Speaking of L.M. Montgomery, last month we traveled to Prince Edward Island and I got to see the house the author was born in as well as the house that inspired her to write Anne of Green Gables, a favorite childhood story. That got me thinking: how many writers are strongly influenced by place? What if that place is in nature or a rural area? I think a lot of eco-fiction authors can tick that checkbox, and from the many interviews I’ve conducted, it seems to be a unanimous thing.
Speaking of interviews, I am forever grateful to all the people I’ve interviewed or who have in some way contributed to the website. See all the 114 (so far) contributors here. Their voices flesh out the content at Dragonfly.eco, so thanks to all of them.
Support Us!
I’ve added a Support Us link to Dragonfly. I don’t ask for donations and will never put content behind a paywall or install ads or annoying pop-ups. But ever since our move to Nova Scotia, I’ve expanded my Dragonfly Pub business to include book review and editorial services to help pay for image licensing, server costs, domain registration, Discord administration, Canva registration, and books needed for interviews. I’m also a publisher of rewilded fiction. So check it out!
In Our News
For the October World Eco-fiction spotlight, I head virtually to Alberta and talk with Premee Mohamed about her newest novel, The Annual Migration of Clouds. Waubgeshig Rice, another favorite Canadian author (Moon of the Crusted Snow), said of Clouds: “A riveting look at a dire future. The climate crisis is real, and The Annual Migration of Clouds is a must-read fiction.”
In the Rewilding Our Stories Discord, our membership has grown to over 150, and we've just finished voting on our next book club read. The winner is Matt Bell's Appleseed. It's not too late to get started because some people in the UK and Australia are waiting for the book to arrive. We should start reading in the first week of November. To join, see https://discord.com/invite/txgJNVg. (It's helpful to create a Discord account first.) Once you arrive there, be sure to follow the directions to join. It's pretty easy. Just post something about yourself in the #introduce-yourself channel. This is to keep the group semi-private.
I've recently hinted about my newest book, a children's illustrated alphabet book out on November 26! The Adventures of Finn Wilder is a new series focused on outdoor adventures, bringing the beauty and importance of nature into children’s lives while also educating and inspiring them. The first book, Finn’s Tree Alphabet, goes A-Z with different trees from all over the world. Descriptions elicit wonder as well as laughter. Let me know if you need a review copy.
We don't have a new indie corner spotlight out this month, as the series depends on new authors contacting me about their books--so, yeah, do that! Your book should have some notability and be published by an independent press. It's all free promotion.
A new Backyard Wildlife series is available to read. Read my thoughts about coyotes, corn, and turning leaves--and my favorite season, autumn.
I talk with Yanas Chewns, of Geekoscopy, about Dragonfly.eco and the concept of eco-fiction.
Check our Climate and Ecological Films section for some new movies/docs out this late summer and fall: The remake of Dune of course(!), plus Fever Dream (the novel by Samanta Schweblin was excellent!), The Dead Don't Die (remarkable ensemble cast and environmental commentary in this deadpan comedy), and Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror--a wonderful exploration of how natural landscape manifests in what's known as folk horror. See “Other News,” below for more.
I’ve been hearing more and more about new solarpunk resources lately, a unique and interesting genre that has really come into its own. Follow us on Discord (see link above) to get involved with discussions and find a lot of resources on solarpunk. To find out more, you can read my interview with Adam Flynn, an early writer in the genre’s history, from Arizona State University’s Hieroglyph initiative. Also, check out my talk with Fábio Fernandes, who translated Solarpunk – Histórias Ecológicas e Fantásticas em um Mundo Sustentável, by Gerson Lodi-Riberio, into English from Portuguese for Word Weaver Press.
In Other News
Want to join a solarpunk writer's workshop? The Kingston Frontenac Public Library is offering such a workshop on Zoom with local author Jerri Jerreat. "This writing workshop will focus on creating a convincing future in solarpunk, a type of eco-fiction set in a future where we’ve somehow managed to deal with today’s global environmental crisis."
Solarpunk Magazine is a new mag envisioning a new world, with a successful kickstarter out now. They are accepting submissions for their first issue between November 1-14. “Solarpunk Magazine is publishing utopian science fiction, working against dystopia, so more power to them. Kick ass and use hope like a club to beat back the pessimists." -Kim Stanley Robinson. An interview with KSR will be in their first issue as well.
Pedro Neves Marques at E-flux Journal speaks to Anishinaabe cultural critic Grace Dillon, who talks about key concepts within Indigenous-led science fiction and offers a genealogy of the term “Indigenous Futurisms.”
A global planetary danger, an attack on the environment that seems inexorable, with the only hope placed in a mission to heaven. These are the assumptions of The Prism, the first complete graphic novel for Matteo De Longis, an eco-fiction that recalls concepts and situations of the most classic science fiction. See Fumetto Logica (Italian) for more.
Both Grist and Outside Magazine have been focused lately on climate change and ecologically based fiction. Check them out!
According to the Manila Times, Penguin is publishing an eco-fiction anthology titled Revenge of Gaia.
Nnedi Okorafor talks about science fiction and the future of Africa. We should not assume that future Africa won't lead or even won't exist, she states.
Ursula K. LeGuin's novel The Dispossessed is being adapted by film! See Tor.com for more information.
Samanta Schweblin's Fever Dream has been adapted to film and came out on Netflix on October 13. See the trailer. I rate this movie a 5/5. It's incredibly well adapted and captures the mood and mystery of the novel.
Dune is coming October 21. Check out the trailer here.
Several new novels are out and look exciting. Here are some I am reading or looking forward to: Matrix by Lauren Groff, The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney, The Body Scout by Lincoln Michel, Harrow by Joy Williams, Dreamtime by Venetia Welby, Bewilderment by Richard Powers, and Darklands by Arnav Das Sharma.
Resources
In case you’ve missed these exciting resources at Dragonfly, which are constantly being updated, check ‘em out!
World’s biggest playlist? Our environmental/nature song-of-the-week playlist, which goes back to 2015.
List of eco/climate films and documentaries
Eco-fiction links and resources
Book database (with nearly 900 titles)
Turning the Tide: The Youngest Generation (fiction aimed toward children, teens, and young adults)
Indie Corner: New as of mid-2020, we give a hats off to authors who publish independently
Backyard Wildlife: A new-ish hidden gem exploring how we are rewilding our own backyard and meadow
Artists & Climate Change. This is an extraordinary resource delving into all kinds of the arts focused on climate change. For a while now they’ve been rerunning my world eco-fiction spotlights. Recently they’ve made me a core writer for their team, and I’m both honored and grateful. Look for my “Wild Authors” series there.
Copyright 2024 Mary Woodbury