Steven Barnes

Barnes, Steven (b. 1952), novelist, short story writer, television script writer, screenplay writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and martial arts authority. A Los Angeles native and later resident of Vancouver, Washington, Steven Emory Barnes is the third African American author after 1960 to have chosen science fiction and fantasy writing as his primary profession. Barnes established himself through the 1980s as a determined and disciplined writer, one who had followed a cherished childhood dream to become a commercially successful professional writer.

The youngest child of Emory F. Barnes and Eva Mae (Reeves) Barnes, Steven Barnes grew up in Los Angeles. He attended Los Angeles High, Los Angeles City College, and Pepperdine University, Malibu, California (1978–1980). At Pepperdine he majored in communication arts but withdrew from school before completing a degree, frustrated because he thought no one on the faculty could teach him about building a career as a professional writer. It was not until Barnes made contact with established science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, who sent the novice writer two encouraging letters after reading some of his stories, and with film director, producer, and scriptwriter John Landis, who also encouraged him, that Barnes began to feel he could be successful. Recognizing that more guidance from working writers could help him learn his craft, in 1979 Barnes sought out well-established science fiction author Larry Niven at the Burbank Science Fiction and Fantasy Club and began a literary apprenticeship with him.

From the early 1980s to the mid-1990s the mentoring arrangement between Niven and Barnes proved very productive, resulting in five coauthored novels. As a team the two wrote the progressively linked Dream Park novels, a combination of action-suspense and thriller-science fiction set in a near-future, highly technological, Disneyesque theme park. Dream Park (1981), The Barsoom Project (1989), and The California Voodoo Game (1991) comprise the trilogy. Barnes and Niven also collaborated on The Descent of Anansi (1982) and Achilles’ Choice (1991). In 1987 and in 1995, Barnes joined forces with both Niven and Jerry Pournelle to produce The Legacy of Heorot (1987) and Beowulf's Children (1995).

Working independently, Barnes wrote The Kundalini Equation (1986), a novel based upon East Indian myths, and three other books featuring the larger-than-life martial arts expert and zero-gravity “nullboxer” Aubry Knight. Knight became Barnes's black mythic champion, his response to a childhood diet of comic books and fantasy tales without positive images of African Americans performing heroic acts. While young, Barnes began creating his own dark-hued imitation Conan stories to help establish a context for his life. Believing myths are vitally important to all cultures, he went on to fashion the heroic Aubry Knight, who represents an outgrowth of Barnes's understanding of the popular, and profitable, fantastic hero. Giving more flesh to the type, Barnes drew Aubry as a man capable of growth; his Knight must learn what it is to become human, to become a man and not just a fighter. The shattered, vicious, and seemingly dystopian universe Knight inhabits reflects Barnes's fascination with anger and violence, his insight into what he deemed as “the dark side” of human nature or the “dark side of the force.” Yet after Aubry Knight has been through hell and back in Streetlethal (1983) and Gorgon Child (1989), when he reappears in FireDance (1993) the world has become more stable, and he has evolved to become a more balanced, mature man. Growth, balance, the unity of mind, body, and spirit, the sometimes thin line between feeling and action— these are all undercurrents in Barnes's independent novels.

Between 1981 and 1996, Barnes published thirteen novels, including a five-part graphic novel called Fusion for Eclipse Comics (1987). Although he has not written many, his short stories have been well received. “The Locusts,” the first collaboration between Nivens and Barnes, appeared in Analog (June 1979) and was nominated for a Hugo, one of two prestigious awards given in science fiction. His stories have been included in Roger Zelazny's Warriors of Mist and Dream (1995) anthology and Robert Adam's two Horseclans anthologies (1987 and 1988); he has also been published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. In addition, Barnes occasionally writes for television, adapting stories or composing scripts for popular programs such as The Twilight Zone, Real Ghostbusters, Baywatch, and The Outer Limits. Barnes has also written several essays for martial arts publications and served as a columnist for Black Belt Magazine from 1986 to 1989.

