Author Archives: Wren James

In the month of COP26, there is no doubt that we are at a pivotal moment for humanity. The decisions made, good or bad, will have profound and long-reaching implications for everyone on this planet. But I guess a human would say that, wouldn’t they? Because it’s not just the future of humanity at stake, ofContinue reading “Decentring the Human in Climate Fiction by Piers Torday”

Authors Claire Datnow and Bruce Smith discuss their eco-fiction books for younger readers, Red Flag Warning and Legend Keepers. Claire: Bruce, as a science writer and wildlife biologist, what motivated you to switch from nonfiction to environmental fiction for middle grades? Bruce: It wasn’t planned. Instead, the idea leapt from the pages of my nonfictionContinue reading “Eco-adventures with a message”

Most of us have been to one of those meetings where the speaker asks us to answer a question using our smartphones and the answers appear dynamically in a wordcloud on the screen. My favourite wordcloud answer is this one: You might wonder how a room full of AI computers would answer this question? WhichContinue reading “Artificial Intelligence and the Climate Crisis by Michael Muntisov”

Writing eco-fiction for children presents a unique set of challenges. How much about the ongoing climate crisis can kids fully understand? And how do we write about it without the stories becoming too grim and downbeat? Authors Vashti Hardy and Tom Huddleston have both woven ecological themes into exciting adventure stories for children aged 8Continue reading “Eco-fiction for kids”

I didn’t know I was writing solarpunk. My aim was to write hard science fiction, to see if it was possible to communicate climate science in a way that actually cut through, by writing it into a novel, a bit like hiding vegetables in the two-year-old’s spaghetti sauce. I’m a list maker. I started outContinue reading “Solastalgia: climate change nostalgia by Linda Woodrow”

Laura Lam, author of sci-fi Goldilocks, talks to Lauren James about her new climate thriller Green Rising, out now with Walker Books. I zipped through Lauren James’ Green Rising when I was offered it for a blurb. It’s a perfect call to arms for teens (and adults) for climate change, while also being a rollickingContinue reading “Plant magic & the climate”

What is the krill issue, Rory?’ ‘The krill issue is…’ Rory ponders, ‘very serious. Very, very serious.’ Melt by Lisa Walker I’m the kind of writer who likes a challenge. Tell me that climate change is the most boring subject ever, as many have done, and I can’t whip out my laptop and start aContinue reading “Apocalypse, not – why I wrote a romantic comedy about climate change by Lisa Walker”

More than 1,100 people from 85 countries submitted stories to Grist that elevate diverse voices and bring new perspectives to the increasingly vital genre of climate fiction. Whether built on abundance or adaptation, reform or a new understanding of survival, each story provides flickers of hope, even joy. Read all the stories in Imagine 2200Continue reading “Meet the Imagine 2200 Climate Fiction Competition Winner”

In most fiction, environment plays a passive role that lies embedded in stability and an unchanging status quo. From Adam Smith’s 18th Century economic vision to the conceit of bankers who drove the 2008 American housing bubble, humanity has consistently espoused the myth of a constant natural world capable of absorbing infinite abuse without oscillation.Continue reading “Ten Eco-Fiction Novels Worth Discussing by Nina Munteanu”

As a former physicist, my writing is always science focussed. I’ve written a book about space travel inspired by special relativity (The Loneliest Girl in the Universe), a post-apocalyptic novel based on extinction and evolution (The Quiet at the End of the World), and multiple other stories with scientists at their heart. From the beginningContinue reading “Can a climate fiction novel be uplifting? by Lauren James”