If I could get policymakers, and citizens, everywhere to read just one book this year, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future.
Best known for the Mars trilogy, Robinson is one of the greatest living science fiction writers. And in recent years, he's become the greatest writers of what people now call cli-fi — climate fiction. The nam ... Show More
Sep 11
The millennial midlife crisis
Is "adulthood" a moving target? For millennials, hitting the milestones of the past — homeownership, secure careers, and financial independence — feels tougher than ever. We aren't just having our individual midlife crises; we are simultaneously navigating economic, cultural, and ... Show More
49m 55s
Mar 2022
How science fiction can shape our reality | Your Undivided Attention
The meta-crisis is so vast: climate change, exponential technology, addiction, polarization and more. How do we grasp it, let alone take steps to address it? One of the thinking tools we have at our disposal is science fiction. To the extent that we co-evolve with our stories, sc ... Show More
28m 14s
Dec 2024
Tomes will tell: books that predict the future
<p>Some people read books to escape. Others turn to them for instruction. As the new year looms, our correspondents – and listeners – consider which titles can help forecast what’s coming next. Picks include “Rainbows End” by Vernor Vinge, “Nuclear War” by Annie Jacobsen, “Not th ... Show More
36m 5s
Mar 2024
Is Science Fiction the New Realism?
Science fiction has historically been considered a niche genre, one in which far-flung scenarios play out on distant planets. Today, though, such plots are at the center of our media landscape. On this episode of Critics at Large, the staff writers Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, a ... Show More
50m 15s
Jan 2022
The Political Economy of Solarpunk w/ Andrew Dana Hudson (E94)
This is a conversation with speculative fiction writer and sustainability researcher Andrew Dana Hudson. His stories have appeared in Slate Future Tense, Lightspeed Magazine, Vice Terraform, MIT Technology Review, Grist, Little Blue Marble, The New Accelerator, StarShipSofa and m ... Show More
1h 37m