Maintaining that he has no interest in writing either the traditional realistic American novel or the “great American black novel,” Steven Barnes declared that his interest has been and remains fantasy fiction. “I once tried to stop writing for two years, just to see if there was something else I could do with myself… and there wasn’t. I couldn't stop writing. Science fiction gives me the widest areas to play in.” The three most important aspects of Steven Barnes's life are creating the science fiction and suspense tales that allow him to develop his own mythos, the martial arts, and his family and friends.

Bibliography

• “Barnes, Stephen Emory,” in CA, vol. 105, 1982, p. 50.
• Francis Hamit, “The Self-Evolution of Steven Barnes,” Players 14.9 (Feb. 1988): 36–40

Sandra Y. Govan

author; athlete

Personal Information

Born Steven Emory Barnes on March 1, 1952, in Los Angeles, CA; married Toni Annelle Young, 1985 (divorced); married Tananarive Due, August 1, 2000; children: Lauren Nicole (first marriage), Jason Kai (second marriage)
Education: Attended Los Angeles City College and Pepperdine University, 1970-73.

Career

Columbia Broadcasting System, Hollywood, CA, tour guide, 1974-76; Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, manager of audio-visual and multi-media department, 1978-80; science-fiction, screen, and television writer, 1979-; martial arts instructor and writer, 1980s-; UCLA Creative Writing Program, instructor, 1989-94; LifeWriting Workshops, creator and facilitator, 1990-.

Life's Work

The author of more than 20 books of speculative fiction, as well as screenplays, teleplays, and short stories, Steven Barnes also has been a lecturer and creative consultant, a martial artist, and a self-declared expert on human performance. One of only a handful of successful black science-fiction writers, Barnes jump-started his career by collaborating with science-fiction superstar Larry Niven. As with so many black writers, Barnes's early work was overlooked by critics. He has become increasingly popular over the years, however, with two best-selling novels. His more recent work has garnered excellent reviews as well researched, intelligent, and thought provoking. His science fiction/fantasy novels incorporate elements from the occult, horror, detective, and spy genres and are considered "page-turners." Barnes has been part of a movement of black writers seeking to cultivate new black readers. He is known for his strong black characters, both male and female, and his work frequently reflects his devotion to the martial arts.

Learned Martial Arts for Self-Protection

Born on March 1, 1952, in south-central Los Angeles, Steven Emory Barnes was the son of Emory Flake Barnes, an employment counselor, and Eva Mae Reeves Barnes, a real-estate broker. His father left the family when Steve was eight. As a small, biracial child, Barnes was a frequent victim of bullying. He began studying martial arts at the age of ten. He was raised in the Episcopal Church and told Publishers Weekly: "I kind of consider myself to be a Zen Christian."

Barnes absorbed the popular culture of the late 1950s and 1960s--comic books, pulp fiction, science fiction and fantasy, television, and low-budget films--but he questioned the lack of black heroes in popular media. At 16 he decided to become a writer, so as to stop getting in trouble for telling elaborate lies. Ironically his own first stories featured white heroes. Barnes graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1969.

Between 1970 and 1973 Barnes attended several Los Angeles-area colleges, including Los Angeles City College and Pepperdine University, where he majored in communication arts. Although college did not teach him how to become a financially successful writer, he continued to take courses at Pepperdine and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) over the next two decades. Barnes and Toni Annelle Young lived together for 12 years before marrying in 1985 (they later divorced).

Collaborated with Larry Niven

Between 1978 and 1980 Barnes published stories in small magazines and began networking with successful science-fiction writers. At the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society in 1979 he met and exchanged manuscripts with the award-winning author Larry Niven. Their first collaboration, "The Locusts," was published in Analog in June of 1979 and was nominated for a Hugo Award, science fiction's highest prize. It was the beginning of a personal and professional relationship that proved to be one of the most successful in science fiction.

