Ann Carson

NY Times article on Anne Carson, One of the most interesting poets writing

Charles Bowden on Writing

How William Gibson Coined “Cyberspace”

by Maria Popova, brainpickings.org

The moment when fragments of reality were “mushed together” to describe a new realm.

 William Gibson, thirty-four at the time, used a strange new word in his short story “Burning Chrome” to describe — presage, really — the emerging ecosystem sprouted by computer networks. But it wasn’t until Gibson used it again in his 1984 novel Neuromancer (public library) that the new term — “cyberspace” — caught on like cultural wildfire.

In this excerpt from his conversation with The New York Public Library’s Paul Holdengräber — the conversation in which Gibson provided his witty 7-word autobiography — the author explains how and why he coined “cyberspace”

See Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae3z7Oe3XF4

I wanted that sense of other realm, a sense of agency within my daily life, looking for bits and pieces of reality that could be cobbled into the arena I needed.

A quarter century later, Gibson coined another exquisitely apt term for a cultural phenomenon — “personal micro-culture,” that absolutely essential tool in our architecture of character as creative people and human beings.

Brain Pickings has a free weekly newsletter. It comes out on Sundays and offers the week’s best articles. Here’s what to expect. Like? Sign up.
Share on Tumblr

Bringing you ad-free Brain Pickings takes hundreds of hours each month. If it brings you any joy, please consider supporting with a small donation.