Annalee Newitz

Last updated

Annalee Newitz
Annalee Newitz by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Newitz at the 2023 WonderCon
Born (1969-05-07) May 7, 1969 (age 54)
Education University of California, Berkeley
Occupation(s)Journalist, editor, author
Website techsploitation.com

Annalee Newitz (born May 7, 1969) is an American journalist, editor, and author of both fiction and nonfiction, who has written for the periodicals Popular Science and Wired . From 1999 to 2008, Newitz wrote a syndicated weekly column called Techsploitation, and from 2000 to 2004 was the culture editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian . In 2004, Newitz became a policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. With Charlie Jane Anders, they also co-founded Other magazine, a periodical that ran from 2002 to 2007. From 2008 to 2015, Newitz was editor-in-chief of Gawker-owned media venture io9 , and subsequently its direct descendant Gizmodo , Gawker's design and technology blog. As of 2019, Newitz is a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times .

Contents

Early life

Newitz was born in 1969, and grew up in Irvine, California, graduating from Irvine High School, and in 1987 moved to Berkeley, California. [1] In 1996, Newitz started doing freelance writing, and in 1998 completed a Ph.D. in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, with a dissertation on images of monsters, psychopaths, and capitalism in twentieth century American popular culture, [2] the content of which later appeared in book form from Duke University Press. [3] [4] [5]

Around 1999, Newitz co-founded the Post-World War II American Literature and Culture Database in an attempt to chronicle modern literature and popular culture. [6]

Career

Newitz in 2019 Annalee Newitz Swecon 2019 49 (cropped).jpg
Newitz in 2019

Newitz became a full-time writer and journalist in 1999 with an invitation to write a weekly column for the Metro Silicon Valley , a column which then ran in various venues for nine years. Then they served as the culture editor at the San Francisco Bay Guardian from 2000 to 2004. [7]

Newitz was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship for 2002 to 2003, supporting them as a research fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. [8] From 2004 to 2005 Newitz was a policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and from 2007 to 2009 was on the board of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders, a Hugo award-winning author and commentator, co-founded Other magazine. [9] [10]

In 2008, Gawker media asked Newitz to start a blog about science and science fiction, dubbed io9, for which Newitz served as editor-in-chief from its founding until 2015 when it merged with Gizmodo, another Gawker media design and technology blog property; Newitz then took on the same leadership of the new venture. [11] [12] In November 2015, Newitz left Gawker to join Ars Technica, where Newitz has been employed as tech culture editor since December 2015. Newitz is a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times. [13]

Newitz's first novel, Autonomous , was published in 2017. Autonomous won the Lambda Award and was nominated for the Nebula Award and Locus Award in 2018 for best novel.

Newitz's second novel, The Future of Another Timeline , published in 2019, was described on their website as: "[...] about time travel and what it would be like to meet yourself as a teenager and have a really, really intense conversation with her about how fucked up your high school friends are." [14] The book was received with acclaim by critics, [15] [16] [17] and was a Locus Award nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel. [18]

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Presentation by Newitz on Scatter, Adapt, and Remember, May 22, 2013, C-SPAN
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Washington Journal interview with Newitz on the Discover article "How to Death-Proof a City" (based on Scatter, Adapt, and Remember), June 5, 2013, C-SPAN

Their 2014 non-fiction science book Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction was a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize. [13] They also wrote Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age, published in 2021.

They have also written for publications including Wired, Popular Science, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Slate, Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and more. They have published short stories in Lightspeed, Shimmer, Apex, and Technology Review's Twelve Tomorrows.

