Afterglow: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors
Climate fiction can be hopeful, forward-looking, and evoke change. Read this collection with us and our friends from Grist this September.
Welcome to the SciFri Book Club page about Afterglow. There’s lots of ways to participate: Read the book, join our community space, attend an event, sign up for our newsletter, or send us a message via email.
This September, the SciFri Book Club is partnering with Grist’s Looking Forward climate-solutions book club to read Afterglow: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors, a collection of forward-looking, climate-future short stories. Written by 12 new voices in the climate justice conversation, the stories featured in Afterglow imagine intersectional worlds in which no one is left behind—and where humanity prioritizes equitable climate solutions. This collection presents a new way to think about the climate emergency; one that blazes a path to a clean, green, and more just future.
Imagining is the first step toward better climate solutions, and we’ll explore the roles of literature, science, and creativity in finding them throughout this Book Club season. You can get your copy from your local bookstore or on Bookshop.org.
This Book Club season kicks off Friday, September 1, and you can read along with us! We’ll be (loosely) following this schedule, but all readers are welcome to join us at their own pace:
- September 1-3: Afterglow; The Cloud Weaver’s Song; and Tidings
- September 4-10: A Worm to the Wise; A Séance in the Anthropocene; and The Tree in the Backyard
- September 11-17: When It’s Time to Harvest; Broken from the Colony; and The Case of the Turned Tide
- September 18-24: El, The Plastotrophs, and Me; Canvas—Wax—Moon; and The Secrets of the Last Greenland Shark
- September 25-30: Final Thoughts
Plus, we’ll be hosting events throughout the month! Keep an eye out on our website or join our Events newsletter to be the first to know.
There are so many ways to dive in and participate! You can grab a copy of the book (and support the authors and SciFri), join the discussion in our online Book Club community, sign up for our email newsletter, or RSVP for our upcoming Book Club events. Check out all the details below.
Grab Your Own Copy
If you’d like to purchase a physical copy, we encourage you to start local! Check out the SciFri Book Club partner bookstores and libraries—if you’re in the area, consider supporting your local bookseller or public library (plus, mention our Book Club for a percentage off your purchase at participating shops!).
If they don’t have the book in stock or you’d rather purchase online, you can support Science Friday by buying your copy on our Bookshop.org page.
Save The Date(s): SciFri Book Club Events
Afterglow: Envisioning a Radically Different Climate Future
The stories we tell about the future have the power to shape the world we eventually create. Join us in-person or via livestream for a live event about the intersection of climate change and creative solutions, where imagination has the power to shift what we see as possible.
Hosted by bestselling author Morgan Jerkins, our guests will explore the role that creativity and imagination play in helping society envision and achieve a just, sustainable, and inclusive world for all people. Featuring environmental health professor Dr. Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne, Grist’s Creative Manager for Climate Fiction Tory Stephens, and artist and social movement strategist Aisha Shillingford. Plus, live readings from OBIE award-winning writer and actor Eric Lockley.
SciFri Book Club September community meeting: Afterglow
Want to meet other SciFri and Looking Forward Book Club members, talk about the book selection, and find more resources for deeper learning—all without leaving your home? Our community meeting is the place for you!
This discussion meeting will focus on themes and topics featured in Afterglow. You’re welcome to join us no matter your reading progress—come chat with other science-interested folks about climate justice, adaptation, climate fiction, community-based progress, the role of creativity and hope in climate solutions, and more! This event will be hosted by the Looking Forward team.
Join Our Community Space
And as you start reading, join us on our online community space: the SciFri Book Club is on Mighty Networks, a platform where we can gather, read and discuss science books together. We’ve built this community space to create a better way for readers to stay connected with other Book Clubbers, and we hope you’ll join us there!