# Joanne McNeil

> Joanne McNeil is an American writer, editor, and art critic who sits at the curious crossroads of internet culture and contemporary art. Best known for 'Lurking: How a Person Became a User' (2020) - a critical history of the internet told from the perspective of ordinary users - she followed it with her debut novel 'Wrong Way' (2023), a tech-industry satire about precarious gig labor. Formerly editor of Rhizome at the New Museum and founder of The Tomorrow Museum blog, she has written for Frieze, Wired, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. She holds the inaugural Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation Arts Writing Award and has been a fellow at the Logan Nonfiction Program, a resident at Eyebeam, and an instructor at the School for Poetic Computation. Her next nonfiction work, 'Too Early for the Future,' is forthcoming from MCD/FSG.

- **Role:** Author and Critic
- **Organizations:** MCD/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Rhizome at the New Museum (former editor), Eyebeam (former resident), Logan Nonfiction Program (fellow), School for Poetic Computation (instructor), Aevitas Creative Management (represented by Sarah Bowlin)
- **From:** Brockton, Massachusetts, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Unknown, Unknown
- **Known for:** Inaugural winner of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation Arts Writing Award (2015), Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant recipient, Logan Nonfiction Program fellow

## Career timeline

- **2000s** — Founded and edited The Tomorrow Museum, an art and technology blog
- **2011** — Became editor of Rhizome at the New Museum
- **2012** — Published 'The Best of Rhizome 2012'; participated in New Aesthetic panels at SXSW and the New Museum
- **2015** — Won the inaugural Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation Arts Writing Award for emerging writers
- **2015** — Received the Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant
- **2020** — Published 'Lurking: How a Person Became a User' (MCD/FSG) - a critical history of the internet
- **2021** — Produced radio play 'Unfinished Live' about internet history
- **2023** — Published debut novel 'Wrong Way' (MCD/FSG) - named a Best Book of 2023 by The New Yorker and Esquire
- **2024** — Announced forthcoming nonfiction 'Too Early for the Future' from MCD/FSG

## Achievements

- Inaugural winner of the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Art Foundation Arts Writing Award (2015)
- Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant recipient
- Logan Nonfiction Program fellow
- Eyebeam artist residency
- 'Wrong Way' named a Best Book of 2023 by The New Yorker
- 'Wrong Way' named one of Top 20 Best Books of 2023 by Esquire
- 'Lurking' named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2020
- 'Lurking' named a OneZero Best Tech Book of 2020
- Editor of Rhizome at the New Museum (2011-2012)
- Instructor at the School for Poetic Computation
- Contributing writer to Frieze, Wired, Los Angeles Times, and Boston Globe

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Forthcoming nonfiction 'Too Early for the Future: Reckoning with Tomorrow from the Present' announced by MCD/FSG
- **2023-11** — Debut novel 'Wrong Way' published by MCD/FSG, named Best Book of 2023 by The New Yorker and Esquire
- **2023-01** — Column 'Speculations' for Filmmaker Magazine examining science fiction in film, literature, and art ongoing

## Links

- Website: https://joannemcneil.com
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jomc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/joanne-mcneil
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-22