Author: j.k.ullrich

Author, adventurer, athlete (and alliteration addict). I write science fiction stories about climate change that I hope won't come true, and archive Earth's wonders through nature photography in case they do.

The Real-Life Engees: Alaskan Communities On The Edge

September 1, 2015

Blue Karma keeps coming true. Last week’s an Alaskan company announced plans to ship water to California’s drought zones; now this evening, I watched an NBC Nightly News feature about Alaskan communities poised to become America’s first climate change refugees. Rising seas and shrinking coastlines mean flood and erosion, which may drive residents inland. Government estimates place the cost … More The Real-Life Engees: Alaskan Communities On The Edge

“Dystopies climatiques”: some things just sound cooler in French

August 31, 2015

The cli-fi piece I wrote for The Atlantic has gone international! French publication Libération picked it up last weekend. My French language skills are currently limited to gist translation of old Edith Piaf songs, but I like the sound of “J.K. Ullrich est romancière.” Romancière is a much more elegant term than “obscure-but-determined indie author”, don’t … More “Dystopies climatiques”: some things just sound cooler in French

The Real-Life Nilak? Company Proposes Shipping Water to Drought Zone

August 30, 2015

Back in February I wrote a post about the Cassandra curse of sci-fi writers: when a concept you’ve imagined is unexpectedly mirrored in reality. This weekend brought perhaps the most uncanny such moment I’ve ever experienced. According to USAToday, a private company plans to ship fresh water from Alaska to California, just like the fictional Nilak company in my … More The Real-Life Nilak? Company Proposes Shipping Water to Drought Zone

The Literature Museum: Sci-Fi and Sexism

August 25, 2015

“Think of it as the literature museum,” my father told me when I was fifteen. I was a dually-enrolled high school student at the local college, and frustrated with some of the ideas I encountered in the curriculum’s so-called classic novels. Dad, a veteran English major himself, helped me contextualize the antiquated stories by likening … More The Literature Museum: Sci-Fi and Sexism

Review: “Dawn” by Octavia Butler

August 18, 2015

As a lifelong sci-fi geek, I thought I’d seen every variant of alien contact narrative the genre had to offer, from the invasion epics to the misadventures of benign visitors to thinly veiled social allegories. Even the enjoyable ones often rely on predictable tropes. But Dawn, the first installment in Octavia Butler’s Xenogenesis trilogy, captivated … More Review: “Dawn” by Octavia Butler

“Can books save the planet?”: my article for The Atlantic

August 15, 2015

If you’re interested in literature, STEM education, environmentalism, or just want to look at a picture of Jon Snow from “Game of Thrones” (yes, some culture critics argue the presence of cli-fi themes in George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series) check out the article I just wrote for The Atlantic about the growing popularity of cli-fi and its … More “Can books save the planet?”: my article for The Atlantic