Just Utopias Blog

The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress: Book of the Month October 2023

Sheryl M. MedlicottLeave a comment

This month’s book of the month is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein.

Many of us are drawn to utopia because of problems we see with the prevailing consumer capitalist culture. As a result, many utopias (and utopians) are left-leaning. They explore societies that function without capital, without traditional family structures and within ecological boundaries. This bias has been noted, and as a corrective this month’s book is a right wing utopia.

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Fictional utopian languages: Part II – Speedtalk, Pravic

Sheryl M. Medlicott1 Comment

Part II of this three part series, in which Nathan Taylor-Gray explores fictional utopian languages and whether they reflect the utopian ideals of their speakers. If you missed it, you can catch up on Part I here.

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Triton: Book of the Month September 2023

Sheryl M. MedlicottLeave a comment

Bartleby, the co-op member who had been there the longest, loaned him books, weird books he had never heard of, that spoke of other realities, other times, stranger than this one. Joanna Russ, Samuel Delany, Octavia Butler’

‘And The World Was New’, Chana Porter
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The Seep: Book of the Month August 2023

Sheryl M. Medlicott1 Comment

In The Seep by Chana Porter, utopia has been brought about by means of an alien invasion. What follows in this novella is a loving pastiche of contemporary utopian tropes. The emotional processing, sensitivity to ecological connections, and community-mindedness. Its diversity in terms of race, gender and sexuality. The abolition of money and the police. And the complete mitigation of human-induced climate change.

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Walden: Book of the Month July 2023

Sheryl M. MedlicottLeave a comment

Back in the 1850s, Henry David Thoreau was finding modern life a bit too much. He wanted a simple life, and to be in touch with nature. So, he decided to cut himself off from society and live in the woods. He set up home by Walden Pond, just outside of Concord, Massachussets, the town in which he lived.

Thoreau spent two years, two months and two days in the woods. Walden is his account of this time. The book is a condensed version of events, retold over the span of one year, going through each of the seasons.

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Fictional utopian languages: Part I – Utopian, Houyhnhnm

Sheryl M. Medlicott3 Comments

In this new three-part series, Nathan Taylor-Gray explores fictional utopian languages and whether they reflect the utopian ideals of their speakers.

Continue reading “Fictional utopian languages: Part I – Utopian, Houyhnhnm” →

Everything for Everyone: Book of the Month June 2023

Sheryl M. MedlicottLeave a comment

So I had to abbreviate the title for this one, it’s on the long side. To give it its full due, June’s book of the month is ‘Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune 2052-2072’ by M. E. O’Brien and Eman Abdelhadi.

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How to fight the barriers of capitalism with poetry

Sheryl M. Medlicott1 Comment

Anthropy≠Anthropocene, Shiiku Collective, 9 March 2023, Strange Brew, Bristol.

Carolyn Dougherty reflects on this event, which promised:

expressive spoken word on fighting the barriers of capitalism, interactive visuals co-created by our robot friends, ambient electronic beats with soft rainforest settings, and the voices of those ready to design a world that can be peacefully navigated by all.”

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The Fifth Sacred Thing: Book of the Month April 2023

Sheryl M. MedlicottLeave a comment

The Four Sacred Things are earth, air, fire, and water. Nobody can own them or profit from them, and it’s our responsibility to heal them and take care of them. That’s the basis of our politics and our economy.”

Such is the basis of this New Age-y eco-utopia set in the near future in San Francisco. The fifth sacred thing of the title is”spirit”, and it can only flourish when the first four sacred things are taken care of.

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