Future Mending Radio

Things could be better. Future Mending Radio profiles the people, organizations and businesses that are already building a better future. Clothing swaps, farmers’ markets, pay-it-forward restaurants, independent authors, repair cafes, DIY bike shops, sustainable chocolate shops and more.

Future Mending happens when we meet our daily needs in a way that saves money, improves our wellbeing and also strengthens healthy social systems -- instead of padding the profits margins of giant corporations.

In short, relaxing episodes, we'll seek out alternatives and explore them together.

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Future Mending Radio

Stop Imagining the Apocalypse

January 15, 2025 • Matt Lie - Paehlke • Season 1 • Episode 7

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