If we want a better future, we need to stop imagining the apocalypse and start imagining winning. Solarpunk is an emergent science fiction genre and social movement that asks us to do just that.

Matt sits down with podcaster and solarpunk author Susan Kaye Quinn to discuss utopia, dystopia and everything in-between. The episode includes a reading from T.K. Rex's story A Holdout in the Northern California Designated Wildcraft Zone and a vision of what Toronto might look like in 2060 if we built better housing and transportation options starting today.

Susan's Website: https://susankayequinn.com/
Susan's Podcast: https://brightgreenfutures.substack.com/podcast
Susan's Tiny Solarpunk Zine: https://susankayequinn.com/how-to-write-solarpunk-zine

Grist's Imagine 2200 contest: https://grist.org/imagine2200/

Susan's Recommendations:
Metamorphosis: https://milkweed.org/book/metamorphosis
This is the collection that has one of Susan's stories and the one we did a reading from.
Solar Punk Creatures: https://www.worldweaverpress.com/store/p186/Solarpunk_Creatures.html

Different Kinds of Defiance by Renan Bernardo: https://www.android-press.com/product-page/different-kinds-of-defiance-paperback

GET ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN A STARTER PACK (US Shipping only):
https://bookshop.org/lists/solarpunk-starter-pack

Other Books and Articles we discussed:

The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K Le Guin

The Great Derangement - Amitav Ghosh

Hope in the Dark - Rebecca Solnit

The End of Capitalism (as we knew it) - JK Gibson Graham

Ana Sun’s article in Dreamforge.

Republic of Bees blogpost.

Article on co-living.

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artists.

'I against I' by Jedi Mind Tricks. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0qw4HLV9qhjtImWR7oxZAO

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson. Performed by The Union Guitar Trio. Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

This episode looks back on 2024 and ahead to 2025 and also shares how to make a 'Good Things Jar' where you can capture all the good things that happen to you in 2025 so you can spend New Year's Day 2026 practicing a little gratitude about the previous year.

The snippet from our family Good Things Jar opening may leave you with a few questions -- like 'where exactly do I get the best momo's in the world?' -- so I'm planning to annotate that section on our discord.

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artists.

Attack by PapaPedrobeats which is free for non-profit use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rlSfnYf7SM

'I'm Falling' by Rexlambo which is also free for non-profit use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqc9YY1g1uQ

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson. Performed by The Union Guitar Trio. Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

Sound Effects:

Teleportation (disappearing and appearing) by guillermochicasonido -- https://freesound.org/s/667633/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

EXT Siguenza, Spain NIGHT: Cathedral church bells from the mountain.wav by Brett+Butter -- https://freesound.org/s/552156/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Workshop ambiance.mp3 by TiagoDES -- https://freesound.org/s/595138/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0

05769 carpenter's workshop ambience.WAV by Robinhood76 -- https://freesound.org/s/269540/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

The Gift is a small pouch of medicine designed to be consumed and then re-gifted. This episode includes all the beauties of this good earth, plus an exclusive musical performance by Myrtle Millares.

Please pass it on to friends and family. Its the perfect present for anyone on your list.

Eventually, this episode will be deleted from our hosting service, but you should always be able to find it here: https://www.futuremending.com/topsecret

Music Credits:

'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artists.

Bliss by Riddiman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UfI1X-MSig&ab_channel=Prod.Riddiman

J.S. Bach, Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C minor, BWV 1060a - performed by The Alsace Baroque Orchestra downloaded from musopen.org which is a great source of creative commons classical music.

Bessie Smith’s 1923 recording of "T'ain't Nobody's Biz-Ness if I Do" which is now in the public domain.

‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson. Performed by The Union Guitar Trio. Used with permission of the artists.

Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD

Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833

Sound effects:

Eating an Orange.aif by plivesey -- https://freesound.org/s/79211/

Ice cubes in glass by MC_Minnaar -- https://freesound.org/s/365713/

hummingbird strafe.wav by gezortenplotz -- https://freesound.org/s/77311/

20080809.watching.whale.watchers.01.wav by dobroide -- https://freesound.org/s/59197/

2014_10_04_Fazenda_Cana_Verde_morning_birds_7.wav by reinsamba -- https://freesound.org/s/259095/