What Could Go Right:
Open List Of Positive And Hopeful Futures
Art courtesy of Jessica Perlstein, titled The Fifth Sacred Thing. https://jessicaperlstein.com/collections/artwork/products/the-fifth-sacred-thing-1
We know all the ways things could go wrong, courtesy of dystopian fiction. But how could things go right? Together let's discuss fiction and non-fiction that shows us a path towards a better, more sustainable world.
Feel free to share books, articles and podcasts on social and ecological improvement of all kinds, both fiction and nonfiction. All the names below link to places where the media can be viewed. The point of this list is to give us visions of better days ahead. These do not need to be perfect worlds, but they do need to be stories with positive and hopeful arcs.
Art courtesy of Jessica Perlstein, titled The Fifth Sacred Thing. https://jessicaperlstein.com/collections/artwork/products/the-fifth-sacred-thing-1
We know all the ways things could go wrong, courtesy of dystopian fiction. But how could things go right? Together let's discuss fiction and non-fiction that shows us a path towards a better, more sustainable world.
Feel free to share books, games, articles and podcasts on social and ecological improvement of all kinds, both fiction and nonfiction. All the names below link to places where the media can be viewed. The point of this list is to give us visions of better days ahead. These do not need to be perfect worlds, but they do need to be stories with positive and hopeful arcs.
Fiction
The Honor Harrington Series-David Webber
The Goddess Twins by Yodassa Williams
The Uplift books by David Brin: Sundiver; Startide Rising; The Uplift War; Brightness Reef; Infinity’s Shore; Heaven’s Reach
A Requiem for Homo Sapiens by David Zindell: The Broken God; The Wild; War in Heaven
The Idiot Gods by David Zindell
To Marry Medusa (a.k.a. The Cosmic Rape) by Theodore Sturgeon
Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon
The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
The Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron
The Celestial Way by Drake Vato
The Way series by Greg Bear
The Golden Oecumene series by John C. Wright
Anthologies
And Lately, The Sun: Speculative fictions for a climate-thrashed world, by Calyx Press
Almanac for the Anthropocene: A Compendium of Solarpunk Futures, by Phoebe Wagner Et Al
Tomorrow's Parties: Life in the Anthropocene (Twelve Tomorrows), by Jonathan Strahan
No More Fairy Tales: Stories to Save our Planet, by Kim Stanley Robinson Et Al
Hope Riot: A Collection of Hopepunk and Hopeful Sci-Fi and Fantasy Stories, by Jessica Gunn Et Al
Take Us to a Better Place: Stories by by Madeline Ashby Et Al
HyphenPunk Summer 2022: Issue 4 (HyphenPunk Magazine) by Jasen Bacon Et Al
Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation Paperback, by A. C. Wise et.al.
Planet Democracy: Stories of Hope, Courage, Unity & Compassion, by Salik Shah Et Al
Save the World: Twenty Sci-Fi Writers Save the Planet, by J. Scot Coatsworth Et Al
Walking the Clouds: An Anthology of Indigenous Science Fiction, by Grace L. Dillon et. al.
Glass And Gardens: Solarpunk Summers, by Sarena Ulibarri Et Al
Glass And Gardens: Solarpunk Winters, by Sarena Ulibarri (Editor)
Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements. by Walidah Imarisha et. al.
The Good Fight: Taking a Stand Against Racism and Bigotry, by Adam Ferris et. al.
Consolation Songs: Optimistic Speculative Fiction For A Time of Pandemic
Ecopunk!: Speculative Tales of Radical Futures, by Janeen Webb (Author), Liz Grzyb (Editor), Cat Sparks (Editor)
Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology, by Claudie Arseneault (Author), Brenda J. Pierson (Editor)
Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation Paperback, by A. C. Wise et.al.
Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future, by Ed Finn, Kathryn Cramer
Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World, by Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro et. al.
Biketopia: Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction in Extreme Futures, by Elly Blue et. al.
Love Beyond Body, Space, & Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology, by Hope Nicholson et. al.
