Pat Cadigan

Pat Cadigan (born September 10, 1953) is an American-born science fiction author, whose work is described as part of the cyberpunk movement. Her novels and short stories all share a common theme of exploring the relationship between the human mind and technology.

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 Labor Day weekend 1976; 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 characteristics of the cyberpunk genre, she further specializes in this exploration of the speculative relationship between technology and the perceptions of the human mind.

Cadigan has won a number of awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1992 and 1995 for her novels Synners and Fools; She was a guest speaker at Microcon 28 in 2008.

Robert A. Heinlein in part dedicated his 1982 novel Friday to Cadigan after becoming her friend, following her being the guest liaison to him for the 34th Worldcon in Kansas City.