#climate fiction

[alpaca-clouds]

The history of Solarpunk

Okay, I guess this has to be said, because the people will always claim the same wrong thing: No, Solarpunk did not "start out as an aesthetic". Jesus, where the hell does this claim even come from? Like, honestly, I am asking.

Solarpunk started out as a genre, that yes, did also include design elements, but also literary elements. A vaguely defined literary genre, but a genre never the less.

And I am not even talking about those early books that we today also claim under the Solarpunk umbrella. So, no, I am not talking about Ursula K. LeGuin, even though she definitely was a big influence on the genre.

The actual history of Solarpunk goes something like that: In the late 1990s and early 2000s the term "Ecopunk" was coined, which was used to refer to books that kinda fit into the Cyberpunk genre umbrella, but were more focused on ecological themes. This was less focused on the "high tech, high life" mantra that Solarpunk ended up with, but it was SciFi stories, that were focused on people interacting with the environment. Often set to a backdrop of environmental apocalypse. Now, other than Solarpunk just a bit later, this genre never got that well defined (especially with Solarpunk kinda taking over the role). As such there is only a handful of things that ever officially called themselves Ecopunk.

At the same time, though, the same sort of thought was picked up in the Brazilian science fiction scene, where the idea was further developed. Both artistically, where it got a lot of influence from the Amazofuturism movement, but also as an ideology. In this there were the ideas from Ecopunk as the "scifi in the ecological collaps" in there, but also the idea of "scifi with technology that allows us to live within the changing world/allows us to live more in harmony with nature".

Now, we do not really know who came up with the idea of naming this "Solarpunk". From all I can find the earliest mention of the term "Solarpunk" that is still online today is in this article from the Blog Republic of Bees. But given the way the blogger talks about it, it is clear there was some vague definition of the genre before it.

These days it is kinda argued about whether that title originally arose in Brazil or in the Anglosphere. But it seems very likely that the term was coined between 2006 and 2008, coming either out of the Brazilian movement around Ecopunk or out of the English Steampunk movement (specifically the literary branch of the Steampunk genre).

In the following years it was thrown around for a bit (there is an archived Wired article from 2009, that mentions the term once, as well as one other article), but for the moment there was not a lot happening in this regard.

Until 2012, when the Brazilian Solarpunk movement really started to bloom and at the same time in Italy Commando Jugendstil made their appearance. In 2012 in Brazil the anthology "Solarpunk: Histórias ecológicas e fantásticas em um mundo sustentável" was released (that did get an English translation not too long ago) establishing some groundwork for the genre. And Commando Jugendstil, who describe themselves as both a "Communication Project" and an "Art Movement", started to work on Solarpunk in Italy. Now, Commando Jugendstil is a bit more complicated than just one or the other. As they very much were a big influence on some of the aesthetic concepts, but also were releasing short stories and did some actual punky political action within Italy.

And all of that was happening in 2012, where the term really started to take off.

And only after this, in 2014, Solarpunk became this aesthetic we know today, when a (now defuct) tumblr blog started posting photos, artworks and other aesthetical things under the caption of Solarpunk. Especially as it was the first time the term was widely used within the Anglosphere.

Undoubtedly: This was probably how most people first learned of Solarpunk... But it was not how Solarpunk started. So, please stop spreading that myth.

The reason this bothers me so much is, that it so widely ignores how this movement definitely has its roots within Latin America and specifically Brazil. Instead this myth basically tries to claim Solarpunk as a thing that fully and completely originated within the anglosphere. Which is just is not.

And yes, there was artistic aspects to that early Solarpunk movement, too. But also a literary and political aspectt. That is not something that was put onto a term that was originally an aesthetic - but rather it was something that was there from the very beginning.

Again: There has been an artistic and aesthetic aspect in Solarpunk from the very beginning, yes. But there has been a literary and political aspect in it the entire time, too. And trying to divorce Solarpunk from those things is just wrong and also... kinda misses the point.

So, please. Just stop claiming that entire "it has been an aesthetic first" thing. Solarpunk is a genre of fiction, it is a political movement, just as much as it is an artistic movement. Always has been. And there has always been punk in it. So, please, stop acting as if Solarpunk is just "pretty artistic vibes". It is not.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk, I guess.

