BESTSELLING AUTHOR, SPEAKER, AND FUTURIST
science-21553-FT.jpg)
Philip K. Dick Award Nominated
Debut Novel
ABOUT PJ
PJ Manney is the author of the bestselling and Philip K. Dick Award nominated science fiction technothriller, (R)EVOLUTION (2015), published by 47North in the Phoenix Horizon trilogy with, (ID)ENTITY (2017), and (CON)SCIENCE, (2021). Set as alternate, future American histories, the novels chart the influence of world-changing technologies on power and nations.
A former chairperson of Humanity Plus, she helped rebrand the organization, launch H+ Magazine and organize the first multi-org conference on futurist topics, Convergence ’08. She authored "Yucky Gets Yummy: How Speculative Fiction Creates Society" and "Empathy in the Time of Technology: How Storytelling is the Key to Empathy," foundational works on the neuropsychology of empathy and media.
Manney presented her ideas to National Geographic, the Producers Guild of America, Directors Guild of America, NASA-JPL, M.I.T., Huffington Post, The H+ Summit, and the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, is a frequent guest on podcasts/webshows including StarTalk, The World Transformed, Singularity 1on1 and Amazing Mind, and has published in BoingBoing, Live Science and Tor.com. She is also the first person to create and transfer a digital autograph for a novel verified by the blockchain. Manney consults for varied organizations about the future of humanity and technology, including artificial intelligence, robotics, cyborgs, nanotechnology, biotechnology, brain-computer interfaces, space, blockchains and cryptocurrencies.
Manney graduated from Wesleyan University double majoring in Film and American Studies. She worked for over 25 years in film/TV: motion picture PR at Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures; story development for independent film production companies; and writing as Patricia Manney for the critically acclaimed hit TV shows Hercules — The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. She also co-founded Uncharted Entertainment, writing and/or creating many pilot scripts for television networks, including CBS, Fox, UPN, Discovery, ABC Family and Comedy Central.
Manney lives with her husband in Southern California and is a dual citizen of the US and New Zealand. She is a member of the WGA, SFWA, ITW and PEN America.
Photo: Kevin Warn
IN THE PRESS
“(R)EVOLUTION builds momentum to a rollicking chase through hope and terror, fast-looming biotech, and a tasty-paranoid look at who ‘actually runs’ the USA.”
DAVID BRIN
Author of The Postman and
The Transparent Society
“Manney’s intricate worldbuilding includes... a nation reconstituted from fragments of the former U.S. This near-future science fiction thriller should have broad appeal.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
on (ID)ENTITY
ESSAYS & ARTICLES
• POPULAR MECHANICS: We Ask 7 Sci-Fi Authors to Write Blade Runner 2
• LIVE SCIENCE: Is Technology Destroying Empathy?
• TOR.COM: Five Books about Human Enhancement
• LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS: Speculating on the Blockchain Beyond Cryptocurrencies
SPEAKER
Your Story Will Create the Future!
PJ Manney is passionate about articulating and spreading the constructive visions of our possible futures. She has spoken on futurist topics to many organizations, including:
• Los Angeles Public Library
• National Geographic – “Breakthrough” second screen
• StarTalk Radio by Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Huffington Post
• Producers Guild of America
• Directors Guild of America
• NASA-JPL
• University of California Santa Cruz
• Williams College
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
• Humanity+ Summit
• Convergence '08
• New York Comic Con
• Nebula Conference
• Worldcon
• Norwescon
• LosCon
Manney’s talks focus on the future of humanity, human enhancement, future media, and the connection between storytelling, empathy, and technology.
Contact her at info@pjmanney.com or on LinkedIn.
Photo: Maya Hernandez
MEDIA
WEB SERIES – NEW!
THE FUTURE’S IN A MINUTE
Exclusive to PJ Manney’s social platforms, PJ answers fan questions in her exciting new web series, #THEFUTURESINAMINUTE. Bite-sized and info-packed episodes explore a variety of genre topics, from science fiction fandom to brain-computer interfaces. Blink and you’ll miss it, because the future’s in a minute.
WEB SHOW
SINGULARITY WEBLOG
A 90-minute conversation on (ID)ENTITY (“a can’t-put-it-down action-packed mind-uploading/downloading world-crashing The-Empire-Strikes-Back of a masterpiece”), cliodynamics, weaponized narrative, and more.
READING SERIES
SHADES & SHADOWS
PJ Manney reads from (ID)ENTITY, the second book in the Phoenix Horizon series, for Shades & Shadows, the only reading series in Los Angeles that focuses exclusively on dark fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, horror).
For more, SUBSCRIBE to PJ’s channel on .
PJ Manney is a frequent guest on various podcasts. Click to hear more!
UPCOMING EVENTS