In March 2018, [19] with their partner and co-host Charlie Jane Anders, Newitz launched the podcast Our Opinions Are Correct, which "explor[es] the meaning of science fiction, and how it’s relevant to real-life science and society." [20] The podcast won the Hugo Award for Best Fancast in 2019. [21]

Personal life

Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz at Swecon 2019 Swecon 2019 72.jpg
Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz at Swecon 2019

Newitz is the child of two English teachers. Their mother, Cynthia, worked at a high school, and their father, Marty, at a community college. [22] Since 2000, Newitz has been in a relationship with Charlie Jane Anders. The two began the podcast Our Opinions Are Correct in March 2018. [23]

Newitz has used singular they pronouns since 2019. [1]

Venues

Awards and nominations

Bibliography

Newitz's work has been published in Popular Science , Wired, Salon.com, New Scientist, Metro Silicon Valley , [36] the San Francisco Bay Guardian , [25] and at AlterNet . [7] [26] In addition to these print and online periodicals, they have published the following short stories and books:

Novels

Short stories

Non-fiction

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Stross</span> British science fiction, horror, and fantasy writer and blogger

Charles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction and fantasy. Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera. Between 1994 and 2004, he was also an active writer for the magazine Computer Shopper and was responsible for its monthly Linux column. He stopped writing for the magazine to devote more time to novels. However, he continues to publish freelance articles on the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian McDonald (British author)</span> British science fiction novelist

Ian McDonald is a British science fiction novelist, living in Belfast. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on non-Western societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Watts (author)</span> Canadian science fiction author (born 1958)

Peter Watts is a Canadian science fiction author. He specializes in hard science fiction. He earned a Ph.D from the University of British Columbia in 1991 from the Department of Zoology and Resource Ecology. He went on to hold several academic research and teaching positions, and worked as a marine-mammal biologist. He began publishing fiction around the time he finished graduate school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Wells</span> American speculative fiction writer (born 1964)

Martha Wells is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has published a number of fantasy novels, young adult novels, media tie-ins, short stories, and nonfiction essays on fantasy and science fiction subjects. Her novels have been translated into twelve languages. Wells has won four Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards and three Locus Awards for her science fiction series The Murderbot Diaries. She is also known for her fantasy series Ile-Rien and The Books of the Raksura. Wells is praised for the complex, realistically detailed societies she creates; this is often credited to her academic background in anthropology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Bear</span> American author (born 1971)

Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky is an American author who works primarily in speculative fiction genres, writing under the name Elizabeth Bear. She won the 2005 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Short Story for "Tideline", and the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novelette for "Shoggoths in Bloom". She is one of a small number of writers who have gone on to win multiple Hugo Awards for fiction after winning the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Jane Anders</span> American science fiction author and commentator

Charlie Jane Anders is an American writer. She has written several novels as well as shorter fiction, published magazines and websites, and hosted podcasts. In 2005, she received the Lambda Literary Award for work in the transgender category, and in 2009, the Emperor Norton Award. Her 2011 novelette Six Months, Three Days won the 2012 Hugo and was a finalist for the Nebula and Theodore Sturgeon Awards. Her 2016 novel All the Birds in the Sky was listed No. 5 on Time magazine's "Top 10 Novels" of 2016, won the 2017 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the 2017 Crawford Award, and the 2017 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel; it was also a finalist for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">70th World Science Fiction Convention</span> 70th Worldcon (2012)

The 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Chicon 7, was held on 30 August–3 September 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Robinette Kowal</span> American author and puppeteer (born 1969)

Mary Robinette Kowal is an American author and puppeteer. Originally a puppeteer by primary trade after receiving a bachelor's degree in art education, she became art director for science fiction magazines and by 2010 was also authoring her first full-length published novels. The majority of her work is characterized by science fiction themes, such as interplanetary travel; a common element present in many of her novels is historical or alternate history fantasy, such as in her Glamourist Histories and Lady Astronaut books.

<i>io9</i> Blog

io9 is a section of the technology blog Gizmodo that focuses on science, technology, futurism, and their depictions in popular culture. It was created as a standalone blog in 2008 by editor Annalee Newitz under Gawker Media. In 2015, io9 became a part of Gizmodo as part of a reorganization under parent company Gawker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Liu</span> Chinese-American writer

Ken Liu is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. Liu has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards for his short fiction, which has appeared in F&SF, Asimov's, Analog, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, and multiple "Year's Best" anthologies.

