A word at the outset of this report to note there will be spoilers for the Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin. Also, this report is not comprehensive. Conversely, it is highly subjective and reflects what I personally found exciting and pertinent to my own areas of interest. This means mostly Jemisin, Nisi Shawl and Rivers Solomon, utopia, visionary fiction and decolonisation. As you’re reading the Just Utopias blog you’re hopefully here for this, so let’s crack on.
Continue reading “Women in the Black Fantastic conference report”Tag: #Utopia
Is utopia more or less relevant since Trump’s re-election?
Waking up to the US election result was depressing for many reasons, but the one I’ll talk about here is the stark contrast between the progressiveness I see in contemporary American utopias and the fact that in reality, more than 75 million Americans voted for Trump.
Continue reading “Is utopia more or less relevant since Trump’s re-election?”The Seep: Book of the Month August 2023
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.
Continue reading “The Seep: Book of the Month August 2023”Fictional utopian languages: Part I – Utopian, Houyhnhnm
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
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.
Continue reading “Everything for Everyone: Book of the Month June 2023”Review of Twoty-Twoty-Two (2022): Utopian Studies Conference
The thing that took me farthest out of my comfort zone in 2022 was attending the Utopian Studies Society conference. I thought it would be nice to have a few days away to discuss all things utopian but I was wrong. I stretched my elastic too far just to get there. It was my first time travelling on my own and travelling much at all since the pandemic and having a child (both things that have tied me to home over the past few years). Having to then leave my room and attend events was so hard. This is despite my room (in student halls) being unbearably hot and depressing.
Yes, this was another USS conference in a heatwave, like the previous one in Prato, Italy in 2019 where we discussed utopia, dystopia and climate change in 40 degree heat (Celcius, folks). Just the thing to make discussions feel urgent and hopeless at the same time.
Continue reading “Review of Twoty-Twoty-Two (2022): Utopian Studies Conference”An ecofeminist and utopian perspective on The Word For World Is Forest
My presentation from the The Word for World is Forest symposium is now available online! Find it on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anchor.fm, PlayerFM and more. Wherever you get your podcasts, as they say.
Continue reading “An ecofeminist and utopian perspective on The Word For World Is Forest”Hey Thomas, what’s with the slaves in Utopia?
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?”