Yep, you heard that right— Synthesized Sunsets is starting a podcast! We are still experimenting with the format, so please forgive us for any growing pains. Future episodes will feature my co-host
, as well as better audio quality.Our guest this week is Isaac Olson, who is (fittingly) studying oceanography and science communication at the University of Washington. We will be talking about Isaac’s guest article, which you can find here.
In general, this podcast will be discussing the role of climate fiction, striking the right balance between optimism and pessimism, romantic art, and how we place ourselves in relation to the environment. Want to be less of a doomer? Listen to find out how!
EPISODE TIMESTAMPS
00:00:12 - Episode Start
00:01:04 - Recent separation between the domains of art, life, and nature
00:04:46 - Does technological progress make some human disconnection from nature inevitable?
00:07:18 - Benefits of giving plant life sentience
00:10:03 - Is romantic art right for the modern moment?
00:15:36 - In defense of the sublime
00:20:10 - Why are most cli-fi narratives somewhat pronatalist when environmentalism often expresses antinatalist sentiment?
00:27:06 - Will antinatalism harm the climate movement?
00:29:35 - Who is cli-fi for?
00:33:31 - Why we need fiction / "The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction" by Ursula K. Le Guin
00:35:24 - "The Secret Source" by Ben Okri
00:41:34 - Kindred by Octavia Butler
00:44:49 - What is short fiction for?
00:46:42 - The paradox of short fiction
00:49:03 - Short stories as teasers for longform
00:49:52 - Bridging the gap between literature and television - Love, Death, & Robots
00:51:51 - Are magazines dead?
00:54:16 - Magazines & late night shows v. modern a la carte media
00:56:26 - What's the big vision for Synthesized Sunsets?
00:57:50 - How do you strike a balance between optimism and pessimism in climate fiction?
01:00:42 - What makes a bleak story worth telling?
01:05:02 - The media and sensational climate doomerism
01:06:26 - Where do you find optimism about the climate?
01:08:09 - Recent optimistic climate reads
01:09:50 - Islands of stability in The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
01:10:23 - The duality of the ocean
01:10:47 - Techno duo Drexciya and the value of reinterpretation as healing
01:12:46 - Dangers of viewing the Earth as dangerous
01:14:23 - Wrap-up and Isaac's short fiction recommendation!
LINKS
Hopepunk and Solarpunk: On Climate Narratives That Go Beyond the Apocalypse
“The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction” by Ursula K. Le Guin
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