Cory Doctorow's Blog, page 32

A wonderful review for Radicalized in the Winnipeg Free Press

Joel Boyce:

The tagline of Cory Doctorow’s latest release is “dystopia is now.” In four novellas, the Canadian ex-pat ably covers a broad swath of pressing social concerns ranging from police racism to affordable American health care through an only slightly science-fictional lens.

No prior volume has so perfectly encapsulated who Doctorow is or what he thinks we should be worrying about as this one does. In the past, a new reader might have had to read lots of long essays about Makerspaces a...

Ottawa! I’m speaking tomorrow at the Writers Festival (and then Re:publica in Berlin and Comicpalooza in Houston!)

Tomorrow night at 7:30PM, I’m giving a presentation about my new book, Radicalized, as part of the Ottawa Writers Festival, at Christ Church Cathedral (414 Sparks St.) — I haven’t spoken in Ottawa for years (maybe a decade?!) so I’m really looking forward to it.

From there, I’m heading to Berlin for May 7, where I’m keynoting at the Re:publica conference with a talk about surveillance and monopolies, followed by a launch and signing for the German edition of my novella Unauthorized Bread (I’...

I’m teaching on this year’s Writing Excuses Cruise!

I’m one of the guest instructors on this year’s Writing Excuses Cruise, a nine-day intensive writing program on land and at sea, departing from Galveston and putting into port at Cozumel, Georgetown, and Falmouth, with a roster of instructors including Brandon Sanderson, Piper Drake, Kathy Chung, K Tempest Bradford, DongWon Song, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. The program starts with a two-day workshop at a Houston hotel and then sets sail, running Sept 22-30 altogether....

Internet Activist Cory Doctorow on How to Change the World

I spoke with Arik Korman from I Heart Radio about #Radicalized, hope, my theory of change, and a better technological future!

Cory Doctorow, blogger, journalist, science fiction author, and co-editor of the blog Boing Boing, talks about why he’s a great believer in the Internet, warts and all; how, as a white male, he became aware of the struggles of people furthest from opportunity; and how he keeps a positive outlook on life. Cory’s latest book is Radicalized: Four Tales of Our Present Mom...

Talking Radicalized, monopoly and DRM with the Techdirt podcast

I’m on this week’s Techdirt podcast (MP3) talking about my latest book Radicalized — this being Techdirt, the talk quickly moved to DRM, and then to tech policy, monopolism, breaking up the Big Tech platforms, and neofeudalism.

Ottawa! I’ll be at the Writers Festival this Saturday night (then Berlin for Re:publica and Houston for Comicpalooza!)

This Saturday, May 4, at 7:30PM, I’ll be presenting at the Ottawa Writers Festival, talking about my novel Radicalized and how it ties into surveillance, monopoly, refugees, climate change, racism and oligarchy — all the good stuff!

From there, I’m heading to Berlin’s Re:publica Festival, to give a keynote entitled “It’s monopolies, not surveillance,” on May 7 at 6:45PM on the main stage. I’m also doing an AMA about the EU Copyright Directive earlier that day, at 12:30PM in the Internationa...

Talking Radicalized with the LA Public Library: Trump derangement syndrome, engagement algorithms, and novellas as checked luggage

The LA Public Library’s Daryl M interviewed me about my new book, Radicalized, specifically, about how my Trump anxiety (created, in part, by the platforms’ relentless use of “engagement” tools to nonconsensually eyeball-fuck me with Trump headlines) led to the book’s germination, as well as the specific inspirations for each of the four novellas, and the delights of working in novella form.

What was your inspiration for Radicalized as a collection?

I call this my “Trump derangement syndrom...

Halifax! I’m speaking at Atlseccon on April 24 (then Toronto, Ottawa, Berlin and Houston!)

I’m coming to Halifax to give the closing keynote on day one of Atlseccon on April 24th: it’s only my second-ever visit to the city and the first time I’ve given a talk there, so I really hope you can make it!

From there, I’m headed to Toronto, where I’m giving a keynote called The Internet Isn’t What We Fight FOR, It’s What We Fight WITH on April 29th at the FITC Technology and Creativity Conference.

Then I’m appearing at the Ottawa Writers Festival on May 4, presenting my newest book, Ra...

Tor’s Ebook Club is giving away copies of my novel WALKAWAY!

Every month, Tor Books’ free Ebook Club gives away a different novel to people who have signed up; this month, the selection is my most recent novel, Walkaway! Sign up between now and the 20th to get your free copy (this only works in Canada and the US; different publishers have the rights in other countries and I’ll be sure to let you know when/if they do their own giveaways).

Talking Radicalized with John Scalzi in the LA Times

Ahead of our panel at the LA Times Festival of Books on Sunday, John Scalzi interviewed me about my new book Radicalized for his column in the Times.

John tells the story of how I was the first writer he met after he embarked on his career — it was at the Toronto Worldcon — and then we delve into the nature of dystopia, hope, and the role of science fiction in informing our policy debates:

Q. You write fiction and you’re also a public advocate for tech, privacy and current cultural issues,...