A brand new book club will showcase science fiction literature that centers on climate change, with monthly discussions held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the University of Idaho Commons Crest Room.
Hosted by the UI Sustainability Center and Department of English, the group’s first meeting occurs this Wednesday.
Jace Hogg | UI Sustainability Center
The book for this semester, “Annihilation” by Jeff VanderMeer, won the 2014 Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. It follows the story of a biologist, anthropologist, psychologist and surveyor exploring an abandoned area they call “Area X.”
“With climate change science fiction, you get to explore a lot of different broad themes like risk, uncertainty and dealing with the unknown, but you also get themes of resiliency, hope and perseverance,” said Jace Hogg, UI Sustainability Center event coordinator. “I think all of the themes tie into climate change really well.”
Hogg said he wanted to try a new type of event focusing climate change for the spring semester. After being introduced to environmental literature in a recent English course, Hogg became interested in engaging others who might not be as concerned with climate change otherwise, he said.
“The book itself is fairly short — around 200 pages — so even if students come in halfway through the semester, there is still an opportunity to be a part of discussions,” Hogg said.
He said people should participate because it is a good opportunity to learn outside of class and explore a new topic in a casual environment.
To make the structure as open as possible, Hogg said there will not be an official list of people signed up or pressure to attend all meetings.
A master calendar of all dates, times and locations for meetings and guest lectures will be released soon. The final meeting of the semester will have a free showing of the film adaptation of “Annihilation,” created in 2018.
“I want to make this club as accessible to students as possible, at least as accessible as a book club can be,” Hogg said. “I think it will be a fun learning experience for myself and everyone who attends the (events) to learn more about the climate change science fiction genre.”
Allison Spain can be reached at [email protected]