Recently, I stumbled across a cartoon about Thomas More’s Utopia on Existential Comics. More is telling a crowd all the good stuff about Utopia. He’s winning them over with a six hour working day and leaders chosen by the people to rule in their best interests. But he starts losing them when he reveals there’s no boozing and no fancy clothes.
Continue reading “Hey Thomas, what’s with the slaves in Utopia?”Just Utopias Blog
The Solvable Body: Dreaming of a Trans Utopia
by Brienne D. Hayes
Brienne D. Hayes is a non-binary writer and queer theorist from San Diego, California. They are currently studying for their PhD in English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their work can be found at briennehayes.com.
Three utopian things bringing me joy this month
As I mentioned in my last post (the one before Rob Bryher’s article on car free cities and environmental justice), I haven’t been reading novels lately. Since admitting this, I’ve felt more able to focus on what I am currently enjoying in the world of utopia, and consciously taking pleasure from those things. This includes essays, online talks and events, and adding to my reading list for that future day when the book lust kicks in again. It’s a lesson in being led by what I enjoy. So here’s my round up of the utopian things bringing me joy this month.
Continue reading “Three utopian things bringing me joy this month”Car free cities are the antidote to environmental injustice
by Rob Bryher.
Rob Bryher is the founder of Bristol Utopian Book Collective and campaigner for the climate action charity Possible. In this article he argues car free cities could bring about social and environmental justice, and shares his three favourite utopian reads. Rob was an elected councillor for the Green Party in Bristol (UK) and has an MSc in Urban Planning.
Continue reading “Car free cities are the antidote to environmental injustice”Utopia on the radio: climate justice and utopia-related podcasts.
For those times when reading is impractical – chopping vegetables, folding laundry – you can still absorb utopian content through your ears. Have I made that sound appealing? What I mean to say is you can listen to inspiring and funny podcasts about climate justice and the possibility of a better world. Such as these.
Continue reading “Utopia on the radio: climate justice and utopia-related podcasts.”Pandemic dystopias, apocalypse and hope
For all the lols, why not read The Plague during a pandemic?
I read Albert Camus’ The Plague during the swine flu pandemic in 2009. I thought I was being very droll. What happened was I got things all out of proportion. Nothing really came of swine flu in the UK. No-one had to change anything in their daily lives. One person in my office got it and was off sick for a bit. We drew up business continuity plans, but they never got enacted. I, however, with a head full of The Plague, was terrified.
Continue reading “Pandemic dystopias, apocalypse and hope”Five top tips for imagining climate fiction utopias
Climate fiction utopias could be enormously important. We all know by now the horrors that await if we carry on as we are. This knowledge can be paralysing and depressing. What we need to envision are alternative ways of being where we are on the right track. We need to believe that alternative futures are possible.
Continue reading “Five top tips for imagining climate fiction utopias”Just Utopias is now open for submissions!
I’m pleased to announce that Just Utopias is now accepting submissions!
Would you like to contribute a blogpost for the Just Utopias blog? Essays, reviews, previews, audio, video, photos, art, creative writing… I would love to feature anything you write or make about utopia, climate justice and related themes.
Continue reading “Just Utopias is now open for submissions!”Black Utopias, Forecast and New Suns
Hello, how are you doing? Spring is coming where I am and it’s all taking off. Here’s a round up of the utopian books and events on my radar this week.
Continue reading “Black Utopias, Forecast and New Suns”North America: a failing colonialist utopia?
Pandemic. Wild fires. Climate crisis. Biodiversity crisis. Rise of the far right. Sometimes, it seems like things aren’t going so well.
I heard an Indigenous viewpoint on the multiple crises facing North America (and the world) from scholar Dr Kim TallBear at the ASLE (Association for the Study of Literature and Environment) Nearly Carbon Neutral virtual conference in July 2020. It was enlightening, perspective-shifting stuff. I want to share with you some of the thoughts that have stayed with me ever since.
Continue reading “North America: a failing colonialist utopia?”