Center for Science and the Imagination | Applied Sci-Fi | Ep. 4: Reimagining the Future of [X] @imagineASU | Uploaded June 2023 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
The Applied Sci-Fi Project at Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination is an event series and research project that brings together science fiction writers, futurists, scholars, and technologists to survey how science fiction narratives can shape the development of real-world technologies.
In this fourth panel in the series, held on June 14, 2023, we discuss “Future of [X]” projects, a growing trend of efforts from think tanks, companies, academics, and activists that use collections of science-fictional short stories, artwork, and essays to help policymakers and the public better imagine a variety of potential futures on a particular topic. What makes for an effective “Future of [X]” project, broadening our thinking and supporting decision-making about our shared technological future?
To learn more about the Applied Sci-Fi Project, visit https://csi.asu.edu/applied-sci-fi.
Our panelists:
Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. They are the author of three novels including “Autonomous,” which won the Lambda Literary Award, and two books of science journalism including “Scatter, Adapt and Remember,” a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize in science. They have a monthly column in New Scientist and they co-host the Hugo Award–winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct.
Tobias S. Buckell is a New York Times–bestselling and World Fantasy Award–winning author. His novels and almost one hundred stories have been translated into nineteen different languages. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Astounding Award for Best New Science Fiction Author. Born in the Caribbean, he currently lives in Ohio.
August Cole is the author of the novels “Ghost Fleet” and “Burn In,” both with Peter W. Singer. He is a managing partner at Useful Fiction, a consultancy that works on futures projects. He is a nonresident fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council.
Amy Johnson is a visiting research fellow at MIT’s Language & Technology Lab and a research affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard, where she explores speculative approaches to technology and social change. She holds a PhD from MIT and is a member of SFWA and Codex; her stories and poetry have appeared in Lightspeed, Diabolical Plots, Escape Pod, and Fantasy Magazine, among others, and she edited the “Drones & Dreams” and “Stories from (Un)Identified Worlds” anthologies.
Tory Stephens creates opportunities that transform organizations and shift culture. He is a resource generator and community builder for social justice issues, people, and movements. He currently works at Grist Magazine as their climate fiction creative manager, and uses storytelling to champion climate justice and imagine green, clean, and just futures. In another life he owned a kick-butt streetwear company, and he would have gotten away with eating the last cookie too, if it weren’t for his three meddling kids.
Moderator:
Joey Eschrich is the managing editor for the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, and an assistant director of Future Tense, a partnership of Slate, ASU, and New America that explores emerging technologies, policy, and society. He coedited the collection “Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities,” supported by a grant from NASA, and “Cities of Light,” created in collaboration with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
The Applied Sci-Fi Project at Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination is an event series and research project that brings together science fiction writers, futurists, scholars, and technologists to survey how science fiction narratives can shape the development of real-world technologies.
In this fourth panel in the series, held on June 14, 2023, we discuss “Future of [X]” projects, a growing trend of efforts from think tanks, companies, academics, and activists that use collections of science-fictional short stories, artwork, and essays to help policymakers and the public better imagine a variety of potential futures on a particular topic. What makes for an effective “Future of [X]” project, broadening our thinking and supporting decision-making about our shared technological future?
To learn more about the Applied Sci-Fi Project, visit https://csi.asu.edu/applied-sci-fi.
Our panelists:
Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. They are the author of three novels including “Autonomous,” which won the Lambda Literary Award, and two books of science journalism including “Scatter, Adapt and Remember,” a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize in science. They have a monthly column in New Scientist and they co-host the Hugo Award–winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct.
Tobias S. Buckell is a New York Times–bestselling and World Fantasy Award–winning author. His novels and almost one hundred stories have been translated into nineteen different languages. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Astounding Award for Best New Science Fiction Author. Born in the Caribbean, he currently lives in Ohio.
August Cole is the author of the novels “Ghost Fleet” and “Burn In,” both with Peter W. Singer. He is a managing partner at Useful Fiction, a consultancy that works on futures projects. He is a nonresident fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council.
