]] for a ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' game whose players included [[Warren Spector]], who cited Sterling's game as a major inspiration for the game design of [[Deus Ex (video game)|''Deus Ex'']].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Designer of 'Deus Ex' Explains How It Was Born Out of ' Dungeons & Dragons'|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-designer-of-deus-ex-explains-how-it-was-born-out-of-dungeons-and-dragons/|access-date=2021-06-05|website=Vice.com|date=22 April 2017 |language=en}}</ref> 

In 2003, he was appointed professor at the [[European Graduate School]] where he is teaching summer intensive courses on media and design.<ref name=":2" /> In 2005, he became "visionary in residence" at [[ArtCenter College of Design]] in [[Pasadena, California]].  He lived in [[Belgrade]] with Serbian author and film-maker [[Jasmina Tešanović]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.wired.com/sterling/2005/11/life_doesnt_lac.html |title=Life Doesn't Lack for Variety {{pipe}} Beyond the Beyond from Wired.com |publisher=Blog.wired.com |date=2005-11-19 |access-date=2010-01-01}}</ref> for several years, and married her in 2005. In September 2007 he moved to [[Turin]], Italy.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.experientia.com/blog/bruce-sterling-moving-to-torino-italy/ |title= Putting people first » Bruce Sterling moving to Torino, Italy |publisher= Experientia.com |date= 2007-11-19 |access-date= 2010-01-01 |archive-date= 2015-11-07 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151107065103/http://www.experientia.com/blog/bruce-sterling-moving-to-torino-italy/ |url-status= dead }}</ref>  Both Sterling and artist and musician [[Florian-Ayala Fauna]] are [[Sponsor (commercial)|sponsor]]s for [[V. Vale]]'s [[RE/Search Publications|RE/Search]] newsletter.<ref name="Sterling 2017-1">{{cite magazine|first1=Bruce|last1=Sterling|url=https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2017/09/v-vales-research-newsletter-165/|title=V. Vale's RE/Search newsletter #165|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|date=September 30, 2017|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="Sterling 2017-2">{{cite magazine|first1=Bruce|last1=Sterling|url=https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2017/10/welcome-v-vales-research-newsletter-166/|title=Welcome to V. Vale's RE/SearchNewsletter #166|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|date=October 12, 2017|access-date=14 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="Sterling 2017-3">{{cite magazine|first1=Bruce|last1=Sterling|url=https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2017/10/v-vales-research-newsletter-167-october-2017-part-2/|title=V. Vale's RE/Search Newsletter #167, October 2017 Part 2|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|date=October 18, 2017|access-date=20 October 2017}}</ref><ref name="Sterling 2017-04">{{cite magazine|first1=Bruce|last1=Sterling|url=https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2017/11/v-vales-research-newsletter-168/|title=V. Vale's RE/Search Newsletter #168|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|date=November 10, 2017|access-date=13 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="Sterling 2017-05">{{cite magazine|first1=Bruce|last1=Sterling|url=https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2017/11/v-vales-research-newsletter-169-part-two/|title=V. Vale's RE/Search Newsletter #169, Part Two|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|date=November 17, 2017|access-date=6 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="Sterling 2017-06">{{cite magazine|first1=Bruce|last1=Sterling|url=https://www.wired.com/beyond-the-beyond/2017/12/welcome-v-vales-research-newsletter-170-december-2017/|title=WELCOME TO V. VALE's RE/SEARCH NEWSLETTER #170, December 2017|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|date=December 2, 2017|access-date=6 January 2018}}</ref>

==Awards==

* 1989 [[John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel|John W. Campbell Memorial Award]] winner for the novel ''[[Islands in the Net]]''<ref name="WWE-1989">{{cite web
| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1989
| title = 1989 Award Winners & Nominees
| work = Worlds Without End
| access-date=2009-05-12}}</ref>
* 1997 [[Hugo Award]] winner for the novelette "[[Bicycle Repairman]]"
* 1999 [[Hugo Award]] winner for the novelette "[[Taklamakan (story)|Taklamakan]]"
* 1999 [[Hayakawa's S-F Magazine Reader's Award]] for Best Foreign Short Story winner for the novelette "[[Taklamakan (short story)|Taklamakan]]"
* 2000 [[Arthur C. Clarke Award]] winner for the novel ''Distraction''<ref name="WWE-2000">{{cite web
| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=2000
| title = 2000 Award Winners & Nominees
| work = Worlds Without End
| access-date=2009-05-12}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|d=Q312995|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}}
* [https://www.wired.com/category/beyond_the_beyond Wired Blog : Beyond the beyond]
* [http://wolfliving.tumblr.com Wolf in Living Room] - blog about domestic ubiquitous computing
* {{Gutenberg author|name=Bruce Sterling}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227171409/http://casajasmina.arduino.cc/ |date=December 27, 2014 |title=Casa Jasmina}} - the Open Source connected apartment.
* {{Isfdb name|name=Bruce Sterling}}
* {{IMDb name|name=Bruce Sterling (IV)}}

{{Ambient intelligence}}
{{Hugo Award Best Novelette}}
{{Locus Award Best Short Story}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sterling, Bruce}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American essayists]]
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[[Category:21st-century American short story writers]]
[[Category:American bloggers]]
[[Category:American futurologists]]
[[Category:American male bloggers]]
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[[Category:Cyberpunk writers]]
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[[Category:Moody College of Communication alumni]]
[[Category:Neologists]]
[[Category:Novelists from Texas]]
[[Category:People from Brownsville, Texas]]
[[Category:American science fiction critics]]
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[[Category:Writers from Austin, Texas]]