Deji Bryce Olukotun

1993. Houston. Dr. Wale Olufunmi, lunar rock geologist, has a life most Nigerian immigrants would kill for, but then most Nigerians aren’t Wale—a great scientific mind in exile with galactic ambitions. Then comes an outlandish order: steal a piece of the moon. With both personal and national glory at stake, Wale manages to pull off the near impossible, setting out on a journey back to Nigeria that leads anywhere but home. Compelled by Wale’s impulsive act, Nigerians traces arcs in time and space from Houston to Stockholm, from Cape Town to Bulawayo, picking up on the intersecting lives of a South African abalone smuggler, a freedom fighter’s young daughter, and Wale’s own ambitious son. Deji Olukotun’s debut novel defies categorization—a story of international intrigue that tackles deeper questions about exile, identity, and the need to answer an elusive question: what exactly is brain gain?

Nigerians in Space

Joshua Sperling

Paolo Bacigalupi

Clark A. Miller

Andrew Dana Hudson

Joey Eschrich

Patricia Romero-Lankao

Elizabeth Monoian

Robert Ferry

S. B. Divya

Ruth Wylie

Chris Gearhart

Lauren Withycombe Keeler

Max Gabriele

Madeline Gilleran

Alana Wilson

Yíamar Rivera-Matos

Angel Echevarria

A collection of science fiction stories, art, and essays exploring how the transition to solar energy will transform cities; catalyze revolutions in politics, governance, and culture; and create diverse futures for human communities. Cities of Light emphasizes that the design of solar energy matters in shaping the future of urban communities and explores how each city's geographic and social features, along with the arc of its particular local history, create unique challenges and opportunities as we work collectively to design more equitable energy futures. The collection features stories by award-winning science fiction authors, working in collaboration with visual artists and graphic designers, and experts from Arizona State University and the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory in fields ranging from engineering and data science to sociology, public policy, and architecture.

A Collection of Solar Futures

Cities of Light

Annalee Newitz

Hannu Rajaniemi

Madeline Ashby

Emily St. John Mandel

Charlie Jane Anders

Lee Konstantinou

Carmen Maria Machado

Mark Oshiro

Meg Elison

Mark Stasenko

Maureen McHugh

Future Tense Fiction is a collection of electrifying original stories from a veritable who’s-who of authors working in speculative literature and science fiction today.

A disease surveillance robot whose social programming gets put to the test. A future in which everyone receives universal basic income—but it’s still not enough. A futuristic sport, in which all the athletes have been chemically and physically enhanced. An A.I. company that manufactures a neural bridge allowing ordinary people to share their memories. Brimming with excitement and exploring new ideas, the stories collected by the editors of Slate’s Future Tense are philosophically ambitious and haunting in their creativity. At times terrifying and heartwrenching, hilarious and optimistic, this is a collection that ushers in a new age for our world and for the short story. 

A partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University, Future Tense explores how emerging technologies will change the way we live, in reality and fiction.

Stories of Tomorrow

Future Tense Fiction

James Sallis

Yoon Ha Lee

J. M. Sidorova

Jane Yolen

James Morrow

Elizabeth Bourne

Robert Reed

Brian Francis Slattery

Geoff Ryman

Barry N. Malzberg

Harry Turtledove

Scott Bradfield

David Marusek

Jennifer Marie Brissett

Don D'Ammassa

Deepak Unnikrishnan

Paul Witcover

Paul La Farge

Eileen Gunn

J. S. Breukelaar

Lisa Mason

Richard Bowes

Matthew Hughes

Ron Goulart

Ted White

Michael Kandel

Ray Vukcevich

Ruth Nestvold

Jay Russell

Stephanie Feldman

K. G. Anderson

Becca Caccavo

Eric James Fullilove

Leslie Howle

Janis Ian

Heather Lindsley

Marry Anne Mohanraj

Marguerite Reed

Madeleine E. Robins

TS Vale

Leo Vladimirsky

N. Lee Wood

Thomas Kaufsek

Michael Libling

In this diverse and vigorous mix of stories by newcomers and luminaries, writers offer their takes on what life might hold for us in the next few years. The resulting visions of war, oppression, and daily struggle are sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying (and occasionally both), but always thought-provoking.

Deji Bryce Olukotun

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