Steven Kotler is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his non-fiction books, including

Abundance Abundance may refer to: In science and technology * Abundance (economics), the opposite of scarcities * Abundance (ecology), the relative representation of a species in a community * Abundance (programming language), a Forth-like computer prog ...

'', ''A Small Furry Prayer'', ''West of Jesus'', ''

Bold In typography, emphasis is the strengthening of words in a text with a font in a different style from the rest of the text, to highlight them. It is the equivalent of prosody stress in speech. Methods and use The most common methods in W ...

, The Rise of Superman'' and ''Stealing Fire''.

Early life and education

Kotler was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. After attending Orange High School in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, he graduated from the

University of Wisconsin, Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in 1989 with degrees in English and creative writing. In 1993, he received an MA in creative writing from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

Author

Kotler’s books and articles often deal with the intersection 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 ...

and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

, and make frequent and extended use of academic work, particularly in the areas of

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...

, evolutionary theory,

ethology Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objectiv ...

psychopharmacology Psychopharmacology (from Greek grc, ψῡχή, psȳkhē, breath, life, soul, label=none; grc, φάρμακον, pharmakon, drug, label=none; and grc, -λογία, -logia, label=none) is the scientific study of the effects drugs have on m ...

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. He has written a total of seven non-fiction books ''Stealing Fire, Tomorrowland,

, The Rise of Superman,'' A''bundance'', ''A Small Furry Prayer'', ''West of Jesus'', and two novels ''The Angle Quickest for Flight'' and ''Last Tango in Cyberspace.''

Stealing Fire

Steven Kotler, alongside Jamie Wheal, co-authored ''Stealing Fire'', which brings to light a trillion-dollar economy that has gone unnoticed and unnamed for centuries. The book introduces real-life examples of "flow states" and the neuroscience that all humans are gifted with to unlock our hidden potential. The authors discuss how "ecstatis" is applied in every industry, the evolution of its research and how it is revolutionizing our world.

Tomorrowland

In May 2015, Kotler released, '' Tomorrowland: Our Journey From Science Fiction To Science Fact''.

Bold

In February 2015, Kotler published '' Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth, and Impact the World'', his second book with Peter Diamandis.Broughton, Philip Delve
Go Big Or Go Home
''Wall Street Journal''. May 7, 2015 The book discusses the exponential advancement of technology and teaches entrepreneurs how to thrive in such an environment by being nimble and resilient.Wadhwa, Vive
Book review: Peter Diamandis’s ‘Bold’ a reminder of how entrepreneurs will control the world’s fate
''Washington Post''. May 7, 2015 ''Bold'' debuted on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list and remained on the list for six weeks, reaching #6 overall. Since its release, ''Bold'' has been reviewed by the ''New York Times'', ''Wall Street Journal'', ''Washington Post'', ''Financial Times'', and others. It was named one of the top 25 books read by corporate America in 2015.

The Rise of Superman

In 2014, Kotler announced his next book, '' The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance.'' The book explores the state of consciousness known as "flow", an optimal state in which humans perform and feel their best. The book includes examples from adventure athletes including big wave surfer

Laird Hamilton Laird John Hamilton (born March 2, 1964) is an American big-wave surfer, co-inventor of tow-in surfing, and an occasional fashion and action-sports model and actor. He is married to Gabrielle Reece, a professional volleyball player, television ...

, skater Danny Way, and big mountain snowboarders Travis Rice and Jeremy Jones. The Rise of Superman explains how extreme athletes are accelerating their flow states to perform better and how people can use the same tactics to accelerate performance in everyday tasks.

Abundance

In 2012 Kotler published ''Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think'' with Peter H. Diamandis. The book revolves around the idea that the world is getting better and in the future most people of the world will have access to clean water, food, energy, health care, education, and everything else that is necessary for a first world standard of living, thanks to technological innovation. The authors argue progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, infinite computing, ubiquitous broadband networks, digital manufacturing, nanomaterials, synthetic biology, and many other growing technologies will enable the human race to make greater gains in the following two decades than in the previous two hundred years. By doing so, the authors suggest humans will have the ability to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman, and child on the planet. ''Abundance'' debuted at #1 on both

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

and

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...

's bestseller lists, and at #2 on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list. It remained on the NYT bestseller list for nine weeks, gathering reviews and profiles from outlets including ''The New York Times'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''TIME'', ''BusinessWeek'', ''Wired'', ''Slate'', and others. Abundance was voted one of the "Top 5 Must Read Business Books of the Year" by ''

Fortune Magazine ''Fortune'' is an American multinational business magazine headquartered in New York City. It is published by Fortune Media Group Holdings, owned by Thai businessman Chatchaval Jiaravanon. The publication was founded by Henry Luce in 1929. The ...

''.

A Small Furry Prayer

In 2007, alongside his wife, Joy Nicholson, Kotler co-founded the Rancho de Chihuahua dog sanctuary in Chimayo, New Mexico. Rancho de Chihuahua specializes in

hospice care Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

and long term rehabilitation for special needs dogs. Kotler's experience with Rancho de Chihuahua inspired his 2010 book ''A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life''. ''A Small Furry Prayer'' was a ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' and ''

SF Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pap ...

'' Bestseller.

Angle Quickest for Flight

''Angle Quickest for Flight'' was a ''

'' Bestseller and was shortlisted for the William L. Crawford IAFA Fantasy Award.

Blogs

Previous blogs of Steven's include "Far Frontiers," a blog about technology and innovation for ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' and "The Playing Field," a blog about the science of sport and culture for ''

Psychology Today ''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. It began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The ''Psychology Today'' website features therapy and health professionals direct ...

''.

Bibliography

Nonfiction

*''West of Jesus: Surfing, Science and the Origin of Belief'', 2006 *''A Small, Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life'', 2010 *'' Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think'', 2012, co-authored with Peter H. Diamandis * ''The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance'' 2014 *'' Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth, and Impact the World'', 2015, co-authored with Peter H. Diamandis *'' Tomorrowland: Our Journey from Science Fiction to Science Fact'', 2015Tomorrowland: Our Journey From Science Fiction To Science Fact

*''Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work'', co-authored with Jamie Wheal, 2017 *''The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer'', 2021

Novels

* ''The Angle Quickest for Flight'', 1999 * ''Last Tango in Cyberspace'', 2019 * ''The Devil's Dictionary'', 2022

References

External links

Steven Kotler
Personal web page
Rancho de Chihuahua
Steven Kotler's dog sanctuary
Amazon author’s page

Michael Krasny’s KQED Forum
June 11, 2006 interview with Steven Kotler {{DEFAULTSORT:Kotler, Steven Journalists from Illinois Living people American non-fiction writers Writers from Chicago 1967 births