Tag: science fiction

From “Drought Town” to “Blue Karma”: 25 Years of Cli-Fi

April 21, 2019

Last month, book blogger Alex at ScribblesAndStories posted a delightful retrospective of her childhood writing projects. Her unflinching but affectionate review hits all the classic points in a writer’s early evolution, from those first forays into fiction starring ourselves and our friends, to the imitative works inspired by a favorite story, to the more deliberate … More From “Drought Town” to “Blue Karma”: 25 Years of Cli-Fi

In-Flight Entertainment: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Stories

December 9, 2018

Epiphany struck me 35,000 feet over Chicago. Dimmed lights in the plane cabin made my laptop screen glow conspicuously on the tiny tray table, an invitation to judge over my shoulder, but I didn’t have time for self-consciousness. I had revisions to finish. Faced with a cross-country business trip, I’d assigned myself a travel project … More In-Flight Entertainment: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Stories

Do Androcentrists Dream of Electric Wombs? A Movie Review of “Blade Runner 2049”

November 25, 2018

I recently undertook a campaign to study more canon science fiction classics, such as Philip K. Dick’s story “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, inspiration for the iconic movie “Blade Runner”. Although I enjoyed some of the concepts, the dated portrayals of women in both versions rankled me. Thus the early trailers for Blade Runner … More Do Androcentrists Dream of Electric Wombs? A Movie Review of “Blade Runner 2049”

Save One Snake: Answering the Distress Call of Environmental Fiction

May 27, 2018

It could have been the opening for a suspense novel. After a week of almost ceaseless rain, a young couple heads out for a long run, feet eager and skin starved of vitamin D. On a humid summer Sunday morning, even the leafy canopy over the trail seems sluggish. What could go wrong as they … More Save One Snake: Answering the Distress Call of Environmental Fiction

Racing Andy Weir: On Running, Writing, and Being Realistic

March 20, 2018

“What are you doing?” my Laddie pants, pulling up beside me as I pause my Garmin. “Book shopping.” Drawing the cold March morning into my aerobically scorched lungs, I approach the glass-fronted hutch beside the trail. A Little Free Library appeared in our neighborhood last year, and I’ve been a devoted trader. “Ooh, look! You … More Racing Andy Weir: On Running, Writing, and Being Realistic