I’ll be at Worldcon 76, the World Science Fiction Convention, from August 16 to 20 in San Jose, California. Here’s my official schedule. I’ll also be working as staff of the Worldcon newsletter, The Tower. Autographs, Friday, August 17, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., in the Convention Center Autograph Area Also signing during that hour will … Continue reading Where to find me at Worldcon

HarperCollins has just published a paperback, ebook, and audiobook edition of Semiosis in Great Britain available today, August 9, and in Australia. The cover art, similar to the American cover art, features the leaves of a sundew plant (Drosera). The dew-like drops on the hairs of its leaves are actually a kind of glue that … Continue reading “Semiosis” is now available in Great Britain and Australia

If you weighed every living thing on Earth, what kinds of things would weigh the most? Scientists Yinon M. Bar-On, Rob Phillips, and Ron Milo tried to answer that question. They estimated the amount of carbon stored in organisms — that is, our planet’s biomass: wild birds, viruses, fish, plants, fungi, etc. Overall, it amounts … Continue reading The weight of human life on Earth

Not every mind is human, which is a challenge for authors. It’s hard enough to write from a different human point of view: we’re a varied species, each one with our own experiences and quirks, but at least we can talk to each other. Non-humans … well, they never have long conversations with us, alas. … Continue reading Thinking non-human: how Stevland was born

I am a total Earthling. By that I mean I am entirely used to this planet’s environment. Here’s a small example: One day I was out on my morning walk, and up ahead a wood pigeon sprang into the air and started flying toward me. With a 30-inch wingspan, it’s a fairly big bird. But … Continue reading The danger of a bird on Earth

Plants move slowly — except when they need to move fast, for example to capture insects (and eat them). They can even explode to scatter seeds or spores, and sometimes spores can jump around. Find out how they manage to move so fast in this ScienceNews article and watch a fun little video of speedster … Continue reading What they’re saying about plants on the internet

Some readers have asked why the Glassmakers left the city — and too many are asking for it to be a coincidence. I thought I’d explained, but I just checked and I’d cut a passage from an earlier version of the novel because I thought it repeated something said elsewhere. Apparently I erred. This was … Continue reading Why the Glassmakers left