Midwest Futures

In a first-of-its-kind anthology, 30 emerging and established voices of science-fiction, fantasy, and horror tell fresh new narratives of environmental and social transformation set in the American Midwest! Corn-fueled rocket ships! A jungle in Minneapolis! A Kansas City on Mars! Marshy suburbs! Tourist-trap family farms! A popcorn apocalypse!

With insight and empathy, each creator offers responses to the turbulence of 21st century life, work, environment, and place. Through considerations of real-world challenges-including climate change, drought, wildfire, flood, and social isolation-they provide stories of resilience and growth.

"The best anthologies result in a collaborative act of magic and alchemy-writers become a generative hive-mind of possibilities," writes anthology editor Randy Brown. "Our contributors cultivated new visions and interpretations of the American Midwest's character, population, and landscape. By winnowing the chaff of old geographic and cultural stereotypes, they achieved a bumper crop of narrative prospects!"

To inspire and motivate further explorations, the anthology includes a special bonus section of 7 discussion-starters and prompts, for use in workshops, book clubs, classrooms, and other gatherings. Each prompt is based on a selection of stories and poems found in the anthology!