Science fiction writers create stories that take place in the future and include inventive settings and imaginative elements such as new universes and societies, time travel and extraterrestrial beings. American writer Robert Heinlein (1907 – 1988), often considered the “dean of science fiction writers” and author of classics, Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers, referred to the genre as “realistic speculation about possible future events, based solidly on adequate knowledge of the real world, past and present, and on a thorough understanding of the nature and significance of the scientific method.” Effective science fiction challenges us to examine the physical, moral and political consequences of new technologies and scientific inventions as well as aspects of governance, society and human behavior. As global warming and climate change have become an increasingly important part of our collective consciousness, a number of science fiction writers have imagined how future worlds will function without adequate sources of water, the fundamental requirement for life. Frank Herbert: Dune Dune by
Imagining Water
Dancing for Fresh Water Everywhere
During the first three decades of the 20thcentury, Rudolf von Laban, an Austro-Hungarian dance artist and theorist who is regarded as
Chanting the Waters
Craig Santos Perez, a native Chamoru (Chamarro) from the Pacific Island of Guam, is a poet, scholar, editor, environmentalist and
When Antarctica Comes to Town
Environmental artist Xavier Cortada is highly passionate about the reality of rising seas, the loss of biodiversity and how the
Earth Guardian
Since he was only six, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez (first name pronounced Shoe-Teh-Caht), an 18 year-old indigenous environmental activist and hip-hop artist, has
About Tides, Rainfall, Wetlands and Watersheds
American environmental artist and sculptor Stacy Levy is a keen observer of urban tides, rainfall, wetlands, and watersheds. Tide Field and River Rooms,
One Year Later
It is a full year since I began writing this monthly series on artists who are focusing on the topic
The Flipflopi Project
At the end of this month in Lamu, Kenya, a 7-meter (22.97 ft.) boat made entirely out of recycled plastic,
Walking the Howsatunnuck River with Uncí Carole
Although Uncí (Grandmother) Carole Bubar-Blodgett is not trained nor does she self-identify as an artist, her Water is Life Walk,
Pop Sea Art
Pop Art emerged as a movement in the mid-1950s in England and the United States in response to the growing consumerism,