[ashmouthbooks]

EARTH IS MISSING! / EVERYONE'S WORLD IS ENDING ALL THE TIME

this spring I entered the Elizabeth Soutar Bookbinding Competition held by the National Library of Scotland. The theme this year was climate change. I didn't win any of the categories (I certainly didn't think I'd win any of the Craft categories, but I thought I had a decent shot at the Creative categories) but I am very happy with how my binding came out anyway!

under the cut is the details of the binding and the process that went into it, plus a full list of the texts included.

this is a modified 3 piece bradel binding - a 3 piece bradel is usually made with leather spine with the spine attached to the textblock and the front and back covers added on after. there's another variety of a 3 piece bradel case where the spine and boards are assembled with a thin piece of paper to later be covered with a bookcloth. I wanted to use some leftover misprint cardstock I had (the same stuff I'd previously used to make paperbacks) and I wanted to print the titles directly onto the covers and spine (specifically I wanted to overprint the titles to imitate the existing misprint), and in order to fit it through my printer I had to have it in three pieces. so I assembled a bradel case as if it were to be covered with a cloth, only the cardstock I was using to assemble the case would also be the cover material.

everything I used to make this book was recycled or reused, with the exception of the greybeards which were new (I didn't have any rescued book boards from secondhand books at the time). the text paper is recycled eco-craft paper, the endbands are re-used macramé cords wrapped in green wrapping paper that came from a gift bag, and as mentioned, the cover material comes from a misprinted running sheet.

a few process photos of getting the case together:

in terms of content, I took care that not only should the binding fit the theme of climate change - by using recycled and reused materials - but the text inside should also fit the theme. there were a lot of considerations there because I could easily have just bought a copy of something like Greta Thunberg's speeches and rebound them, but I wanted the texts to be something that made sense to me. so I went and looked at the SFF magazines I read for climate fiction and essays, I looked for academic papers, and I looked on Gutenberg for older pulp fiction relating to climate change. once I had a selection of texts I pared them down to two categories, fiction and non-fiction, and decided the most fun way to bind them would be as a tête-bêche with fiction on one side and non-fiction on the other, and this then informed how the binding would physically turn out - the modified 3 piece bradel.

here is the full table of contents for each side of the book:

EVERYONE'S WORLD IS ENDING ALL THE TIME and other writings

A Climate of Competition: Climate Change as Political Economy in Speculative Fiction, 1889–1915 by Steve Asselin Published in Science Fiction Studies, Vol. 45, No. 3, SF and the Climate Crisis (November 2018), pp. 440-453

A Century of Science Fiction That Changed How We Think About the Environment by Sherryl Vint Published in the MIT Press Reader, 20th July 2021

The climate is changing. Science fiction is too. by Eliza Levinson Published in The Story, 30th June 2022

’Not to escape the world but to join it’: responding to climate change with imagination not fantasy by Andrew Davison Published in Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 375, No. 2095, Theme issue: Material demand reduction (13 June 2017), pp. 1-13

Science in Fiction: A Brief Look at Communicating Climate Change through the Novel by Eline D. Tabak Published in RCC Perspectives, No. 4, COMMUNICATING THE CLIMATE: From Knowing Change to Changing Knowledge (2019), pp. 97-104

Everyone’s World Is Ending All the Time: notes on becoming a climate resilience planner at the edge of the anthropocene by Arkady Martine Published in Uncanny Magazine issue 28, May 7, 2019

EARTH IS MISSING! and other stories

Earth Is Missing! by Carl Selwyn in Planet Stories (1947)

Climate—Disordered by Carter Sprague in Startling Stories (1948)

Climate—Incorporated by Wesley Long in Thrilling Wonder Stories (1948)

A Being Together Amongst Strangers by Arkady Martine in Uncanny Magazine (2020)

You’re Not The Only One by Octavia Cade in Clarkesworld Magazine (2022)

Why We Bury Our Dead At Sea by Tehnuka in Reckoning Magazine (2023)

[zillanovikov]

Free queer sci fi books!!!

I am obsessed with queer sci fi, because, well, look at me, this is not a surprise to anyone. I bought Cascade immediately because "gay disaster wizards" is basically my entire sexuality.

