Utopia

[close] This January 19, 6-8 p.m. (MST), I am hosting a discussion on why we read and write science fiction. Like many voracious readers, I loved this field as a teenager, and I am sure the genre helped shape my thinking about the world. But then I stopped reading science fiction for many decades. This seems a common pattern. Now my own debut eco sci-fi about panpsychism and a Paleoterrific future, Knocking on Heaven’s Door (Yucca/Skyhorse Publishing), is just out, and I have five of the best science fictions from 2015 on my kindle, waiting and whispering to me in the night. My favorite recent sci-fi are Station 11 and The Water Knife. I think the genre is about to have a renaissance! Feel free to post your thoughts before or after the discussion date, although I will likely wait for that Tuesday.

[close] The term "Climate Fiction" (CF) was first used by Australian novelist James Bradley in 2010 on his online blog Cityoftongues, where he claimed that realistic novels are “hopelessly inadequate” to discuss the implications of climate change, for they would violate the urgency and difficulty of the problem for the sake of coherence. In CF, climate crisis occur in what literary critic Darko Suvin calls novums: fictional worlds validated by cognitive logic. Usually, CF depicts extremely dystopian scenarios characterised by the anthropogenic nature of the environmental threats, which will eventually lead to an apocalyptic scenario. Climate Fiction is at the core of my PhD project at University of Ferrara and I would love to discuss instances of CF with all members of the club.

[close] Set off on a daring and exciting adventure on the mystical lost continent of Dinotopia. Populated by both humans and dinosaurs, this utopian society thrives because of teamwork, peace, and understanding. Wander as a human down the awe-inspiring streets of Waterfall City or walk the elevated pathways of Treetown. Traverse the Rainy Basin as either a member of an armored caravan or one of the great carnosaurs that inhabit this dangerous place. Create your own adventure in this fascinating world!

[close] Extension of the Facebook group, If it's Leftist, Speculative, and Fiction, we read it.