Hope, Harmony, and Reflection: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

Andrea and Elizabeth dive into Becky Chambers’ solarpunk novella Psalm for the Wild-Built and explore its themes of hope, utopia, and relatable self-discovery. They discuss Sibling Dex’s journey, the meaning of sentience, and how solarpunk reimagines sustainable futures in science fiction.Episode Chapters00:00 A Psalm for the Wild-Built00:55 Understanding Solarpunk01:57 Initial Impressions05:32 Character Analysis: Sibling Dex07:38 Language and Gender in Literature09:50 Relatability11:07 Asking Big Questions13:37 Personal Utopia14:50 Sentience and Robots20:23 Recommended by a Bookseller23:15 Adapting the Book for Screen25:36 Rating and Final Thoughts27:50 Supporting the PodcastSupport the ShowExplore our Bookshop.org storefront to find the books we discuss. Purchases support independent bookstores and help keep the podcast going.https://bookshop.org/shop/galaxiesandgoddesses References Mentioned: Genre of Solarpunkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SolarpunkAreas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs): Designation and managementhttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/areas-of-outstanding-natural-beauty-aonbs-designation-and-managementFuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roachhttps://www.maryroach.net/fuzz.htmlNew Zealand National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee: Animal sentiencehttps://www.nawac.org.nz/animal-sentienceLate Night with Seth Meyers: The Best of The Kind of Story We Need Right Nowhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UABJH6zLHBEHugo Award lists for 2022: Psalm for the Wild-Built Won Best Novellahttps://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2022-hugo-awards/