Vol. 1 No. 3, 2011
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The Cascadia Subductio A LITERARY n Z QUARTERLY on July 2011 X Vol. 1. No. 3 e FEATURE ESSAY Can Science Fiction Change the World? by Kristin King POEMS Where Are You? by Mary Meriam Three Lessons by Shweta Narayan GRANDMOTHER MAGMA Memoirs of a Spacewoman by Naomi Mitchison IN THIS ISSUE An Appreciation by Gwyneth Jones BOOKS REVIEWED Paradise Tales by Geoff Ryman Blackberries and Redbones edited by Regina Spellers and Flower Man Flower Kimberly Moffitt This Shared Dream by Kathleen Ann Goonan Isles of the Forsaken by Carolyn Ives Gilman X Redwood and Wildfire Mr Mead by Andrea Hairston Fairy Tales in Electri-City by Francesca Lia Block Up Against It by M.J. Locke Thief of Lives by Lucy Sussex FEATURED ARTIST $4.00 Mr Mead Managing Editor VOL. 1 NO. 3—JULY 2011 Lew Gilchriist Reviews Editor FEATURES Nisi Shawl Can Science Fiction Change the World? h 3 Features Editor Essay by Kristin King L. Timmel Duchamp Where Are You? h 5 Arts Editor Poem by Mary Meriam Kath Wilham Three Lessons h 9 Poem by Shweta Narayan $4.00 GRANDMOTHER MAGMA FEATURE Memoirs of a Spacewoman by Naomi Mitchison h 6 An appreciation by Gwyneth Jones REVIEWS Paradise Tales by Geoff Ryman h 8 Reviewed by Victoria Garcia Blackberries and Redbones edited by Regina Spellers and Kimberly Moffitt h 10 Reviewed by Tanya C. DePass This Shared Dream by Kathleen Ann Goonan h 11 Reviewed by Deb Taber H Isles of the Forsaken by Carolyn Ives Gilman h 12 Reviewed by Nic Clarke 2 Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston h 14 Reviewed by Maria I. Velazquez Fairy Tales in Electri-City by Francesca Lia Block h 16 Reviewed by Jennifer Stevenson Up Against It by M.J. Locke h 17 Reviewed by Karen Burnham Thief of Lives by Lucy Sussex h 18 Reviewed by Cynthia Ward FEATURED ARTIST Mr Mead h 22 © The Cascadia Subduction Zone, 2011 Subscriptions and single issues online To order by check, payable to: at: www.thecsz.com Aqueduct Press Print subscription: $15/yr; P.O. Box 95787 Print single issue: $4 Seattle, WA 98145-2787 Electronic Subscription (PDF format): [Washington State Residents $10 per year add 9.5% sales tax.] Electronic single issue: $3 In This ISSUE Cover banner collagraph of the Cascadia subduction zone by Marilyn Linden-Bode n | Can Science Fiction Change the World? Essay by Kristin King A decade into the twenty-first centu- when it is watered, tended, and watched. ry, our world is facing more threats than Maybe even nourished with compost and we can count: catastrophic global warm- protected from invasive species. At some ing, environmental degradation, wars, point, if it grows into a rich, fruit-produc- [L]eftists in the US and and convulsive economic crises. And as ing tree, the gardener can come back, enjoy elsewhere are asking: far as I can tell from my vantage point as its fruits, and acquire more seeds to plant. what do we need to an English speaker in the United States, To move from inspiration to social change, do? How do we build nobody anywhere in the world has a plan we need not only Johnny Appleseeds, but the social and political good enough to save humanity from itself. also gardeners, the organizers who make a movements that will In the US particularly, our Left is in sorry plan and do the work of carrying it out. save the world? shape. In the twentieth century, enor- But in my opinion, formed after spend- mous social movements such as socialism, ing fifteen years working with anarchists Women’s Liberation, and the Civil Rights and other leftists, activists and organizers movement galvanized large sections of in the United States are not equipped to the population and gave them hope for form or carry out an effective plan for sav- a better world. But none of these move- ing the world. They have visions and goals ments gained enough ground to become and a desire to get right to work, but some- sustainable, and over time they weakened thing is missing: a dream that speaks to the and also fragmented into a host of single- soul and that combines a vision for posi- issue and identity-issue movements. Now tive change with a complex understanding leftists in the US and elsewhere are asking, of the world’s peoples and problems. [W]e do need visions of What do we need to do? How do we build And that’s where the readers, editors, different futures, in which the social and political movements that and authors of speculative fiction can con- humanity as a whole will save the world? tribute. We’re all collectively dreaming. i successfully promotes the A