SOLARPUNK

SerenadesWorkshop led by Meg Winikates

For the Massachusetts Poetry Festival 2017

WHAT IS “SOLARPUNK?”

According to Wikipedia: • “humanity is reintegrated with nature

and technology is used for human-centric and eco-centric purposes”

• “a collaborative social effort to imagine and design a world of post-scarcity abundance, peace, sustainability, social inclusiveness, and beauty- one which is seen as realistically achievable with current technology.”

WHY “SOLAR?”

• Ecologically sustainable

• Bio-mimicry

• Renewable energy

• Near-future science

WHY “PUNK?”

• Individualism, inventiveness over commercialism

• Unexpected materials

• Technology serving artistic expression

IS THIS A NEW IDEA?

• Gaudi

• Gene Roddenberry

• Tomorrowland (and the World’s Fairs that inspired it)

• & the classics…

WHERE CAN I READ SOME SOLARPUNK?

• Sunvault anthology (in production, but their blog has useful resources https://sunvaultantho.wordpress.com/)

• “Fiction for the Anthropocene” from StorageOrgan

• Solarpunkpress.com

POSSIBLE DRAWBACKS & DIFFICULTIES

• Where’s the conflict in a utopia?

• Doom is often considered more fun.

• What next?

WHERE DO I START?

• treehugger.com

• Inhabitat.com

• thisiscolossal.com

• “The New Utopians” on The New Republic (https://newrepublic.com/article/123217/new-utopians)

• Solarpunk recommendation list on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/89580.Solarpunk)

• Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (http://www.sfpoetry.com/ )

WRITING PROMPT 1: HUMAN TOUCH

WRITING PROMPT 2: FEELS LIKE HOME

PROMPT 3: SING A NEW SONG

THANKS FOR -PUNKING POETRY WITH ME!

• Find these slides & handouts on http://mwinikates.com

• Feel free to check out my Solarpunk pinterest board here: https://www.pinterest.com/winikat/solarpunk/

• Find me on Twitter: @mwinikates

• Please share your solarpunk poems!