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Solarpunk & the counter-narrative: Solarpunk is the space where the speculative meets real-world activism from a hopeful perspective, and its utopian tones imagine a better world. But how do you imagine a fairer society when our seems so prejudiced? Are the solutions to our global challenges in the pages of our books?
Join moderator Yen Ooi and panellists Renan Bernardo, BrightFlame, Wren James, and Francesco Verso as they discuss the creative and optimistic world of solarpunk.
Renan Bernardo (he/him): Renan Bernardo is a Nebula and Ignyte finalist author of science fiction and fantasy from Brazil. His fiction appeared in Reactor/Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Apex Magazine, Podcastle, Escape Pod, and elsewhere. His solarpunk/clifi collection, Different Kinds of Defiance, was published in 2024. His dark sci-fi novella, Disgraced Return of the Kap’s Needle, was published in 2025 by Dark Matter Ink. He also had stories recommended by Locus and longlisted for the BSFA. Learn more about Renan on his website, or connect on Bluesky or Instagram. Grab his book here.
BrightFlame (she/they): BrightFlame writes, teaches, and makes magic for bright futures. In addition to her witchy, solarpunk, contemporary fantasy novel, The Working, her climate fiction is featured in Bright Green Futures, Solarpunk Creatures, Bioluminescent, Solarpunk Magazine, and elsewhere. Her acclaimed workshops for magical and mainstream audiences foster interconnection and resilience. She co-founded the Center for Sustainable Futures at Columbia University and is a member of SFWA, the Climate Fiction Writers League, and Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers. She lives on Lenape territory (Turtle Island/US) with a human, a forest, turtles, fungi, and other nonhumans. Find out more on BrightFlame’s website. Or follow them on Bluesky, Mastodon, Facebook and Instagram. Get The Working.
Wren James (they/them): Wren James is the award-winning British author of many Young Adult novels. Their books include Last Seen Online, Green Rising, and The Quiet at the End of the World (previously published as Lauren James). The Loneliest Girl in the Universe is in development as a feature film with RK Films. A story consultant on Netflix’s Heartstopper (Seasons 2 & 3) and a RLF Royal Fellow, Wren is also the founder of the Climate Fiction Writers League, creator of The Climate-Conscious Writers Handbook, and editor of Future Hopes: Hopeful stories in a time of climate change. They have won the Sustainable Story Award and been shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, Carnegie Medal and STEAM Book Award. Their books have sold over 200,000 copies in eight languages. They are on the Society of Authors’ Sustainability steering Committee and work as a consultant on climate storytelling for museums, production companies, major brands and publishers, with a focus on optimism and hope. Their upcoming title is The Victors (May 2026), a graphic novel illustrated by Beth Fuller. Wren was born in 1992, and has a Masters degree from the University of Nottingham, where they studied Chemistry and Physics. They run a Queer Writers group in Coventry. Follow them on Instagram or find out more on their website.
Francesco Verso (he/him): Francesco Verso (Bologna, 1973) is a multiple-award Science Fiction writer and editor (3 Europa Awards, 2 Urania Awards, 2 Italy Awards, 1 Marco Polo Award, 1 Galaxy Award and 1 Belt and Road Initiative Influencer Award). He has published: Antidoti umani, e-Doll, Nexhuman, Bloodbusters, Futurespotting, Ecolution, The Roamers (made of The Pulldogs and No/Mad/Land) and Chimeriade. His works have been translated in many languages and published in China, Brazil, France, India, Italy, the UK and the USA. He also works as editor and publisher of Future Fiction, a multicultural project dedicated to scouting and publishing the best World Science Fiction in translation from more than 40 countries and 14 languages. From 2019 he’s the Honorary Director of the Fishing Fortress Science Fiction Academy of Chongqing where he founded a creative writing workshop. He lives in Rome and may be found online at www.futurefiction.org. You can also follow Francesco on Facebook and Instagram. See his books here.
Yen Ooi (she/her): Dr Yen Ooi is a Hugo Award finalist narrative designer, writer, editor, and researcher with a diverse portfolio of work from short stories to books, poetry to computer games, academic papers to non-fiction books. Her interests lie in the connections between storytelling and the real world, delving into culture and philosophy—most recently, culminating in zoefuturism. Her latest projects include The Zen Parent (non-fiction), Tales of Seikyu (game) and Ab Terra 2024. When she’s not got her head in a book, she lectures, mentors, and plays the viola. Find out more about Yen on her website.
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