Author Dominic Boyer discusses his book 'No More Fossils' and delves into divesting from fossil energy, utopia, affect and anxiety in climate thinking, and inspiration from fiction, scholarship, and activism. Topics include rootedness in place, climate anxiety metaphors, generational differences in technology adaptation, and interconnected cultures supporting green technologies. The conversation challenges traditional views on energy and promotes utopian thinking for climate action.
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Boyer's Fossil Fascination
Dominic Boyer's interest in fossils stemmed from childhood explorations in Michigan.
This lifelong fascination now connects to his concerns about fossil fuels and societal "fossilization."
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Memoir as a Bridge
Boyer uses memoir in his book to connect with wider audiences, blending personal experience with academic material.
He sees this as a way to "meet the world halfway" by incorporating elements of memoir and self-help.
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The Coal Furnace
Boyer recounts discovering an old coal furnace in his childhood home, symbolizing a bygone era.
He compares this to the eventual transition away from fossil fuels, a seemingly impossible shift that will one day feel inevitable.
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Our hosts, Devin Griffiths and Deanna Kreisel, sat down with Dominic Boyer to talk about his new book, No More Fossils, which appeared just last year (2023) from the University of Minnesota's "Forerunners" series. We talked at length about his book, its gestation in basic questions about how to divest from fossil energy and fossil culture, and the grounds for optimism about our future. In a wide ranging discussion, we also talked about utopia, our investment in memoir and place-based writing, the importance of affect and anxiety in thinking about climate, and the fiction, scholarship, and activism that gives us inspiration.
New Books in Critical Theory 