In a blog entitled "St. Larry," Barnes wrote on February 3, 2005: "Larry was my mentor...He (and uber-conservative Jerry Pournelle) taught me much of what I understand about SF extrapolation.... When "The Kundalini Equation," my first attempt to write a mature novel, died horribly, I was crushed.... I had put material into that book that was achingly personal--my mother's death, my view of the ethical structure of the universe, my belief in human potential. I had never researched so much, worked so hard, been so honest.... I was devastated, and spent the next eight years writing rote adventure novels (more or less), hiding behind Larry's name." Barnes so respected Niven that he and his wife named their daughter Lauren Nicole in his honor.

Between 1981 and 2000 Barnes and Niven collaborated on eight novels, including two with Jerry Pournelle. Some reviewers noted Barnes's influence on Niven, softening the hardcore techno-novelist with fantasy and intellectual nuances. The Legacy of Heorot and its sequel, Beowulf's Children, placed the legend of Beowulf on an alien planet. The Legacy of Heorot, as well as Barnes's Star Wars novel The Cestus Deception, became New York Times bestsellers.

Appealed to Black and White Readers

Although the worlds Barnes designed might be bleak and grotesque, he created talented, intelligent heroes and his stories resolved on a hopeful note. His novels contained violence and occasional explicit sex. In Streetlethal, Gorgon Child, and Firedance--his first solo hardcover publication--his hero, a martial artist and former assassin, fights evil in an earthquake-devastated Los Angeles. In a June 3, 2002, review of Barnes's novel Charisma, Publishers Weekly wrote: "The true battleground in the fight between good and evil is the human soul, and no one is better at describing those internal battles than Barnes."

Several of Barnes's novels have dealt with slavery and race relations. Lion's Blood and its sequel Zulu Heart are set in a nineteenth-century America colonized by Africans with white slaves. The novel was praised for its careful examination of the similarities and differences between Christian and Muslim values. Toni Young created the maps and Heather Alexander wrote and recorded an album of songs for Lion's Blood. In February of 2002 Barnes participated in a Black History Month Author Roundtable hosted by Authors on the Web. He said: "The sense of exclusion was an important motivator, also the sense that white America was generating and broadcasting image systems that elevated all things Northern European to the detriment of all else. The fact that reality was somewhat different from that promoted in media and history books taught me to doubt everything."

Martial Arts Led to "Lifewriting"

In his January 14, 2005, blog Barnes wrote: "When I was about 5 years old, my mom introduced me to Yoga, and Psycho-Cybernetics. Ever since then, I've been fascinated by the body-mind link, and searched continuously (with varied levels of success) for a 'Grand Unified Field' theory of the whole magilla. About fifteen years ago, I started teaching 'Lifewriting,' the approach of applying Joseph Campbell's model of the Hero's Journey to both life and writing."

Yoga and the martial arts have since grown to play a major role in Barnes' life. A lifelong practitioner of yoga, Barnes obtained his black belts in karate and judo and his brown belt in Shorenji Jiu Jitsu. He earned his instructor certificate in Wu Ming Ta, his instructor candidate ranking in Filipino Kali stick and knife fighting, and intermediate rankings in Tae Kwon Do and Aikido. He also has been an advanced student of Jun Fan kickboxing, an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan, an intermediate student of self-defense pistol shooting, and has practiced the Indonesian art of Pentjak Silat Serak. Additionally, Barnes completed the Yoga Works basic Hatha Yoga instructor program in Santa Monica, California, and has taught yoga. Barnes became a certified hypnotherapist affiliated with Transformative Arts Institute in San Anselmo, California. Between 1986 and 1989 Barnes was the Kung-Fu columnist for Black Belt Magazine. He also contributed to other martial arts and fitness magazines and has produced martial-arts instructional tapes.

Barnes told Contemporary Authors: "My primary area of interest is human mental and physical development. To this end I research psychology, parapsychology, and kinesiology, practice and teach martial arts, and meditate and study comparative religious philosophy. My major viewpoint is that all human beings are perfect, but that we allow ourselves to dwell in our illusions of imperfection, creating fear, hate, and all negativity in human experience."

