Richard Holeton (born December 28, 1952) is an American writer and higher-education administrator. Holeton's creative works are foundational in the hypertext and electronic literature genres. As a writer, his most notable work is the hypertext novel Figurski at Findhorn on Acid, which has been recognized as an important early work of electronic literature and is included in the hypertext canon.
A 20th Anniversary Edition of Figurski at Findhorn on Acid, in archival and contemporary versions, was released in 2021 by Washington State University Vancouver’s Electronic Literature Lab.
Holeton's short fiction has appeared in literary journals and anthologies including ZYZZYVA, , Grain, OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters, the Indiana Review, and the Mississippi Review.
Holeton also authored the textbooks Composing Cyberspace: Identity, Community, and Knowledge in the Electronic Age and Encountering Cultures: Reading and Writing in a Changing World.
Biography
Early life and education
Richard Holeton was born in Orange, New Jersey and was raised in Bellevue, Washington. He earned a BA from Stanford and MA and MFA degrees from San Francisco State University. Currently, he lives near Half Moon Bay, California.
Career
After receiving his MA in 1986, Holeton began working as a writing lecturer at San Francisco State University, Cañada College, and Stanford University. He transitioned into working with technology and student computing. He worked to teach language and literature faculty methods of integrating computers into their classroom pedagogy and became an administrator with Stanford University Libraries and residential computing. During this time he was a Director of the New Media Consortium and also worked with EDUCAUSE to co-develop the Learning Space Rating System. Following his retirement from teaching and holding administrative positions at Stanford, Holeton is Assistant Vice Provost for Learning Environments, Emeritus.
In 2014, Holeton was awarded a fellowship from MacDowell, which he spent working in the Schelling studio. He has also received fellowships from the Brown Foundation, California Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts; as well as the Transatlantic Review Award from the Henfield Foundation.
Selected works
Books
Figurski at Findhorn on Acid (Eastgate Systems, 2001). Hypertext novel (CD-ROM). 20th Anniversary Edition (Electronic Literature Lab, 2021) Composing Cyberspace: Identity, Community, and Knowledge in the Electronic Age (McGraw-Hill, 1998). Worldcat entry. Encountering Cultures: Reading and Writing in a Changing World (Blair Press/Prentice Hall 2/e 1995). Worldcat entry. Encountering Cultures: Reading and Writing in a Changing World (Blair Press/Prentice Hall 1/e 1992). Worldcat entry. Lumber World: A Novel (Brautigan Library Digital Collection, 2019). Available: http://www.thebrautiganlibrary.org/download/holeton-lumber-world1.pdf. Podcast available (in progress): http://brautiganlibrarypod.libsyn.com/ . Lumber World: The Rejection File (Brautigan Library Digital Collection, 2019). Available: http://www.thebrautiganlibrary.org/download/holeton-lumber-world2.pdf.
Short fiction and multimedia work
"WAIF OD" (2020, in ) "In Denial: A Further Redaction of the Mueller Report" (2019, in The Fictitious Press) Available: fictitiouspress.com "March Madness, 1974" (2018, in Open: Journal of Arts & Letters) Republished in COG, 2018 Finalist, COG Page to Screen Awards "Custom Orthotics Changed My Life" (2010, in Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy) Also published by Kairos on YouTube "Calling Fruits and Vegetables" in Fish Anthology 2007: A Paper Heart is Beating, A Paper Boat Sets Sail. Fish Publishing, 2007. Runner-up, Fish One-Page Prize "Product Placement" (2007, in Mississippi Review) Honorable Mention, 2007 Mississippi Review Prize "Thanks for Covering Your Lane" (2006, in Indiana Review) Finalist, 2005 Indiana Review Fiction Prize Finalist, 2012 California Writers Exchange Award, Poets & Writers "Frequently Asked Questions About 'Hypertext'" (2006, in Electronic Literature Collection) "Understanding Hypertext" (2004, in ZYZZYVA) "Streleski at Findhorn on Acid" (1995, in Grain) First Prize, Short Grain Postcard Story
Poetry
"Afterword(s): Take a Book/Leave a Book" (2019, in Forklift, Ohio) Multimedia version, Notre Dame Review, 2020 "Sonnetizing the Singularity" (2018, in Unlost: Journal of Found Poetry & Art)
Nonfiction and scholarship
"Someone, Somewhere, with Something: The Origins of Figurski" (2021, in Figurski at Findhorn on Acid). "Learning Space Rating System" (2021, in EDUCAUSE)