Resisting Dystopia | Becky Chambers & Annalee Newitz

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation between two Hugo award-winning science fiction authors, Becky Chambers and Annalee Newitz. Known for challenging classic science fiction tropes such as war, violence, and colonialism, both authors create vivid and immersive worlds that are filled with non-human persons, peace, and a subtle sense of hope. The authors will discuss what it means to take these alternative themes seriously, delve into their writing & world building process, and explore how science fiction can help us imagine new futures that can make sense of our current civilizational struggles.
Annalee Newitz is a science journalist and author. Their novel Autonomous won the Lambda Literary Award, and their nonfiction book Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age was a national bestseller. The Washington Post called their latest novel, The Terraformers, “a dazzling look at the distant future.” They are also the co-host of the Hugo Award-winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct. With a focus on the social and political implications of technological change, Newitz has become one of the leading voices in contemporary science fiction.
Becky Chambers is a Hugo-Award winning science fiction author of the Wayfarers series and the Monk and Robot novellas. Her writing is characterized by a deep empathy for her characters and a keen sensitivity to the ways in which our relationships with others shape who we are. Through her novels, Chambers has crafted richly imagined worlds that challenge our assumptions about gender, race, and sexuality, and explore the possibilities and perils of technological progress.
"Resisting Dystopia" was given on April 18, 02023 as part of The Long Now Foundation's “Conversations at The Interval” Salon Talks. These hour long talks are recorded live at The Interval, our bar, cafe, & museum in San Francisco. Since 02014 this series has presented artists, authors, entrepreneurs, scientists (and more) taking a long-term perspective on subjects like art, design, history, nature, technology, and time. To follow the talks, you can:
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[@mobiwarren]

That was so refreshing a conversation!

[@marysusanknauss7107]

Thank you for reminding us that our imagination becomes the future. Imagining is fun. Imagining with another is a fun game. And a band.happens/

[@czperiod2576]

Well done. The concepts of Jack Vance's "Dying Earth" thing have been around since the 1950's, so this is nothing new. Still disaster stories and train wrecks sell because they strike something deep in our psyche.

[@katmusswoodwind]

This is a talk I didn't realise I needed to see

[@Philbart999]

Really enjoyed this discussion

[@_ARCATEC_]

💓

[@user-ws5zu8jt8c]

Just read, or rather listened to Angry Planet, and so enjoyed it. It's the opposite of every Warhammer 40kk. Or even worse, The Dark Forest/Three body problem.... the idea that intelligence is an evolutionary dead end (and that is the horrible solution to the Fermi paradox) . I would name the Watt (Blindsight and so on) the most... like somehow real. But it's so dark. I wish for the future like Angry Planet. I wish for a future that is like Angry Planet.

[@TimBradleyFromOz]

Very interesting. The white/male jabs were petty if not predictable, but as a fan of Chamber's work she a gets a pass for me. Plus the core ideas were dealt with well with some great points made. Well done guys.

[@cedarmoss7173]

She gets a pass . . . You’re silly

[@zero2005uk]

Interesting conversation. I was wondering when the topic of gayness would surface and it did half way through. Why is it that some gay people feel the need to tell everyone they're gay (or queer)? I have several gay friends who are totally happy in their skin. They don't feel society owes something to them, they just get on with their lives. I really can't abide those who seek sympathy for having such a tragic gay life!
The elitest preachings of two white, middle class, middle income, american-west-coast-woke-lesbians on resisting Dystopia, whilst ignoring the current dystopia millions of impoverished people are experiencing now is reason enough to resist any idealised "topian" future. Whilst I admire the concept of the foundation, many of these converstions are nothing more than publicity drives for recent publications or exhibitions. Thanks. Paul McGuinness 20th May 2023.

[@user-ik7vm1kt6q]

I think your prejudice shines through the moment you see anyone as "plastering" their sexualities. This is a common response of outside people that observe marginalized groups in their protected communities, and don't understand it, resorting to plain ignorance. Groups of people that have been oppressed over the course of history need time to assimilate into public view and finally be seen as "normal". This results in the creation of private communities, where a separate culture is formed. Can you imagine how pleasant it must feel to finally be able to admit your identity to the world after years of not doing so? Do you expect homosexuals to immediately act the norm, whilst still under a lot of hatred and misconception? Gay culture seems separate and absurd to the outsider because they are two branches of social culture that have grown apart. When they meet, all you can do is accept and learn about this foreign group that means you no harm, just as you did the concept of homosexuality itself. Society does "owe" a change and acclimatisation to those it has shut out, but this in no way should mean an annoyance to you personally. Your friends have likely recieved backlash for their sexualities and responded by toning that culture/part of them down for heterosexual convenience, and you praise them for abandoning self-expression in favor of being liked.

[@flavoredwallpaper]

You probably watched this video just WAITING for someone to say the word "gay" so you could pounce on here with your stupid, useless, uninteresting comment.

[@LBelacquax]

@@user-ik7vm1kt6q Very well said, I really appreciate you taking the time to thoughtfully explain this

[@psikeyhackr6914]

Daemon and Freedom by Daniel Suarez
Blows them away.

[@revalationrevaltion9291]

If yous believed in cov scam then yous are living in shadows of dystopia unless you'd refused the jab

[@seraphim95]

Heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of the Lord will never pass away.

[@Orange_684]

If you had watched the video and you had listened you would’ve noticed that most of what these two authors say align with your morals as a Christian.

[@angelozachos8777]

@22:30
“TECHNOLOGY IS JUST TOOLS”.
😵😵😵
That’s where these 2 presenters lost me completely .
You have to be very unread to make that statement … and with such conviction ! 🙄

[@CrimsonLegacy]

Could you elaborate?

[@user-ik7vm1kt6q]

well, can you think of technology that isn't made just to be a tool to achieve something??

[@Orange_684]

What do you think tools are for?

[@richardkennedy8481]

Less laughing would have been better.

[@DasCube01]

They've just spent an hour talking about enjoying/appreciating the small things in life and how it's important to acknowledge the good and the bad... A laugh here and there whilst discussing glum dystopia is important.

[@gio-iu7ir]

??????