Born in Lansing, Michigan, he was first active in science fiction fandom while living in Toronto in the early 1970s.

After moving to New York, he worked at Literary Guild as an editorial assistant, then at Chelsea House as an associate editor.

He has contributed to a number of books and magazines, including The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2nd edition, 1993) and The Map: Rediscovering Rock and Roll.

[1] From 1982 to 1987, he edited and published the science-fiction fanzine Izzard with his wife Teresa Nielsen Hayden.

[3] He has worked on a number of other fanzines over the years, including Twibbet, Thangorodrim, Tweek, Ecce Fanno, Telos, Zed, and Flash Point.