“I think of speculative fiction as the fiction of my heart.”- Ehigbor Okosun
For centuries, people have used stories to help them make sense of the world around them, what it means to exist, and how we can encourage others to understand history and places that are constantly being reborn. Fantasy and science fiction are now more than ever a tool being used to combine imagination and metaphor. But what does it mean to use speculative fiction to provoke familiarity and themes of realism, and how are these genres evolving now that the world we live in is advanced enough for us to feel like we are in our own fantasy or sci-fi novel?
This Third Thursday, WLT’s very own Program Manager, Lore Arnold, chatted with Vida Cruz-Borja (Song of the Mango and Other New Myths), Scott Guild (Plastic), and Ehigbor Okosun (Forged by Blood), about the wonderful world of the speculative genre and how the mediums of science fiction and fantasy are used to explore the resonant topics of the real-world. Arnold opened the discussion with insightful input for our panelists: “The way these genres reimagine the world allows for a unique freedom with which to address real-world topics.” This quote rings true for these authors, as they have utilized these genres to express their ingenuity through science fiction and fantasy.
Each author has made the genre their own–from Guild’s plastic characters who only eat boiled chicken, to the brother brought back to life as a mango tree in Cruz-Borja’s anthology, to Okosun’s ability to combine a world of tyrannical regimes, political invasion, and a magic-wielding people, the Oluso. Yet, the freedom of the genre allows them to address the topics of their choosing while building diverse worlds from different cultures and personal realities.
Joined by Lore from the Philippines was Cruz-Borja, who began the discussion by exploring themes, specifically how a just, equitable world is nothing but a “modern myth.” Cruz-Borja uses her writing to explore ways of seeing the world and to justify not just global politics, but also the national and local politics of the Philippines. Her plot and endings are determined by what she believes her characters “desire, decide, and deserve,” pushing upon real-world cause and effect. Cruz-Borja also discusses how youthful her nation and these genres are, due to the country’s growing political influence. She says, “I would also argue that our roots are in science fiction and fantasy because our roots are in the epics of our different indigenous tribes, and those are very fantastical…The huge spectacle of stories always captivated me, and I think that is where I get the direction that I wanted to take my work.” She challenges the ideals of socialist realism with the belief that science fiction can also help “build a nation.”
While these genres teach us about understanding politics and ways to redefine them, there are also moments that Okosun explores that are all about the way stories impact us individually. She says, “Stories encourage us to be our best and live and love beyond what we think possible. Stories show us our voices matter and deserve to be heard. Stories heal and we can too.” Okosun deems that writing fantasy (postcolonial, etc.) helps many of us process things from the past and present because we are still living with the repercussions of every event that shapes the world we inhabit. Okosun considers how science fiction and fantasy are determined by the era in which they were written, because the world is constantly evolving, and what was considered fiction a decade ago might now be a reality. In other words, the world–the reader– determines the genre. Regardless, not being held to a specific “standard” is freeing for her because she isn’t tied down to elements of a particular time or place.
Guild argues that these genres can occasionally be limiting due to the current marketplace and the way we use genre to “delineate” what we’re buying and selling. He also acknowledges how brilliant the elements of science fiction and fantasy are because you don’t always have to justify why things are the way that they are. Like Okosun, Guild believes that the different narrative options are freeing, and while genre can be limiting, it is also exciting, like a “paint palette you get to work with” and curate. At the same time, removing his stories from the real world liberates him because he, the writer, is “pushing as hard as he humanly can” to get out the things and emotions that matter the most to him. The elements of these forms of speculative fiction allow for a distinctive progression of world-building for each author. For example, in his book Plastic, he describes the narration as a “boiled-down latest-age capitalism language,” because the characters talk uniquely enough for the world he’s built, but not in a way that will confuse the reader. Instead of “climate change,” he uses his own term in the book, “heat leap.” These sorts of details are what make the speculative universe so special – they allow for the exploration and omniscient perspective of familiar yet varied presentations of ideas.
The evolution of speculative fiction is unfolding in response to the maturation of our world. We must continue to tell stories using these forms, not only to encourage community building, but also to provide an opportunity for escape for those who use science fiction and fantasy as a mental playground. Okosun hopes these genres will continue to be something that coerces people to learn how to extend grace and empathize with others because this genre forces you out of your own body and into someone else’s. All three panelists want these genres to continue the “community building” that helps writers and readers continue supporting and empathizing with one another.
For more insight into writing and publishing, please join the Writers’ League of Texas for June Third Thursday: “Following the Thread: Well-Researched Writing”