https://cosocial.ca/@deborahh/113453118480140670 deborahh@cosocial.ca - Now is a good time to (re-)read authors who have written hope amidst troubled times.

These come to mind:
▪ Le Guin (see below),
▪ Okorafor @nnedi ,
▪ Quinn @susankayequinn
▪ Doctorow @pluralistic
… & there are others. Check out #hopepunk, #solarpunk, #africanFuturism genres.

Q: which specific books & hashtags do you recommend, to gently inspire #hope & action? Let's build a #hopeReadingList ❤📚

The dangerous philosophy of Ursula Le Guin
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vRC0cK_MSA0&si=f_0KlfiJhcHEmKeN

#bookstodon #scifi #whatToRead

https://mastodon.art/@the_lemonaut/113090758868834288 the_lemonaut@mastodon.art - Been on the fence about joining Mastodon for a while. Jumped off of it, finally. Hi :]

I'm a character artist, spent a lot of time drawing OCs but also made some Solarpunk stuff, including that one "we would call it Solarpunk" post.

Here's some illustrations I did for the Solarpunk Prompts podcast, with more to come

#introduction #art #solarpunk #hopepunk #illustration #ukraine #myart

https://wandering.shop/@susankayequinn/112445975138970649 susankayequinn@wandering.shop - Readers only want dystopia or escapism?

How about a vision of a future worth fighting for? How about a realistic take on the world we're living in but with a pathway out of the mess?

Someday, they'll decide you're ready for such things. Probably not until readers create another breakaway success like KSR's Ministry for the Future or Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot.

In the meantime, I'm making a list where you can find such things...
#hopepunk #solarpunk #climatefiction

https://brightgreenfutures.substack.com/p/hopeful-climate-fiction

This is a comic strip I've been running on Tumblr. I can run it here, if anyone is interested.
#solarpunk #cosycore #environment #wholesome #funkyfi #hopepunk #appropriatetechnology #myart

Solar, Hope, Cosy, and Functional

I am excited about how many people have embraced solarpunk! I feel great that people are imagining the means to a better future! I am equally excited by the growth of hopepunk. We need to stay strong in our visions of a bright future.

I am bringing “cosy” and “functional” into my work, because it is easy to think stories must have grand spectacles and nearly insurmountable conflict to be interesting. Many movements for change may have had notable moments, but most of the heavy work was done on a persistent everyday manner.

Rosa Parks deliberately sat in a seat reserved for white people on a bus. She did not come riding a horse up to the steps of Congress, swinging a magic sword over her head. She was not a “chosen one”. She did not carry laser pistols. And yet that moment captured people’s imaginations. Suddenly, we all understand that we can have a part in creating change.

Portraying genuinely good friendships that help sustain us while we do the work for change is not only cosy and functional, but can prove pivotal in making our world one of kindness, security, and a healthy environment. So many new and important things can be said through the arts. They need to come from our experience of what is good, and true, and compassionate.

Keep up your awesome efforts!

(from a Tumblr post)
#solarpunk #hopepunk #cosycore #funkyfi #environment #humanrights

Review:

Mindtouch (The Dreamhealers 1) MCA Hogarth

I am a great fan of storytelling that inspires us to create a healthy and humane future. These sorts of stories can come from many different genres. Right now I am focussing on #solarpunk, #hopepunk, and #cosycore. Also, I am adding my own literary genre #funkyfi. This is fiction to do with functional behaviour in basically functional worlds. Utopia can set unrealistic expectations. Good things and bad things will continue to happen for as long as we exist, but if we all learn how to behave in a functional manner, we are more likely to sort things out.

Mindtouch is about a future where animals and even some humans are the result of genetic engineering. The sapient animals were created to perform dangerous tasks for humans, and at some point in the past left Earth in order to find freedom. As such they chose to colonise distant solar systems. One set of humans, the Eldritch, were developed to live long lives. Despite the long lives, they are not reproducing sufficiently to preserve their species.

The story itself is about the friendship that develops between a “Pelted” person and an Eldritch person when they become roommates at a medical university. Part of this relationship is also shared with a group of child patients who are terminally ill.

We do get a certain amount of futuristic technology, but it’s not clear if this is particularly appropriate technology, ie solar-powered. However, we do have alien peoples who have learned from human mistakes. We also discover the wisdoms of their various cultures, as well as some of their weaknesses. Ultimately, this story is about how these peoples uniquely and well sort out their various emotional challenges through introspection, friendship, and kindness.

Hogarth writes in an intelligent manner with enough twists and turns in the plot to keep things interesting. Mindtouch is not high literature, but it is exceptionally competant, and quite an achievement for someone without the help of a professional editor. We can all use professional editors for long projects like this! I felt uplifted by it, and have ordered the second book in the duology in order to find out what happens to the characters. This has all the charm of a Becky Chambers book. I can recommend it!

Peace and kindness,

Katherine