Worlds Gone Wrong

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This week, Vancouver is holding its Writers Fest on funky Granville Island. When I looked at the schedule, I was so excited to see dystopia with a starring role, despite it meaning I was now compelled to drive across the city to attend (I haven’t shared much about moving to the city yet, but safe to say driving in it is one of the downsides!).

It was fascinating. I wasn’t previously acquainted with all the speakers, though it was brilliant to see a New Zealand author there – Anna Smaill, whose book The Chimes was long-listed for the Man Booker last year. Passionate Charlotte Wood, droll MG Vassanji, and the astute Michael Helm made up the panel, with Claudia Casper hosting.

I’ve talked and written about dystopia so much – with students and lecturers at Cambridge, with other readers since, with other writers more recently, but just as it is with the plethora of books that keep coming out in the genre, while similar themes abounded, the conversation was unique. The discussion ranged around a world of issues and the issues of writing different worlds – worlds gone wrong. The speakers were engaging, their excerpts intriguing and they lit a fire under me to do more with my writing.

The tagline of the Vancouver Writers Fest is: Reimagine Your World. I can’t think of anything more fitting for a writer of dystopia, or for anyone at the moment. The world is full of upheaval. Social arenas online and off are full of politics and vitriol. And so many people are struggling, with personal and public battles.

These writers have reached into a troubled collective psyche and brought nightmare worlds to life. Nightmares that don’t seem as far away as they should; nightmares that are, in a sense, already here.

But it’s important to recognise that the opposite also holds true. So long as we can imagine, we can imagine something better. We can imagine a solution. We can escape.

Whatever your challenges and concerns right now, take a moment and reimagine your world. Imagine a better one. Believe it’s possible. And work towards it.

3 thoughts on “Worlds Gone Wrong

  1. Ontyre Passages

    A wonderful, insightful post, Sara. I keep forgetting you’ve moved from half-a-world away to virtually next door. I also keep forgetting my writing, too, touches on dystopian themes, even though it’s set in a different world. Your inspiring book showed me how dystopia is about finding renewal. It exposed the dystopian broken heart and initiated the healing.

    Reply
    1. Sara Litchfield Post author

      Thanks Christina 🙂 dystopia strikes such a chord with me – though it can seem so dark, even twisted, it really is about renewal, and hope.

      I love being here next door! I’m hoping to come into the US next year (exactly when depending on whether/how long I can extend my visa here) through Montana and into Colorado – it would be incredible to go for a walk / have a cup of tea if you’re around when I do!

      Reply

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