successful social movement needs vi- We make the dream, or we read it, or we health and welfare of the 3 sion — dreams big enough for large num- share it with someone else. Organizers are entire world rather than bers of people to believe in. But not just often readers of speculative fiction, and the enrichment of the any old dreams. We’ve already had plenty often participate in the collective dream- wealthiest one percent. of the wrong sort. To take just two exam- ing whenever they pick up a book. ples, the US dream of Western expansion But there is potential for an even closer led to genocide, and the dream of the dic- collaboration, in which the dreamers and tatorship of the proletariat led to Stalinist the organizers spend time talking to each Russia. Such collective dreams have given other — hosting a salon or party, perhaps, political visions a bad name. And yet we do and sharing what lights a spark in us. Sup- need visions of different futures, in which pose a reader got really excited about a humanity as a whole successfully promotes story with a vision for social change and [A]ctivists and organizers the health and welfare of the entire world told all her friends about it. A friend, who in the United States are rather than the enrichment of the wealthi- is an organizer, might try implementing it. not equipped to form or est one percent. Where do new visions of a The result, of course, would be nothing like carry out an effective plan better future come from? what the story’s author imagined. But it for saving the world. They Many science fiction readers believe would be interesting, and full of story. The have visions and goals science fiction can be a visionary force for organizer might tell the author of the story and a desire to get right change. They have the idea that science what happened with her idea, and the au- to work, but something fiction can plant the seed of an idea — a thor might be inspired to write yet another is missing: a dream that vision of a better society — that will moti- story. Of course, that second story would speaks to the soul vate people to act, and in that way change be nothing like the organizer might herself the world. I call that the Johnny Appleseed have imagined, but it could be a great story, model. Though it’s a start, it doesn’t go far and it could form a seed for a successful enough. Sure, sometimes you can just toss social movement that nobody has, as yet, a seed down and it will grow into a tree. imagined. But a seed has a better chance of growing Cont. on p. 4 n Change the Synchronicity, collaboration, learning: Guin has pointed out, it is an ambiguous we change our dreams; our dreams change utopia. In it, the ideals of anarchism have World us. This kind of collaboration needs to been institutionalized. In their fervor to (cont. from p. 3) happen more often. stop marriage partnerships from becom- ing ownership, the citizens set up rules that work against Shevek and his wife, giv- In 2009, I was a member of the anar- ing them job assignments far away from chist/socialist organization Common Ac- each other. The parallel in the real world is tion. We engaged in coalition-building, that groups of anarchists tend to crystal- social justice work, and the development lize their ideals into rules, and the people of new theories. On comparing notes, we who aren’t living by the rules are excluded were struck by the influence of specula- from the group because they aren’t anar- [W]e were struck by the tive fiction on our political development. chist enough. influence of speculative We were also inspired by a science fiction (3) L. Timmel Duchamp’s five-book and fantasy discussion group in Chicago fiction on our political Marq’ssan Cycle. Where many utopias called Think Galactic, which was found- development. present a harmonious and orderly view ed by three anarchists reflecting on their of society, the Marq’ssan Cycle presents a experience at the WisCon science fiction region in struggle. The Pacific Northwest convention. Free Zone, another ambiguous anarchist We decided to host a panel on specu- lative fiction at Seattle’s annual anarchist utopia, is perpetually defending itself book fair. Ariel Wetzel, Lambert Rochfort, against threats from both inside and out. and I planned the panel “Beyond The The Free Zone is a work in progress, as any Dispossessed: Anarchism and Science society, anarchist or not, will always be. As Fiction.” We invited L. Timmel Duch- such, it’s a more realistic role model than amp, Nisi Shawl, Eileen Gunn, and Saab a full-fledged utopia.