Afterglow

Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors
Edited by:

With a foreword by adrienne maree brown

Hopeful and forward-looking futuristic short stories that explore how the power of storytelling can help create the world we need

“This is a glorious book that challenges our conceptions of bookmaking as much as it questions our conceptions of world-building. We, as earthlings, will be better to the earth after experiencing this book. That is not hyperbole.” —New York Times bestselling author Kiese Laymon

Afterglow is a stunning collection of original short stories in which writers from many different backgrounds envision a radically different climate future. Published in collaboration with Grist, a nonprofit media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions, these stirring tales expand our ability to imagine a better world.

Inspired by cutting-edge literary movements, such as Afrofuturism, hopepunk, and solarpunk, Afterglow imagines intersectional worlds in which no one is left behind—where humanity prioritizes equitable climate solutions and continued service to one’s community. Whether through abundance or adaptation, reform, or a new understanding of survival, these stories offer flickers of hope, even joy, as they provide a springboard for exploring how fiction can help create a better reality.

Afterglow welcomes a diverse range of new voices into the climate conversation to envision the next 180 years of equitable climate progress. A creative work rooted in the realities of our present crisis, Afterglow presents a new way to think about the climate emergency—one that blazes a path to a clean, green, and more just future.

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Praise

“Ultimately, I hope these stories reveal how our imaginations can help build a better reality—not only to serve as a guiding light, but to serve as a balm for these current, difficult times.”
—Morgan Jerkins, bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing
“This sparkling anthology of 12 climate fiction stories distinguishes itself with its hopeful bent. . . . Offering a glimpse at imagined futures across the globe, this is a welcome lift to the spirits to those who may be struggling to see any brightness amid climate fears.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The twelve stories in the anthology Afterglow: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors . . . take readers into the future and across the globe to witness how humanity has persevered in the face of climate-crisis-induced destruction.”
—ZYZZYVA
“The art of storytelling is not only an act of memory and imagination, but one of hope and faith. These vivid and provocative stories represent a dreaming, a collective vision of future worlds where humanity has gathered itself, shared resources and wisdom, to arrive at a place of intentional action, health, and thriving. It is no small feat on the page or beyond to engage in such brave work. The tales of Afterglow offer the glimmers of possibility, the hard choices to be made, and the radiance of worlds not yet known but deeply needed.”
—Sheree Renée Thomas, author of Black Panther: Panther’s Rage and Nine Bar Blues
“[Afterglow] approaches climate change with hope for the radically different futures humans might create.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“This short story collection radiates radical imagination. . . . If you’re feeling bouts of climate anxiety or even apocalypse fatigue, Afterglow will remind you to keep the faith.”
—Sierra magazine

News and Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Read a review of Afterglow in Publishers Weekly.

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Goodreads Reviews