Science + Fiction: Kim Stanley Robinson

Join us for a journey where science and fiction, observation and fantasy, and nature and technology intertwine to spark new ideas for Earth’s future. A titan of speculative fiction, Kim Stanley Robinson has spent decades crafting blueprints for how humanity might survive its own making—from terraforming the Red Planet in his seminal Mars trilogy to the flooded, yet resilient, streets of Manhattan in New York 2140. Where others see only the abyss of the climate crisis, Robinson sees a logistical and political challenge, famously proposing a "Ministry for the Future" to advocate for generations of the unborn.

On this evening, Robinson joins Pioneer Works Director of Sciences, the astrophysicist and author Janna Levin, for a career-spanning conversation. Together, they will navigate the dense intersections of ecological sustainability, revolutionary economic restructuring, and the sheer technical audacity required to keep a planet habitable.

Looking back on a life spent dreaming of “2312” and beyond, Robinson will reflect on his impact as a literary provocateur and offer his latest predictions for our species. In the KSR-universe, utopia isn't a destination, it’s a direction. In an age of mounting anxiety, can we even find—let alone make—our way forward?

After the conversation, look to distant worlds and stargaze with the Amateur Astronomers Association.

About the speakers

Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer. His most recent books are The Ministry for the Future and The High Sierra: A Love Story. He went to Antarctica in 1995 and 2016, courtesy of the US National Science Foundation. He was a featured speaker at COP26 in 2021, at the UN’s Summit of the Future in 2024, and at COP-30 in Belém, Brazil. His work has been translated into 30 languages. In 2016, asteroid 72432 was named “Kimrobinson.”

Janna Levin is the Founding Director of Sciences at Pioneer Works and the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Pioneer Works Broadcast. She is a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. A Guggenheim Fellow, Janna has contributed to an understanding of black holes and cosmology. She is the presenter of the NOVA feature Black Hole Apocalypse, aired on PBS. She writes books about math, physics, and cosmology, including a PEN award winning work of first fiction. Her most recent book is Black Hole Survival Guide.

Our signature series is inspired by the idea that scientific discovery and fictional world-building can be complementary. Each is driven by a love of complexity, a curiosity about the workings of the universe, and the capacity to imagine alternative realities or entirely new worlds. We celebrate filmmakers, authors, and artists for whom science and fiction, observation and fantasy, nature and technology, intertwine to spark new ideas in science and beyond.

This program is supported by the Simons Foundation's Science, Society and Culture division.

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