But what if you also like gay disaster wizards but you are broke? Maybe you're striking? Maybe you're just trapped in late-stage capitalism and the whole gig economy thing isn't working out as planned? (Or is working exactly as planned, which was designed to crush the little people, which is one more theme in Cascade, it is a very relatable book).

Never fear! There's a giveaway going on, get it free in return for signing up to a newsletter. Normally I'd tell you to subscribe, get it free, and unsub, but the newsletter literally is just about giving away monthly queer sci fi so um, this seems like a good deal all around.

I think this deal is only for July? Honestly I'm not certain. But if you click this link and it doesn't work anymore, there's always this newsletter which gives you a couple free short stories from the Cascade universe.

[petrichorca]

Stede and Ed hanging out in the snow on an ice ship. @y2jenn made this beautiful piece for @veeagainsttheday's and my post-apocalyptic ice piracy AU/climate change fic Runaway Effects. Go give Jenn some love because she's the best and I stare at this art all the time!! Also our fic is rated E for Explicit because, well, obviously they do more than just cuddle for warmth. ;)

[thrivingisthegoal]

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Grist 2200 is an amazing site to read climate fiction stories! They host a competition every year for climate fiction, and the winners they choose are really spectacular, and they're great reads. You can find the stories here.

Grist on its own is already gorgeous reporting on climate, and it's non-profit journalism, so make sure they're in your rotation as well.

[fuchsschatten]

✨Earthflown by Frances Wren

(releases on April 16th)

When Ethan saves the life of a firestarter, it's nothing unusual. He's the only healer on call at the hospital – and that gunshot wound isn't going to regenerate itself. But his patient turns out to be Corinna Arden, heiress to a pharmaceutical empire controlling Britain's water supply. Her twin, Javier, is a man who (a) starts sending Ethan flowers at work, (b) seems terrified of a secret, and (c) has the cheekbones and earnestness to make up for both.

Ethan indulges in (what he thinks will be) a brief, harmless romance – but is swept up in a deadly collusion over Project Earthflown: the largest reconstruction tender since London clawed its way out of the rising sea.

Determined to follow the money, Ollie is a journalist who finds a corpse at the end of a too-convenient tip. The fate of water - and who profits - might depend on the perennial question: Has Ethan lost his mind, or is he just an idiot?

-- Earthflown is a love story that tries – and fails – to leave the water crisis behind. Set in near-future, post-flood London, the novel takes a grounded approach to fantasy archetypes, where futuristic medicine meets a bit of magic. The Indigo exclusive edition with exclusive bonus scenes is available for preorder now ! You can already add the Book to your "want to read" shelf on goodreads or storygraph as well as browsing through it's very own website at earthflown.com

[eaterofbooks]

Oceanpunk as a subgenre has been getting some attention recently, so I’m hoping I’ll find more readers who love oceanic sff, because I am obsessed.

Ocean Themed SFF I have read and loved

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Tentacle by Rita Indiana

Current Futures: A Sci-Fi Ocean Anthology by Ann VanderMeer (editor)

The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

Ocean Themed SFF on my radar

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Trouble the Waters: Tales from the Deep Blue by Sheree Renée Thomas (Editor)

Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn

Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

2043… a Merman I should Turn to Be by Nisi Shawl

Chlorine by Jade Song

Also shoutout to How far the Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler (non-fiction, memoir/essays) for being everything I ever needed

[hpldreads]

Climate Fiction, or Cli-Fi, is a branch of literature that deals with the effects of climate change on human society. Here are a few of the Climate Fiction books we have in our collection.

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Life as We Knew It by Beth Pfeffer

[shapedforfighting]

Look, I finished revisions on a whole entire book last night. A book I've loved for years and sometimes despised because it's so hard to keep myself focused on a project this long. I've spent the last literal year of any free writing time on revising. I spent my vacation from work getting this done. And I don't know how to scream on the internet about this but I need! To tell! Everyone!

It's 100 collected 500-word flash fics about The Hopeful Wanderer, a character I created for my blog series four or five years ago and based off Ginko from Mushishi. It's far future science fantasy with sub tones of soft apocalypse and climate change. The stories are gentle and creepy and whimsical and kind and hopeful. And the last ten stories tell the tale of the Wanderer and what's happening to the world and the stars.

