Over coming weeks we'll have a series of mini interviews ("minterviews" if you will) with some of the awesome writers in our forthcoming Ecopunk! (check it out on kickstarter http://kck.st/2xGeJ9x)
Next up is Matthew Chrulew. Matthew is a research fellow at Curtin University. He co-edited the book Extinction Studies: Stories of Time, Death, and Generations (Columbia UP). His short stories have appeared in Cosmos, Aurealis, Canterbury 2100, The Worker’s Paradise, Macabre and The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror. His novella The Angælien Apocalypse (Twelfth Planet Press) was shortlisted for an Aurealis Award.
1. Tell us a little about your Ecopunk! story, and the inspiration behind it.
Well, as the story's protagonist, an artist, says, "It's hard to be too inspired by extinction." But still, we seek a way to respond. I found my scholarly work helpful but insufficient. Screams of despair into the void are also insufficient, but still. I wrote this useless story.
2. What science fictional technology do you wish we had now?
I'm suspicious of the dream for a technical fix. We need the political technologies and technologies of the self that would destroy fascism and capitalism and all the other coming barbarisms.
3. With all these scary climate events happening at the moment, it's sometimes hard to see some light. What gives you the most hope for humanity and the world?
The capacity of living things to learn and repair.
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Ecopunk! - speculative tales of radical futures contains 19 optimistic tales, selected by two award-winning editors, showing how humanity can survive and flourish, despite the looming uncertainty from climate change. The incredible line-up includes some of Australia's best science fiction writers.
