Aliens and Alien Societies by Stanley Schmidt

Stanley Schmidt was born in Cincinnati and received his bachelor's degree in 1966 from the University of Cincinnati. When a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, where he earned his Ph.D., he began selling stories. In 1969, he earned a bachelor's degree in physics. He continued freelancing while teaching physics, astronomy, science fiction, and other oddities as an assistant professor at Heidelberg College in Ohio. (A serpent introduced him to his wife, Joyce, while he was teaching field biology in a location that looked vaguely like that well-known garden.) He has contributed stories and articles to anthologies and publications such as Analog, Asimov's, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Rigel, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, American Journal of Physics, Camping Journal, Writer's Dige, and others.

Over a dozen anthologies he has edited or coedited. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor 34 times since 1978 as editor of Analog Science Fiction and Fact, winning in 2013 for Best Editor, Short Form. He is or has been a member of the National Space Society's Board of Advisers, as well as the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame's, and has spoken at national meetings of those organizations, as well as the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and numerous museums and universities. He draws on a diverse background in his writing and editing, which includes vast experience as a musician, photographer, traveler, naturalist, outdoorsman, pilot, and linguist.

The majority of these influences may be found in his six books and short stories. Aliens and Alien Societies: A Writer's Guide to Developing Extraterrestrial Life-Forms, The Coming Convergence: The Astonishing Ways Different Technology Interact to Shape Our World and Alter the Future, and hundreds more Analog editorials, some of which are gathered in Which Way to the Future? He left Analog in September 2012 following a lengthier tenure than any prior editor, including John W. Campbell), and is currently focusing on his own writing as well as many of the other activities listed above.