Cities of Light: A Collection of Solar Futures edited by Joey Eschrich and Clark A. Miller
Nonfiction
Blueprint For The Revolution, by Srdja Popovic and Matthew Miller
Twitter and Tear Gas, by Zeynep Tufekci
Donut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, by Kate Raeworth
Remaking Society: Pathways to a Green Future, by Murray Bookchin
The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac
Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There By Rutger Bregman
World Changing: A User's Guide For The 21st Century, by Alex Steffen Et Al
The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again, by Robert D. Putnam
Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society, by Nicholas A. Christakis
Good Economics for Hard Times Hardcover, by Abhijit V. Banerjee
Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by Abhijit V. Banerjee
Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future, by Saul Griffith
Tactical Urbanism: Short Term Action For Long Term Change, by Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia
Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity, by Charles L Marohn Jr
Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century, by Grace Lee Boggs
We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism―American Style, by Kate Aronoff Et Al
The Moral Economy: Why Good Incentives Are No Substitute for Good Citizens, by Samuel Bowles
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler
A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster, by Rebecca Solnit
Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities, by Rebecca Solnit
Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice, by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History, by Howard Zin
Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet, by Johan Rockström
Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant
Unlocking Sustainable Cities: A Manifesto for Real Change, by Paul Chatterton
The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience, by Rob Hopkins
Last Child in the Woods; Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv
How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance, by Akiba Solomon
Time for Socialism: Dispatches from a World on Fire, by Thomas Piketty
The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking by Roman Krznaric
The Art of Community: Seven Principles for Belonging, by Charles Vogl
Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It by M. Nolan Gray
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, by Jeff Speck
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design, by Charles Montgomery
Link: How Decision Intelligence Connects Data, Actions, and Outcomes for a Better World
The World Becomes What We Teach: Educating a Generation of Solutionaries, by Zoe Weil
Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the Twenty-First Century, by Hélène Landemore
Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism, by Mariana Mazzucato
Regeneration: Ending The Climate Crisis In One Generation by Paul Hawken
2100: A Dystopian Utopia / The City After Climate Change, by Vanessa Keith/StudioTEKA
Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, and Fair, by Carlo Petrini Et Al
Nature Is A Human Right: Why We're Fighting for Green in a Gray World, by Ellen Miles
Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer
In Defense of Plants: An Exploration into the Wonder of Plants by Matt Candeias
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, by Katherine May
SUBURBITAT: A guide to restoring nature where we live, work, and play, by Jim Tolstrup
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design, by Charles Montgomery
Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life by Len Fischer
Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis, by George Monblot
Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist
Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age by Steven Johnson
Four Futures: Life After Capitalism by Peter Frase
The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What's Possible in the Age of Warming-Eric Holthaus
Podcasts
Better Life Lab Podcast
Bioneers Radio Series Podcast
Brave New Planet Podcast
Games
Parable of the Polygons - an interactive experiment that shows how tiny individual biases can collectively cause segregation on a massive scale.
Thunderbird Strike- In the 2D sidescroller Thunderbird Strike, players fly from the Tar Sands to the Great Lakes as a Thunderbird, protecting Turtle Island with searing lightning against the snake that threatens to swallow the lands and waters whole.
The Evolution Of Trust- a 30-minute game showcasing the mechanics of game theory and the ways trust networks grow or fail.
To Build a Better Ballot - an interactive experiment that shows the alternatives to the voting systems we currently use and how they can be more representative and democratic, along with their faults.
Coming Out Simulator - a short interactive story/novel about coming out
Loopy - a very simple but useful tool to show how systems interact with each other and how things can self-propagate.
We Become What We Behold - A short five-minute game about news and media. Warnings for violence, blood, death and stress.
Amaru: The Self-care Virtual Pet - A mobile game for Android and iOS (Ages 13+) that supports your mental health habits through a relationship with the adorable winged cat Amaru.
Videos
How Solarpunk Fiction Envisions a Better Tomorrow | Video essay
The Forested Garden: What is a Food Forest?