In this debut episode of our newest series on science fiction and futurism, the gang is joined by editor at Blood Knife Magazine and host of the Podside Picnic podcast, Kurt Schiller (@mechanicalkurt), for a discussion about Ursula K. Le Guin's rather short but famous 1973 story, The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. Is it about exploitation under capitalism? Imperialism? That utopia is not possible or cannot exist without sacrifice and suffering, but only for a few? In the decades since its publication, writers, critics, teachers, and students have grappled over the morality of this succinct but perfectly vague story. Kurt helps us parse through its meaning as well as response stories, and we discuss his own piece on "Omelas" over at Blood Knife Mag. Tune in for this first episode of a series about what may have been and what can still be.

Kurt's article at Blood Knife Mag: Omelas, Je T'Aime

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Lost Futures: The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas w/ Kurt Schiller