The stories we tell – Fix's first climate issue and the importance of stories | Fix

<h1>The stories we tell</h1>
 
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A better future is still a possibility. A more sustainable, equitable society is still an option. The chance of not only surviving, but thriving in a healthier, safer, more just world, still exists.

These ideas are core to how we at Fix approach our work. We embrace <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/sustainable-cities-of-2121-changemakers-envision-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">innovative, bold ideas that</a> spark the imagination of what a clean, just world could look like, and we celebrate the <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/grist-50/2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">people</a> who are working to get us there.

Simply put, we’re optimists who believe things will get better. But that has been difficult to hang onto over the past few months. Watching communities all over the world <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/wildfires/as-californias-fire-season-ramps-up-unprecedented-is-getting-a-lot-of-use/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">burn</a>, <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/extreme-weather/more-flooding-is-coming-heres-how-cities-can-prepare/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">drown</a>, and <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/extreme-weather/what-is-a-heat-wave-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stifle </a>in scorching heat; knowing that we’re now <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/science/ipcc-report-human-cause-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">past the point where we can reverse the effects</a> of climate change; and seeing that this crisis and its unjust impacts still are not treated as an all-hands-on-deck emergency makes it hard to muster emotions other than fear, anger, and helplessness.

Given those challenges, the time couldn’t be better for our <a href="http://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/october-2021-climate-fiction-issue" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Climate Fiction Issue</a>, which celebrates the power of storytelling to look beyond the current moment and imagine better futures. At the center of the issue are the winning stories of Fix’s first climate-fiction contest, <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/series/imagine-2200-climate-fiction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors</a>. The 12 short stories showcase diverse visions of the worlds we could create. They will renew your sense of hope, possibility, wonder, even joy.

The essays, interviews, and other work that make up the rest of our Climate Fiction Issue explore <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/can-climate-fiction-deliver-climate-justice" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">why it is so important to do this kind of dreaming</a>, how these far-off <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/wax-worm-plastic-eating-organisms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">visions can become realities</a>, and why it is so vital to <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/intersectionality-in-climate-fiction" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">break down the silos</a> of who gets to invent our fictional worlds. You’ll see how <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/ailbhe-pascal-canvas-wax-moon-imagine-2200-climate-fiction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“utopia” for a queer witch in Philadelphia</a> is different than that of a <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/ada-m-patterson-broken-from-the-colony-imagine-2200-climate-fiction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trans woman from Barbados</a>, and what happens when we <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/how-imagine-2200-climate-fiction-contest-came-to-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experience someone else’s imagined future</a>.

Looking for your next great read? <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/definitive-climate-fiction-reading-list-cli-fi-books" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Check out our comprehensive list</a> of the most seminal climate-fiction books out there. And if you want to go deeper into the genre, we have a primer on the various <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/afrofuturism-to-ecotopia-climate-fiction-glossary/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flavors of climate fiction</a> to help you find the one that speaks to (or challenges) you.

The idea that we can break free from our inertia and helplessness through stories and storytelling doesn’t stop with this current issue, which is just the first of many upcoming deep dives into a single topic. Future editions of our digital magazine will take on a variety of themes, from the power of community to the importance of equitable outdoor access, and all will continue to drill down into what a sustainable, equitable future could look like, and the solutions in motion to get us there.

Whether it’s through mining imaginations, sharing the experiences of today’s climate leaders, or discovering big ideas for how we can live differently, we want Fix to be a space that encourages us all to rekindle our excitement about what is possible and to explore the many pathways to making it real.

And we want you to be part of this space. That’s why, in the coming weeks, we’ll launch a new newsletter, <a href="https://go.grist.org/signup/looking-forward" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Looking Forward</a>, so you can stay on top of our upcoming editions and events, and join us in shaping this vision.

Forward is still possible, better is still possible. Creating a more sustainable and more equitable future is both a huge challenge and an opportunity to remake our world. Join us as we explore these ideas together.

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://grist.org/">Grist</a> at <a href="https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/arts-culture/the-stories-we-tell-editors-letter-climate-fiction-issue/">https://new-grist-preprod.go-vip.net/fix/arts-culture/the-stories-we-tell-editors-letter-climate-fiction-issue/</a>.
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