I: Climate Fiction w/ Isaac Olson

Yep, you heard that right— Synthesized Sunsets is starting a podcast! We are still experimenting with the format, so please forgive us for any growing pains. Future episodes will feature my co-host Gordon, as well as better audio quality.Our guest this week is Isaac Olson, who is (fittingly) studying oceanography and science communication at the University of Washington. We will be talking about Isaac’s guest article, which you can find here. In general, this podcast will be discussing the role of climate fiction, striking the right balance between optimism and pessimism, romantic art, and how we place ourselves in relation to the environment. Want to be less of a doomer? Listen to find out how!EPISODE TIMESTAMPS00:00:12 - Episode Start00:01:04 - Recent separation between the domains of art, life, and nature00:04:46 - Does technological progress make some human disconnection from nature inevitable?00:07:18 - Benefits of giving plant life sentience00:10:03 - Is romantic art right for the modern moment?00:15:36 - In defense of the sublime00:20:10 - Why are most cli-fi narratives somewhat pronatalist when environmentalism often expresses antinatalist sentiment?00:27:06 - Will antinatalism harm the climate movement?00:29:35 - Who is cli-fi for?00:33:31 - Why we need fiction / "The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction" by Ursula K. Le Guin00:35:24 - "The Secret Source" by Ben Okri00:41:34 - Kindred by Octavia Butler00:44:49 - What is short fiction for?00:46:42 - The paradox of short fiction00:49:03 - Short stories as teasers for longform00:49:52 - Bridging the gap between literature and television - Love, Death, & Robots00:51:51 - Are magazines dead?00:54:16 - Magazines & late night shows v. modern a la carte media00:56:26 - What's the big vision for Synthesized Sunsets?00:57:50 - How do you strike a balance between optimism and pessimism in climate fiction?01:00:42 - What makes a bleak story worth telling?01:05:02 - The media and sensational climate doomerism01:06:26 - Where do you find optimism about the climate?01:08:09 - Recent optimistic climate reads01:09:50 - Islands of stability in The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin01:10:23 - The duality of the ocean01:10:47 - Techno duo Drexciya and the value of reinterpretation as healing01:12:46 - Dangers of viewing the Earth as dangerous01:14:23 - Wrap-up and Isaac's short fiction recommendation!LINKSHopepunk and Solarpunk: On Climate Narratives That Go Beyond the Apocalypse“The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction” by Ursula K. Le GuinDrexciya's Wikipedia page This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit synthesizedsunsets.substack.com/subscribe