sciencefriday:

Science fiction authors discuss the lessons you can learn from writing about dystopias.

Science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy—whatever the genre, authors of these books are in the business of creating great stories in other worlds that aren’t like our own.

Is building a new world different now than it was thirty years ago, before the internet, 3-D printing, or drones? And can a world that feels beyond reality teach us anything about ourselves or the time we’re living in?

Authors Cory Doctorow, N.K. Jemisin, and Annalee Newitz all have new books out this year that venture to the near and far future, as well as to a planet torn apart by earthquakes. They join John Dankosky for a conversation about writing, reading, and inhabiting these worlds. Listen here! 

Photo by re:publica, Laura Hanifin, Paula Mariel Salischiker, and design by Daniel Peterschmidt