Richard Ward Morris (1939–August 28, 2003) was an American author, editor, and poet. He published more than 20 books in his lifetime, many of which were written to "explain the intricacies of

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

to the general public". His literary style and narrative talents allowed for easy reading of what were otherwise heady and intellectual topics, bringing sometimes abstract scientific ideas to a level the common person could understand.

Career

Morris received his MS in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

and his PhD in physics from the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

, before he moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, where he started the magazine ''Camels Coming''. In 1968, he established and became the executive director of the Committee of Small Magazine Editors and Publishers (COSMEP). It was an attempt to organize the energy of the

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...

es. His COSMEP newsletter guided literary magazines and

underground press The terms underground press or clandestine press refer to periodicals and publications that are produced without official approval, illegally or against the wishes of a dominant (governmental, religious, or institutional) group. In specific rec ...

publications right through the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

into the

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

era. Beginning in 1979, Morris became known to the wider world as the author of a series of mainstream

books. His literary style and narrative talents allowed for easy reading of what were otherwise heady and intellectual topics, bringing sometimes abstract scientific ideas to a level the common person could understand. He published as well

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

, and

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

. He still continued publishing small press collections of poetry and drama, which were read mostly by his friends and peers; his selected poetry, ''Assyrians'', was published in 1991 by "The Smith". ''The Evolutionists: The Struggle for Darwin's Soul'' (2002) deviated from his usual fare, but

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

and the controversies surrounding it through history had become his interest later in life. His final work, ''The Last Sorcerers: The Path from Alchemy to the Periodic Table'', was published posthumously in 2003.

Bibliography

*''Light: From Genesis to Modern Physics'' (1979) *''The End of the World'' (1980) *''The Fate of the Universe'' (1982) *''Evolution and Human Nature'' (1983) *''Dismantling the Universe: The Nature of Scientific Discovery'' (1984) *''Time's Arrows: Scientific Attitudes Toward Time'' (1986) *''The Nature of Reality: The Universe After Einstein'' (1988) *''The Edges of Science: Crossing the Boundary from Physics to Metaphysics'' (1990) *''Cosmic Questions: Galactic Halos, Cold Dark Matter and the End of Time (Wiley Popular Science)'' (1995) *''Achilles in the Quantum Universe: the Definitive History of Infinity'' (1997)"Review: Achilles in the Quantum Universe"
Kirkus Reviews *''The Universe, the Eleventh Dimension, and Everything: What We Know and How We Know It'' (1999) *''The Evolutionists: The Struggle for Darwin's Soul'' (2002) *''The Big Questions: Probing the Promise and Limits of Science'' (2002) *''The Last Sorcerers: The Path from Alchemy to the Periodic Table'' (2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Richard 1939 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American poets 20th-century American male writers American male poets Science writers