Introduction

Lavar Burton Reads: Mother of Invention is set in a future version of the Niger Delta where an engineered super plant is grown en masse, scrubbing carbon dioxide from the air and providing a valuable food source. The story was first published in 2018 as part of Future Tense, a partnership with Slate, New America and Arizona State University that looks at emerging technologies, public policy and society. It's going to be told in two parts and then an interview with its author, Nettie Okorafor.