<i>Throne of the Crescent Moon</i>

Throne of the Crescent Moon is a fantasy novel written by American writer Saladin Ahmed. It is the first book in The Crescent Moon Kingdoms series. The book was published by DAW Books in February 2012. The book was nominated for the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel, 2013 David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer and the 2012 Nebula Award for Best Novel. It won the 2013 Locus Award for Best First Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Leckie</span> American science fiction author (born 1966)

Ann Leckie is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. Her 2013 debut novel Ancillary Justice, in part about artificial consciousness and gender-blindness, won the 2014 Hugo Award for "Best Novel", as well as the Nebula Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the BSFA Award. The sequels, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy, each won the Locus Award and were nominated for the Nebula Award. Provenance, published in 2017, and Translation State, published in 2023, are also set in the Imperial Radch universe. Leckie's first fantasy novel, The Raven Tower, was published in February 2019.

<i>Ancillary Sword</i> Science-fiction novel by Ann Leckie

Ancillary Sword is a science fiction novel by the American writer Ann Leckie, published in October 2014. It is the second novel in Leckie's "Imperial Radch" space opera trilogy, which began with Ancillary Justice (2013) and ended with Ancillary Mercy (2015). The novel was generally well-received by critics, received the BSFA Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, and was nominated for the Nebula and Hugo awards.

<i>Carnival</i> (Bear novel) 2006 novel by Elizabeth Bear

Carnival is a 2006 science fiction novel by Elizabeth Bear, published in the US by Bantam Spectra. It was nominated for a Philip K. Dick Award, a Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel and a Lambda Literary Award.

<i>The Litany of Earth</i> 2014 fantasy novella by Ruthanna Emrys

The Litany of Earth is a 2014 fantasy/horror fiction novella by Ruthanna Emrys that is the beginning of The Innsmouth Legacy series by Emrys. The novella revisits the H. P. Lovecraft story "The Shadow over Innsmouth" and was first published on Tor.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">80th World Science Fiction Convention</span> 80th Worldcon (2022)

The 80th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Chicon 8, was held on 1–5 September 2022 in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

<i>The Future of Another Timeline</i> 2019 novel by Annalee Newitz

The Future of Another Timeline is a 2019 science-fiction novel by Annalee Newitz. The feminist time-travel adventure follows Tess, a professional time traveler, geoscientist, and secretly a member of the Daughters of Harriet (Tubman), who are working to make the future better for women.

"The Things" is a science fiction short story by Peter Watts, revisiting the universe of John Carpenter's 1982 film The Thing from the viewpoint of the alien. It was first published on Clarkesworld, in January 2010.

<i>Autonomous</i> (novel) 2017 science fiction novel by Annalee Newitz

Autonomous is a 2017 science fiction novel by Annalee Newitz. It is Newitz's debut novel and was published by Tor Books on September 19, 2017. Set in a near future Earth, the book describes a world where both humans and intelligent robots can be owned as property. The events of the novel follow Jack, a "drug pirate" who manufactures illegal versions of patented drugs, and Paladin, a combat robot who is owned by the law enforcement agency searching for Jack after one of the drugs she reverse-engineered turns out to have dangerous side effects.

