Ian McMillan presents the first in a series of Verb visits to the future, asking whether we need new words, new plots and new genres to help us think about it creatively.

The BBC has signed up to a climate pledge which presents an exciting opportunity for new writing (it is pledging to make sure its visions of the future aren’t simply dystopian ones, to recognise other visions, fair and balanced ones, sustainable and informed by the science ). To explore this opportunity we are first joined by the ecological philosopher and green activist Rupert Read to discuss 'thrutopianism', and by the writer and artist Alistair Gentry who has brought his flying saucer along to the studio.

In the second half of this show we do a deep time dive into the work of one of America’s greatest visionary poets – Jorie Graham - and hear new poetry from her collection 'To 2040' (Carcanet)

BBC Climate Change Pledge

Rupert Read

Alistair Gentry