Science vs. Fiction: N.K. Jemisin

Few authors have reshaped the landscape of speculative fiction like N.K. Jemisin. In the spirit of the visionary Octavia E. Butler, Jemisin crafts worlds both familiar and fantastical, unearthing the deep connections between humanity, power, and the systems that bind them.

On Tuesday, April 1st, N.K. Jemisin will be hosted by Pioneer Works director of sciences, physicist, and author Janna Levin. The conversation will be held adjacent to the Main Hall exhibition in homage to Octavia E. Butler: by American Artist. Shaper of God derives its title from an epitaph in a religious text written by the protagonist of Butler’s Parable of the Sower—a prescient novel set in a post-apocalyptic America in the year 2024. As Butler’s literary heir apparent, Jemisin is a beacon for those navigating and seeking narratives to process their sense of an apocalyptic present in America.

Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy—the first series in history to win the Hugo Award for every installment—presents a planet as dynamic and volatile as the people who inhabit it, reflecting the struggles of survival, identity, and transformation. Her works challenge the boundaries of imagination, telling stories of resistance, oppression, and revolution that are as daring in scope as they are profound in their truths.

Her award-winning storytelling extends beyond novels. Far Sector, her Hugo Award-winning sci-fi comic series created with bestselling artist Jamal Campbell, introduces Rookie Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” Mullein—a lone protector in a distant city that has maintained peace for half a millennium.The recently released Far Sector: The Deluxe Edition collects all 12 issues plus an epilogue, a foreword by Gerard Way, a new afterword by Jemisin, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the creative process with new artwork and writings.

Books, including Far Sector: The Deluxe Edition, will be available for purchase, with a book signing to follow the conversation. Join us in the garden for stargazing with the Amateur Astronomers Association and enjoy Eritrean-Ethiopian food available for purchase from throughout the evening. Please note that seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

About the speakers

N.K. Jemisin is a fantasy author and 2020 MacArthur Fellow. Since beginning her professional career in the early 2000s, her short fiction and novels have been recognized with multiple Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. Most of her works have been optioned for television or film, and collectively her novels, including the Broken Earth trilogy, have sold over two million copies. After twenty years working in higher education as an applied counseling psychologist, she “retired” in 2016 to become a full-time writer, writing instructor, and public speaker. Her speculative works range widely in theme, though with repeated motifs: resistance and oppression, loneliness and belonging, and Wouldn’t It Be Cool If This One Ridiculous Thing Happened.

In her spare time she’s into tabletop and video games, biking, fanfiction, and urban gardening. She lives and writes in Brooklyn, with her son and two cats.

Janna Levin is the founding director of sciences at Pioneer Works and the co-editor-in-chief of . 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—the first female presenter for NOVA in 35 years. She is the author of four books, one of which won a PEN prize for a first work of fiction. Her most recent book is Black Hole Survival Guide.

Our new 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, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology, bridging the two cultures of science and the arts.

Host or Publisher Pioneer Works