Can imagination actually change the future?

In our previous episode, Autumn spoke with Tory Stephens, a climate fiction editor and co-founder of Imagine 2200 at Grist, about the profound power of storytelling. If you haven't listened to that conversation yet, don't worry—you can dive right into this episode! In fact, hearing this reflection first will give you a completely different lens when you do go back to listen to the interview. In this episode, co-hosts Autumn Brown and Rev. Nicole Diroff sit down to unpack the incredible themes Tory raised. They explore why the climate movement desperately needs more imagination and how we can practically incorporate that imagination into our spiritual leadership. In this conversation, Autumn and Nicole discuss: The Concept of "Thrutopia": Why we need stories that navigate the messy, realistic middle ground between the world we have now and the better world we are trying to build. Prefigurative Fiction: How dreaming about and writing down the future we want actually serves as the first step to bringing that reality into existence. Hope as a Daily Practice: Why practicing hope and imagining positive futures needs to be a regular discipline—just like going to church or taking out the compost! Next Steps: Where Imagination Meets Practice The change we need won't happen alone—it grows in community. Here are two invitations from today’s conversation to carry these ideas into your shared lives: Creating Your Story of Tomorrow: Visit The BTS Center's Leadership Commons to access Creating Your Story of Tomorrow. This is a beautifully crafted facilitator guide and video developed by renowned environmental artist Eve Moser. Designed for adult education facilitators and congregation leaders, this resource will guide you and your community through a collaborative workshop to envision the future together. Write Your Own Flash Fiction: Sit down—alone, with a friend, or with a group—and write a piece of "flash fiction" (a very short story with a beginning, middle, and end) about a future you would love to inhabit. Share Your Visions With Us! We want to hear your flash fiction and find out what you are creating or discovering! Email us at [email protected] or leave a voice message at 207-200-6986. Your insights might ripple out through future episodes. Explore More: Learn more about The BTS Center: https://thebtscenter.org/ Find transcripts, discussion guides, and full-length video episodes at www.climatechangedpodcast.org Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBTSCenter