James Patrick Kelly - 1951
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Londonderry High School in Londonderry New Hampshire
I. Biography
In a small house in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1951, a child was born and given the name James Patrick Kelly. All throughout his childhood he never even gave a second thought to being a writer, especially a science fiction author. "It was like a fireman or Astronaut," he once said, "They were wonderful jobs, just not for me."
His favorite hobbies as a child revolved around comic books. Reading them, collecting them, or even writing his own was what occupied many of his days. This sparked an interest in him that would later lead to his writing career. However, it would take a while to let this spark grow.
He attended the University of Notre Dame, and graduated without any problem. Afterward, he worked as a proposal writer and P.R. man for a Massachusetts architectural firm. He was in the right business, but not the right area of it. Soon, he would enlist in the writing genre that would change his life.
II. Professional Life
In 1977, Kelly finally decided his future lay in the realm of science fiction writing. At this time, he officially became a professional writer, but was not recognized until one story, titled " Solstice" came to the attention of Bruce Sterling's attention. Sterling was the pioneer of cyberpunk, a specialized section of the sci-fi genre. He included it in Mirrorshades, a collection of cyberpunk stories. "Solstice" was an instant hit because it was cyberpunk at it's best - detailed, imaginative and gripping. Ever since then, Kelly was a famous name in the world of science fiction.
Kelly has published fifty stories and five novels, most with New Hampshire settings, but different than the New Hampshire we know today. His works have appeared in almost all of the "Best Science Fiction of the Year" anthologies and has been translated into 14 different languages. It isn't surprising to note that he has won multiple awards, including The Hugo Award many times and the Theodore Sturgeon Award twice.
He writes plays that are produced off-Broadway and for National Public Radio. He writes a regular column in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine . He even teaches writing courses at the University of New Hampshire. He still lives at his house in Portsmouth.
III. Influences
James Patrick Kelly does not have any direct influences. He credits most of his career to his comic book obsession as a child. He also thinks the writing courses in college helped him as well. Another author, who isn't as much an influence as a friend with whom he writes, is John Kessel.
IV. Works by James Patrick Kelly
Fiction
Look into the Sun (1989)
Think Like A Dinosaur (1997)
Wildlife (1994)
Planet of Whispers (1984)
Freedom Beach (1985)
Short Fiction
"Solstice" (1999)
"Rat" (1986)
"The Prisoner of Chillon" (1986)
"Mr. Boy" (1990)
"Itsy Bitsy Spider" (1997)
"Lovestory" (1998)
"1016 to 1" (1999)
V. Bibliography and Links
"Authors: James Patrick Kelly" Middle Tennessee State University: English Department,
Course 305. 1999-2000. Online. Internet.
Available
"James Patrick Kelly." Fantastic Fiction. 1999-2000. Online. Internet.
Available
"New Hampshire Artist Roster: James Patrick Kelly." New Hampshire Council on the Arts. 1999. Online. Internet.
Available
Science Fiction: James Patrick Kelly." Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Media In Training. 4 September 1999. Online. Internet.
Available
"Think Like a Dinosaur." Infinity Plus. 6 December 1997. Online. Internet.
Available
This essay was submitted by a student of Elizabeth H. Juster, a teacher at Londonderry High School in Londonderry, New Hampshire.