“[Books] are the way we transmit our stories and our thoughts from one generation to the next. If we lose them, we lose our shared history. We lose much of what makes us human. And fiction gives us empathy: it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the gift of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.” - Neil Gaiman
Interview with author and journalist Omar El Akkad
Can a book change the world? Omar El Akkad zoomed in to my Climate Fiction lecture at UCSB’s Croft Undergraduate Environmental Leadership center to discuss. Omar is an author and journalist whose debut AMERICAN WAR was a national bestseller. What does this have to do with book bans?
Interview with author Laura Warrell
I learned so much from studying Laura Warrell’s book, SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM, and talking with her about techniques to layer on the tiny idiosyncracies that bring a fictional character to life. One of hers, however, is based on a real person. Can you guess who it is?
Interview with author Valerie Laken
What is women’s fiction - and do genres like this help or hurt, especially when emerging novelists are forced to choose a box? DREAM HOUSE author Valerie Laken and I hashed it out, with help from a Women’s Fiction Writers Association definition.
Can A Story Change the World? Reading (and Teaching) The Ministry for the Future
Can a story change the world? Kim Stanley Robinson published THE MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE in 2020. Two years later, he gave a keynote address at the World Trade Organization titled, “Should Central Banks Be the Ones to Solve the Climate Crisis?” Think about that: A science fiction writer presenting to the global entity that regulates international trade. And Robinson’s book isn’t the only one. In fact, when it comes to solving big picture issues like climate change, storytelling is one of the most important strategies we have. (Oh how I’d love to interview Kim Stanley Robinson. Got a connection?)
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