After 42 years in Los Angeles, Barnes moved to Vancouver, Washington, and then to Longview, Washington. In 2000 he married Tananarive Due, a former Miami Herald feature writer and columnist and an award-winning supernatural fantasy novelist. After his daughter graduated from high school, Barnes and Due moved back to Southern California and the couple adopted a son. They began collaborating on television and movie scripts.

Began to Blog

In 2004 Barnes began blogging almost daily, writing on a variety of subjects including martial arts, films, politics, self-improvement, philosophical systems, exercise and weight loss, relationships, race relations, and science fiction. Barnes has been a frequent lecturer on writing and creativity. He was an instructor in the UCLA creative writing program between 1989 and 1994 and he has been a frequent panelist at symposiums and science fiction conventions. As of 2005 Barnes was selling his fitness recording, Five Minute Miracle, through his website.

On his Lionsblood website Barnes wrote: "If there is any single thing which I believe most strongly, it is that we all have the capacity to bring our most cherished dreams to life. What is required is motivating goals, discipline, honesty, and sufficient personal power to ACT. Life is a wonderful, complex, demanding game. The way to win is to decide what you want, focus on that goal, surround yourself with people who will support your dream, and nurture the ability to laugh at yourself."

Awards

National Korean Karate Championships, second place, 1972; Emmy Award for the Outer Limits episode "A Stitch in Time," 1996.

Works

Selected writings

• "The Locusts," Analog, June 1979.
• Dream Park, Ace, 1981.
• The Descent of Anansi, Tor, 1982.
• (With Jerry Pournelle) The Legacy of Heorot, Simon & Schuster, 1987.
• The Barsoom Project, Ace, 1989.
• Achilles' Choice, Tor, 1991.
• Dream Park: The Voodoo Game, Pan, 1991.
• The California Voodoo Game, Ballantine, 1992.
• (With Jerry Pournelle) Beowulf's Children, Tor, 1995.
• Saturn's Race, Tor, 2000.

• Streetlethal, Ace, 1983.
• The Kundalini Equation, Tor, 1986.
• Fusion (graphic novel), Eclipse Comics, 1987.
• Gorgon Child, Tor, 1989.
• Firedance, Tor, 1993.
• Blood Brothers, Tor, 1996.
• Far Beyond the Stars, Bantam, 1998.
• Iron Shadows, Tor, 1998.
• Charisma, Tor, 2002.
• Lion's Blood, Warner, 2002.
• Zulu Heart, Warner, 2003.
• Star Wars: The Cestus Deception: A Clone War Novel, Del Rey, 2004.

• Ki: How to Generate the Dragon Spirit, Sen-do Publications, 1976.
• LifeWriting (workbook and tape set), Ronin Arts Publications, 1992.

• Dar Kush, http://darkush.blogspot.com.
• Lifewrite, www.lifewrite.com.
• Lion's Blood, www.lionsblood.com.

• LifeWriting/TOTAL SUCCESS, 1993.
• Firedance Tai Chi, 1994.
• The Art of Storytelling, 1999.
• Lifewriting Writing System, 1999.
• Five Minute Miracle, 2005.

Further Reading

Periodicals

• Columbian (Vancouver, WA), April 12, 1996, p. 1; July 1, 2002, p. D.1.
• Locus, March 2003, pp. 84-86.
• Los Angeles Times, June 22, 2004, p. E.1.
• Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 2003, pp. 31-36.
• New York Review of Science Fiction, March 2003, pp. 1, 4-6.
• Publishers Weekly, January 21, 2002, p. 70; June 3, 2002, p. 70.
• Skanner (Seattle, WA), March 13, 2002, p. 1.

• "Black History Month Author Roundtable," Authors on the Web, www.authorsontheweb.com/features/0202-african-american/african-american.asp (July 28, 2005).
• "Steven Emory Barnes," Biography Resource Center, www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC (July 7, 2005).

