Teachings from Australian First Nations author Alexis Wright

Sometimes, the truth is best explored indirectly, or through the infinite lens of the imagination. In lands of make-believe, we can confront fears; take risks; and explore the past, present and possible futures. Sometimes, the edges of fact and fiction blur, and the stories we conjure begin to come true. This session on climate fiction explores the prophetic nature of this growing genre of literature and how we can use it to prepare for environmental changes that might or might not come to be.

Relevant Materials

• Alexis Wright: ‘it was like writing a story to the ancestors’, a 2014 interview with Alexis Wright
• We all smell the smoke, we all feel the heat. This environmental catastrophe is global, an essay by Alexis Wright

Quotes

• “Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us.” – Paul Theroux