In the future, how will humans deal — or not deal — with climate change and the threat of extinction? Reading the sci-fi novelette “Stars Don’t Dream,” which spans three hundred million years and tracks five people’s mission to ensure the survival of life in the universe, Vivian Fan PO ’28 examines how stories can inspire action.
Tag: Fiction
Speculative Fixations: Once upon a stereotypical time in ‘Cinder’
Reading “Cinder,” a dystopian Cinderella retelling set in Asia written by a non-Asian author, Vivian Fan PO ’28, examines whether or not the Asian representation in the book is problematic, entertaining or both.
Speculative Fixations: A relationship made void in ‘As She Climbed Across The Table’
Do you ever feel like you could never live without AI? You’re not alone. In the sci-fi novel “As She Climbed Across the Table,” a physicist falls in love with her experiment, an intelligent void whom she can’t live without. Examining the book, Vivian Fan PO ’28 explores our relationship with AI and how this relationship benefits nonhumans.
Homegrown talent: 5C alums turned novelists speak on their debut novels
On Mar. 20, four 5C alumni novelists Francesca Capossela PO ’18, David Connor PO ’15, Julius Taranto PO ’12 and Tyriek White PZ ’13 shared excerpts from their debut novels and discussed their career trajectories. The event was organized by Pomona English professor Jonathan Lethem. Excerpts explored themes such as surrealism, intergenerational ties, trauma, supernatural and grief.
Queer Asian Reads: Why I struggled with Nghi Vo’s reimagining of The Great Gatsby
When book columnist Reia Li PO ‘24 first read Nghi Vo’s novel, “The Chosen and the Beautiful” (2021), she had mixed feelings. It wasn’t until she read Vo’s next book, “Siren Queen” (2022), that she understood why.
Literary wanderings: On fiction as environmental activism
Book columnist Ryan Lillestrand PZ ’23 argues that despite its fictional nature, Richard Powers’ “The Overstory” is a powerful vehicle for environmentalism.
Assorted novelties: My year of Zadie Smith thinking
After a year reading Zadie Smith, book columnist Anna Solomon PZ ’23 concludes that Smith’s writing, in forcing readers to take up another’s perspective, is mandatory quarantine reading.