Amy Johnson is a visiting research fellow at MIT’s Language & Technology Lab and a research affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard, where she explores speculative approaches to technology and social change. She holds a PhD from MIT and is a member of SFWA and Codex; her stories and poetry have appeared in Lightspeed, Diabolical Plots, Escape Pod, and Fantasy Magazine, among others, and she edited the “Drones & Dreams” and “Stories from (Un)Identified Worlds” anthologies.
Tory Stephens creates opportunities that transform organizations and shift culture. He is a resource generator and community builder for social justice issues, people, and movements. He currently works at Grist Magazine as their climate fiction creative manager, and uses storytelling to champion climate justice and imagine green, clean, and just futures. In another life he owned a kick-butt streetwear company, and he would have gotten away with eating the last cookie too, if it weren’t for his three meddling kids.
Moderator:
Joey Eschrich is the managing editor for the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, and an assistant director of Future Tense, a partnership of Slate, ASU, and New America that explores emerging technologies, policy, and society. He coedited the collection “Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities,” supported by a grant from NASA, and “Cities of Light,” created in collaboration with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
![Applied Sci-Fi | Ep. 4: Reimagining the Future of [X]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3QRTm7zUlGo/hqdefault.jpg "Applied Sci-Fi | Ep. 4: Reimagining the Future of [X]
The Applied Sci-Fi Project at Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination is an event series and research project that brings together science fiction writers, futurists, scholars, and technologists to survey how science fiction narratives can shape the development of real-world technologies.
In this fourth panel in the series, held on June 14, 2023, we discuss “Future of [X]” projects, a growing trend of efforts from think tanks, companies, academics, and activists that use collections of science-fictional short stories, artwork, and essays to help policymakers and the public better imagine a variety of potential futures on a particular topic. What makes for an effective “Future of [X]” project, broadening our thinking and supporting decision-making about our shared technological future?
To learn more about the Applied Sci-Fi Project, visit https://csi.asu.edu/applied-sci-fi.
Our panelists:
Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. They are the author of three novels including “Autonomous,” which won the Lambda Literary Award, and two books of science journalism including “Scatter, Adapt and Remember,” a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize in science. They have a monthly column in New Scientist and they co-host the Hugo Award–winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct.
Tobias S. Buckell is a New York Times–bestselling and World Fantasy Award–winning author. His novels and almost one hundred stories have been translated into nineteen different languages. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Astounding Award for Best New Science Fiction Author. Born in the Caribbean, he currently lives in Ohio.
August Cole is the author of the novels “Ghost Fleet” and “Burn In,” both with Peter W. Singer. He is a managing partner at Useful Fiction, a consultancy that works on futures projects. He is a nonresident fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council.
Amy Johnson is a visiting research fellow at MIT’s Language & Technology Lab and a research affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard, where she explores speculative approaches to technology and social change. She holds a PhD from MIT and is a member of SFWA and Codex; her stories and poetry have appeared in Lightspeed, Diabolical Plots, Escape Pod, and Fantasy Magazine, among others, and she edited the “Drones & Dreams” and “Stories from (Un)Identified Worlds” anthologies.
Tory Stephens creates opportunities that transform organizations and shift culture. He is a resource generator and community builder for social justice issues, people, and movements. He currently works at Grist Magazine as their climate fiction creative manager, and uses storytelling to champion climate justice and imagine green, clean, and just futures. In another life he owned a kick-butt streetwear company, and he would have gotten away with eating the last cookie too, if it weren’t for his three meddling kids.
Moderator:
Joey Eschrich is the managing editor for the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, and an assistant director of Future Tense, a partnership of Slate, ASU, and New America that explores emerging technologies, policy, and society. He coedited the collection “Visions, Ventures, Escape Velocities,” supported by a grant from NASA, and “Cities of Light,” created in collaboration with the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.")
