This is a collection of articles on science fiction culture, community, and social issues. Originally called ‘Sage Scifi,’ the name has changed but the intent is still the same – Science fiction is a weapon in the war against our dystopian reality. It’s still important to me that science fiction continue as an authentic, inclusive genre and community for other kids like me who need a place to go, to be, and to grow.
Whoa – scary news this week – let’s use this moment personally: Be Rich, Live Poor. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next thirty to ninety days, but I do know something about surviving tough times. There’s a brilliant Aussie phrase: Doing it tough. They’ve been using it for over a hundred…
I’m in a ‘Trust Your Struggle’ moment right now. Bene Brown’s ‘You can’t skip Day Two’ aphorism applies to GSBCW and other projects I’m working on and all I can do is trust my struggle. We’ve done the heavy leg work to set up a worldwide silent reading club and I’ve done all I can…
Needs As a scifi though leader, compassion is a passion. Take a step back from the news and think about that word for a second – compassion. Similar to empathy, compassion is a sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it, and boy are we missing both in the Year of…
Happy Monday – let’s talk about scifi and bridging the world of Weird Nerds. Science fiction can’t exist without ‘weird nerds,’ but weird nerds can’t exist without understanding how to co-exist with the world. How do we bridge between them? Who or what, you ask, is a ‘weird nerd?’ All good questions. This recent article…
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Time to get my rant on – Giant Freakin Robot released a scifi essay that misses the point about ‘what’s wrong with science fiction.’ I guess it’s to be expected – science fiction is in a troubled state – you’d have to be blind not to see it. What bothers me is that GFR projects…
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What is cowardice? Would you recognize a coward if you saw one? What’s the difference between a hero and a coward, between cowardice and heroism? Does our modern science fiction unlock our inner heroes or is it enabling our cowardice? I wrestled with those questions over the three-day weekend. Now I’m jotting down some notes…
If you can understand why I’d say ‘no’ to a protein shake made with one drop of poison, you can understand why I’m talking about toxic influencers. All the mental gymnastics in the world can’t change the fact that vitality and venom don’t belong in the same sentence. Solarpunk, green tech, sustainability, and even science…
Stand by for some sage scifi: community lessons in a post-Reddit universe. It’s been eight months since the Reddit blackout. We didn’t know what to expect last June, but we did know that Reddit jumped the shark of Internet relevance. They shut down third party apps, introduced API pricing, and crushed the biggest protest in…
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Some important ‘Sage Scifi’ advice: we should be people who treat kids like people. If we want to live in a world where we get to be mature, enjoy civilized discourse, and anti-racist, then we must acknowledge our responsibility to be persons that young people can feel safe talking to. Let me tell you what…
Today’s wake-up call comes in the form of this letter – Dear Jackson, face everything and recover. Up and at ’em, wipe the sleep outta your eyes. When you started out, you wanted to re-invent your life. Jackson, without the demons and baggage. Jackson without the regrets and self-loathing. Writing, creating, making, doing – those…