— Margaret Alic

Steven Barnes (born March 1, 1952 in Los Angeles) is an American science fiction writer, lecturer, creative consultant, and human performance technician^[1]. Barnes has written several episodes of The Outer Limits and Baywatch. He has also written the episode "Brief Candle" for Stargate SG-1 and the Andromeda episode "The Sum of its Parts".^[2] Barnes's first published piece of fiction, the 1979 novelette "The Locusts," was written with Larry Niven, and was a Hugo nominee.^[3][4]

Barnes has had a varied education, including a secondary education at Los Angeles High School. He continued at Pepperdine University, majoring in Communication Arts. He is a certified hypnotherapist, trained at the Transformative Arts Institute in San Anselmo, California.

Barnes is married to author Tananarive Due. The couple live in Los Angeles. Barnes has a daughter, Lauren Nicole (born March 16, 1986) from his first marriage and a son, Jason, from his current marriage.

His true passion, other than writing, is martial and physical arts. He is a Black Belt in Kenpo Karate (Aikka style), and Kodokan Judo. He holds an instructor certificate in Wu Ming Ta, and has an instructor candidate ranking in Filipino Kali stick and knife fighting. He is an advanced student in Jun Fan Kickboxing (Bruce Lee method under Dan Inosanto), and is an instructor in Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan under Hawkins Cheung. He is also an intermediate student in self defense pistol shooting (Turnipseed modified Weaver method). He holds a Brown Belt in Shorenji Jiu Jitsu, and intermediate rankings in Tae Kwon Do and Aikido. He has additional (limited) experience in boxing, Western fencing, wrestling, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Shotokan Karate, and French Savate. He has completed the Yoga Works basic Hatha Yoga instructor program; is presently studying Pentjak Silat (an Indonesian fighting system) with Guru Stevan Plinck, and Ashtanga Yoga (an aerobic form of yoga).

He also practices martial arts with Scott Sonnon, as well as co-teaching a class called "The Path Workshop".

Bibliography

• The Dream Park series:
  • Dream Park (1981) (with Larry Niven)
  • The Barsoom Project (1989) (with Larry Niven)
  • The California Voodoo Game (1992) (with Larry Niven)

• The Aubry Knight series:
  • Street Lethal (1983)
  • Gorgon Child (1989)
  • Firedance (1993)

• The Heorot series:
  • The Legacy of Heorot (1987) (with Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle)
  • Beowulf's Children (1995) (with Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle)

• The Insh'Allah series:
  • Lion's Blood (2002) (winner 2003 Endeavour Award)
  • Zulu Heart (2003)

• Stand-alone novels, screenplays, and other works:
  • Casanegra (with Blair Underwood and Tananarive Due)
  • The Descent of Anansi (1982) (with Larry Niven)
  • The Kundalini Equation (1986)
  • Fusion (1987) (comic book mini-series)
  • Achilles' Choice (1991) (with Larry Niven)
  • Blood Brothers (1996)
  • Iron Shadows (1997)
  • Far Beyond the Stars (1998) (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine novelization)
  • The Lives of Dax: "The Music Between the Notes" (1999)
  • Saturn's Race (2000) (with Larry Niven)
  • Charisma (2002)
  • The Cestus Deception (2004) (Star Wars)
  • Great Sky Woman (2006)
  • "To See the Invisible Man" (a television script adapting a short story by Robert Silverberg, for the 1980s revival of The Twilight Zone)
  • Assassin's Creed: The Invisible Imam (2007)

Notes

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (March 2009)

1. ^ http://www.lifewrite.com/html/about.htm
2. ^ http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1005417/
3. ^ http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/NomLit7.html#286
4. ^ http://www.locusmag.com/2003/Issue03/Barnes.html

External links

• Black Science Fiction and Fantasy with Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, and Sheree R. Thomas on NPR, News & Notes, August 13, 2007 (Audio)
• Audio Interview - Steven Barnes on the Horace J. Digby Report

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