I was pleased and honored to contribute a story to the eco-fiction anthology No More Fairy Tales: Stories to Save Our Planet, released to inspire action at the COP27 Climate Conference. But Denise Baden and Steve Willis, the dynamic duo behind this effort to share tales offering a positive vision of the future, have much more ambitious plans. In this wonderful interview with Tom Raftery, host of the Climate Confident podcast, Denise and Steve discuss their whirlwind journey to deliver the anthology in record time to meet the COP27 deadline; the rewards of orchestrating collaboration between writers and climate scientists; and their eagerness to explore innovative ways to reach a broader audience. They even contemplate a Black Mirror style series on a streaming service, where positive eco-fiction stories are spun for viewers hungry for some hope — a Green Mirror if you will! You can find that conversation here:

The Holodeck of Climate Solutions: Writing a Better Future

And Steve rejoins host Tom Raftery for a sequel where he focuses on the climate action concept of Blue Nation: the ocean as an independent state. This creative idea inspired my own contribution to the No More Fairy Tales anthology, "OasIS." You can find that thought-provoking episode here:

The Rise of Blue Nation: An Innovative Approach to Climate Change

There are so many tales to tell in the realm of eco-fiction / climate fiction / solarpunk, like vibrant colors in the spectrum. Green Mirror, Blue Nation...perhaps these can transform the red warning lights of Earth's planetary health into softer, less alarming shades? If folks like Denise Baden and Steve Willis keep doing what they're doing, I feel a surge of optimism for our shared future!