References

  1. 1 2 Newitz, Annalee (2006). "About Annalee Newitz". Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  2. ProQuest, 2015, "Citation/Abstract: When we pretend that we're dead: Monsters, psychopaths and the economy in American popular culture [Newitz, Annalee… University of California, Berkeley], see , accessed February 19, 2015.
  3. Newitz, Annalee (2006). Pretend we're dead : capitalist monsters in American pop culture. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN   9780822387855. OCLC   220950460.
  4. Pretend We're Dead: Capitalist Monsters in American Pop Culture. Duke University Press. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  5. "Book Review/Interview: Pretend We're Dead: Capitalist Monsters in American Pop Culture by Annalee Newitz | Blogcritics". Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  6. Cheifet, Stewart (January 8, 1999). Online Literature. Net Cafe. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Newitz, Annalee (July 2, 2008). "My Last Column". AlterNet. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  8. Knight Science Journalism, 2015, "Alumni Fellows, Class of 2003: Annalee Newitz, culture editor, San Francisco Bay Guardian", "Annalee Newitz | Knight Science Journalism at MIT". Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  9. Marech, Rona (August 31, 2004). "A pop culture magazine for freaks and 'new outcasts' / Other journal is pro-rant, pro-loopy and pro-anarchy". SFGATE. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  10. Camille Dodero, 2003, "The New Outcasts," in the Boston Phoenix, November 14–20, 2003 [defunct weekly as of 2013, see "Newspapering is a Business: The Death of the Legendary Boston Phoenix". Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  11. Ingramm, Mathew (January 15, 2015). "Gawker Media merging Gizmodo and io9 teams into a tech super-hub | Gigaom.com". Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  12. Mankiewicz, Richard (February 21, 2010). "Science 2.0: Eureka's Top 30 Science Blogs". Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Scatter, Adapt, and Remember by Annalee Newitz: 9780307949424 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  14. Annalee Newitz, 2018, author's own website (online), techsploitation.com; accessed October 20, 2018.
  15. Sheehan, Jason (September 26, 2019). "'Future Of Another Timeline' Edits The Past To Save The Present". NPR.org. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  16. "'The Future of Another Timeline' pulses with a daring punk-rock, time-travel tale". Los Angeles Times. September 27, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  17. Wolfe, Gary K. (September 24, 2019). "'The Future of Another Timeline': Annalee Newitz pens resonant novel for current moment". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  18. 1 2 Tor.com (May 29, 2020). "Announcing the 2020 Locus Awards Finalists". Tor.com. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  19. "Episode 1: Hope, dread, and Star Trek: Discovery". our opinions are correct. March 15, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  20. Stubby the Rocket (April 3, 2018). "Listen to Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz's New Podcast, Our Opinions Are Correct". Tor.com . Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  21. "2019 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. July 28, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  22. Newitz, Annalee (September 1997). "Sexual Mutants of the Multiculture: BadPost Issue #33". Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  23. "our opinions are correct". our opinions are correct. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  24. Emily (May 23, 2005). "Interview: Annalee Newitz". sfist.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  25. 1 2 AAN Staff (June 19, 2002). "Bay Guardian Editor Named Knight Science Fellow". altweeklies.com. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  26. 1 2 3 "Spotlight on: Annalee Newitz, Author and Editor". Locus Magazine. January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  27. 1 2 Sterne, Peter (January 15, 2015). "Gawker Media merges Gizmodo and io9, names Annalee Newitz editor". Politico Media. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  28. Seidman, Bianca (August 28, 2015). "Report: Women's accounts on Ashley Madison were fake". CBS News . Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  29. 1 2 O'Shea, Chris (November 16, 2015). "Annalee Newitz joins Ars Technica". Ad Week . Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  30. "Nebula Awards 2018". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  31. "Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction News and Events". Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  32. locusmag (June 23, 2018). "2018 Locus Awards Winners". Locus Online. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  33. "sfadb - Annalee Newitz". Science Fiction Awards Database. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  34. "Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction News and Events". Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  35. Cheryl (April 2, 2019). "2019 Hugo Award & 1944 Retro Hugo Award Finalists". The Hugo Awards. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
  36. Newitz, Annalee (September 16, 1999). "Burning the Man". Metro Silicon Valley. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  37. "Announcing Three New Novels From Annalee Newitz". Tor.com. August 7, 2018.
  38. Di Filippo, Paul (January 27, 2023). "'The Terraformers' is a dazzling look at the distant future". Washington Post.
  39. "Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction News and Events". Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  40. "Review of Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age by Annalee Newitz". Publishers Weekly. September 28, 2020.

Further reading