Andrea and Elizabeth dive into Becky Chambers’ solarpunk novella Psalm for the Wild-Built and explore its themes of hope, utopia, and relatable self-discovery. They discuss Sibling Dex’s journey, the meaning of sentience, and how solarpunk reimagines sustainable futures in science fiction.

Episode Chapters

00:00 A Psalm for the Wild-Built

00:55 Understanding Solarpunk

01:57 Initial Impressions

05:32 Character Analysis: Sibling Dex

07:38 Language and Gender in Literature

09:50 Relatability

11:07 Asking Big Questions

13:37 Personal Utopia

14:50 Sentience and Robots

20:23 Recommended by a Bookseller

23:15 Adapting the Book for Screen

25:36 Rating and Final Thoughts

27:50 Supporting the Podcast

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References Mentioned: 

Genre of Solarpunk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solarpunk

Areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs): Designation and management

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/areas-of-outstanding-natural-beauty-aonbs-designation-and-management

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach

https://www.maryroach.net/fuzz.html

New Zealand National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee: Animal sentience

https://www.nawac.org.nz/animal-sentience

Late Night with Seth Meyers: The Best of The Kind of Story We Need Right Now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UABJH6zLHBE

Hugo Award lists for 2022: Psalm for the Wild-Built Won Best Novella

https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2022-hugo-awards/