“We absolutely need imaginative spaces like visionary fiction, that allow us to say, what if?”
-Walidah Imarisha
Writer and activist Walidah Imarisha discusses the work of visionary fiction as a way of imagining a better future, and how organizing in itself is a type of science fiction. She explains how visionary organizing is a “muscle” that we must train, so that we reflect upon the liberatory practices which have freed us in the past and continue to develop them in the present and into the future. Walidah also gives a presentation on practical applications of visionary fiction, including Sci-Fi Direct Action Workshops and the historical platform of the Black Panther party. She concludes by sharing a collaborative Google Doc, where the audience contributes their ideas about what a liberated future will look like.
Questions
- How does creative work fuel pragmatic change?
- What will a liberated future look like?
Resource
- Walidah Imarisha’s website
- Twitter: @WalidahImarisha
- Octavia’s Brood book