Russ Colson Media Kit

 

Pictures:

A person leaning on a rock Description automatically generatedPicture courtesy of Mary Colson

Picture courtesy of Mary Colson

A group of people looking at a rock Description automatically generatedPicture courtesy of Darel Paulson

Short Bio

Russ Colson is a scientist, teacher, author, gardener, and grandfather living in northwest Minnesota, far enough from city lights to see the Milky Way and the Aurora Borealis. When not teaching college students and fellow science teachers about planets and geology, he writes contemplative science fiction full of adventure, discovery, and a little romance, and gardens his seventeen-acre rural property.

 

Long Bio

Russ Colson is a scientist, teacher, author, gardener, and grandfather living in northwest Minnesota, far enough from city lights to see the Milky Way and the Aurora Borealis. He writes contemplative and optimistic science fiction with adventure, touches of romance, and a helping of real science. He is a professor emeritus at Minnesota State University Moorhead, a former national professor of the year, author of the science fiction novel The Arasmith Certainty Principle (Chanticleer International Book Award 1rst Place Category Winner, Double Dragon Publishing, 2018), and coauthor of the science education book Learning to Read the Earth and Sky (NSTA Press, 2016). He has written several thoughtful short stories published in Cast of Wonders, Neo-Opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Interzone, Stupefying Stories, Abyss and Apex, and others. He previously worked at the Johnson Space Center in Texas and at Washington University in St. Louis where, among other things, he studied how a lunar colony might mine oxygen from the local rock. More about his writing can be found at russcolson.com.

 

Covers

A skeleton lying in the dirt Description automatically generated More info: The Arasmith Certainty Principle

A book cover with layers of soil and mountains Description automatically generated More info: Learning to Read the Earth and Sky

A book cover of a garden Description automatically generated More info: A Little Book of Gardening

A group of people standing on rocks Description automatically generated More Info: A Little Book of Rules for Living

 

Q/A:

As both a scientist and science fiction writer, I suppose that your writing leans toward the hard SF side of science fiction?

The word "hard" makes science fiction sound so unpleasant! I used to think so, and I worked to include elements of real science in my fiction as well as speculative elements that reflect the potential for scientific progress, the "what if" element of SF. However, I've come to realize that modern science fiction is often distinguished from fantasy on the basis of its incorporation of technologies, with either a focus on the technologies themselves (hard SF or much of military SF), on societal responses to those technologies (soft SF), or the cultural context of those technologies (anthropological SF). As a scientist, I don't put science in the same box as technology at all. In contrast to technology, science is about exploration, discovery, and figuring out what things mean, bringing along with it a good dose of wonder. So, science fiction for me should be more like old-fashioned adventure with a science-y mystery to solve. That is closer to what I like to read and write.

 

You write not only science fiction, but science nonfiction and what might be categorized as spiritualistic essays, your gardening and advice for living books for example. Do you find any tension among these different types of writing?

There is certainly some potential for tensions among my readers, although all of these ideas live within me just fine! It's true that my science fiction does not stick to known or confirmed science but dives into scientifically crazy speculation, like the idea behind the Arasmith Certainty Principle. Some readers find it rather jarring when I transition from what starts out as a sound scientific investigation to what resembles for them a more mystical discovery. Within my nonfiction, scientists are sometimes uncomfortable with any hint of spirituality, considering faith to undermine scientific investigation. I had to fight to include a couple of references to faith in Learning to Read the Earth and Sky! Religious people are often likewise put off by the observation-limited basis of scientific investigation, and are particularly uncomfortable with what they fear to be my wild deviations from orthodoxy. Maybe that limits my audience to the other six people in the world who can be content holding onto these ideas together. However, I hope that all of my writings are about the journey to discover and understand, and that there are many more people out there who like to explore, and wonder, and try to figure things out with me in this great universe in which we find ourselves.

 

What do you want potential readers to know about your fiction, in particular?

Well, I'd like them to know that I strive to include discovery, exploration, and puzzle-solving along with hints of proper romance and real earth science. I'd also like for them to know my commitment to my readers: All of my characters, including the bad guys, strive toward their own sense of honor, integrity, and a meaning beyond self-interest. Whatever calamities befall my characters, the story will end with some element of optimism and hope. Each book, even if part of a series, will be complete within itself and end on a reasonable note (no annoying cliffhangers). Each story will include elements of adventure, science, and relationship-building. My books, although intended as fun reads, will likely include a sprinkling of philosophical nuggets. What does all this mean in practice? Pick up one of my books and find out!

 

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Last updated 2/13/2025