 pat cadigan (born september 10, 1953) is an american science fiction author, whose work is most often identified with the cyberpunk movement. her novels and short stories all share a common theme of exploring the relationship between the human mind and technology. ==life and career== cadigan was born in schenectady, new york, and grew up in fitchburg, massachusetts. she was educated at the university of massachusetts amherst and the university of kansas, where she studied with james gunn. she met her first husband rufus cadigan while in college; they divorced after she graduated from ku in 1975. that same year cadigan joined the convention committee for midamericon, the 34th world science fiction convention being held in kansas city, missouri over the 1976 labor day weekend; she served on the committee as the convention's guest liaison to writer guest of honor robert a. heinlein, while also working for fantasy writer tom reamy at his nickelodeon graphics typesetting and graphic design firm. following reamy's death in 1977, cadigan went to work as a writer for kansas city's hallmark cards. in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she also edited the small press fantasy and science fiction magazines chacal and shayol with her second husband, arnie fenner. cadigan sold her first professional science fiction story in 1980; her success as an author encouraged her to become a full-time writer in 1987. she emigrated to england with her son rob fenner in 1996, where she is married to her third husband, christopher fowler (not to be confused with the author of the same name). cadigan's first novel, mindplayers, introduces what becomes the common theme to all her works: her stories blur the line between reality and perception by making the human mind a real, explorable place. her second novel, synners, expands upon the same theme; both feature a future where direct access to the mind via technology is possible. while her stories include many of the gritty, unvarnished characteristic
1953_births 20th-century_American_novelists 20th-century_women_writers 21st-century_American_novelists 21st-century_women_writers American_science_fiction_writers American_women_novelists American_women_writers Clarion_Workshop Cyberpunk_writers Living_people People_from_Schenectady,_New_York Postmodern_writers Women_science_fiction_and_fantasy_writers Writers_from_New_York