It just has to go to beta reading now, then the final copy edit. Somewhere in there, I'll hire a book cover designer or figure out how to make my own. So if you wanna beta read or you are or know a really cool book cover designer, let me know. I'll send the content warning list in dms if you beta read so you're not surprised.

Anyway, I'm both buzzed and relieved to have reached this point. This monster of a project is getting done. Holy schmoly, it's gonna happen.

[runningfrompirates]

I wrote a collection of poetry for my 299 environmental science class Climate Change in Film and Literature.

Its a Onceler x Lorax Destiel fic kind of, its very transformative. anyway, I'm pretty happy with maybe half of the poems, you can read them here.

[alpaca-clouds]

An Overview Over the Solarpunk Anthologies

I thought, where I am already here, trying to get everyone to engage with Solarpunk as more than just an aesthetic and pretty flowers, I should give a quick overview over the Solarpunk antholigies, that have been released so far.

Note that so far most releases within the genre are in fact short stories. Though if anyone is interested, I can make a list of the novels I am aware of!

Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World is pretty much how the genre got its start. The book was originally released in Brazil and only recently had been translated into the English language. It only covers a few stories, but those are a bit longer than your average short story to make up for it.

Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation has been quoted by many writers in the genre to have been a massive inspiration to them. The stories are very diverse and cover lots of ground.

Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology is probably the weirdest out of this bunch. While all of the other anthologies mostly focus on either SciFi settings or stories set in the here and now, Wings of Renewal mixes Solarpunk with Fantasy elements. At times those stories are SciFi, too, at times they are really mostly fantastical.

Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers explores a wide variety of Solarpunk settings, some hopeful, some less optimistic. It is mostly set in warm and hot scenarios, though those can also vary quite a bit.

Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Winters then went ahead as a "sequel" of sorts to explore the concept of Solarpunk in colder climates.

Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures has probably to be my favorite one from the anthologies edited by Sarena Udaberri. It explores how humans and animals can live together in Urban settings. And once again, the stories vary from those set in a more futuristic and a more present setting a lot.

Fighting for the Future is the most recent of those anthologies, as it has only released last month. (And yes, this also means: I have not yet read it at all.) It features stories of Cyberpunk and Solarpunk futures - as well as stories where both intertwine!

Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology is exactly what it says on the cover. An anthology featuring Lunarpunk stories. So Solarpunk with a bit more mysticism to go with it. And as this also only has released earlier this year I admittedly also have not gotten around to reading it yet.

This does remind me though: Would anyone be interested in me writing mini reviews to the stories in those anthologies?

[cgaubrey]

Very excited to share that I will be co-editing the 9th issue of Reckoning: a nonprofit, annual journal of creative writing on environmental justice. We love speculative works (cli-fi, eco fantasy, etc), poetry, art, and creative nonfiction. We are always seeking work from Indigenous writers and artists, racialized writers and artists, queer, trans and/or disabled writers and artists, and anyone, anywhere in the world, who has suffered the consequences, intended or otherwise, of dominant society’s systemic disconnect with and mistreatment of the natural world. (-from Reckoning's website)

[ufohio]

If all things were possible, what kinds of technologies and miraculous feats of science do you think would put mankind in harmony with the Earth?

Happy Earth Day from the Science-Fiction Nerds at Kaleidoscope World. 💕

[sanversandfriends]

Looking for Climate Fic Stories

Hi all, the Utopia Climate Fiction Conference was postponed in October and is now being rescheduled as an on-demand event. I'm hoping to organize a panel discussion on climate fic as an immediate response to the precariousness and changeability we're all experiencing and looking for any recommendations for stories (preferably queer) dealing with climate change-- apocalyptic, dystopian, solarpunk, or where the weather might be tangential but impacting the characters in subtler ways.

Would be grateful for any suggestions. Here's a link to the original event if you'd like more background.

[kirstywoolven]

So I'm mulling over an idea rn... Anyone got any clifi (climate fiction) recommendations?

My preferred media would be books or podcasts (but I'm still happy for recommendations for other media!)

(forgot to mention this on the twitter post, but especially if ...water-based climate events feature)

[zillanovikov]

I look forward to hearing from you. Or not, since your policy is not to respond if you’re not interested. But I’m not exactly looking forward to being rejected. I dread not hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Zilla Novikov

--Query by Zilla Novikov