Phoebe Wagner, Ph.D., Lycoming College assistant professor of English, is releasing her debut novella. Titled “When We Hold Each Other Up: A Solarpunk Novella,” the book mixes the sci-fi, fantasy, and solarpunk genres. It is being published by Android Press, and comes out on Tuesday, April 18.
The Publishers Weekly review describes the book as “a valiant attempt at imagining a future beyond capitalism and environmental collapse” in Wagner’s “intelligent debut.” It praises the worldbuilding, and says that “Wagner’s fresh take on climate fiction offers both insight and entertainment,” citing that the novella shows “plenty of promise.”
“When We Hold Each Other Up: A Solarpunk Novella” is set in a post-climate-apocalypse world, and follows the story of Rowan, a young storyteller who strives to live in unity with the natural world. That world, however, is ruled over by magical beings called Harmonizers, and though they claim to want to restore balance to nature, they seem intent only on expanding their power. One day, a rogue Harmonizer named Eduardo appears and warns Rowan that the nearby Haven City is expanding and putting the natural world of Rowan’s home at risk. Together, they set out to warn other naturalists of the dangers of the growing city, all the while collecting others’ stories and facing the harm buried in their own pasts.
Beyond teaching, Wagner is an author and editor with a focus on the intersection of speculative fiction and climate change. She regularly publishes short fiction, and is the editor of three solarpunk anthologies, including “Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk & Eco-Speculation.” Her debut novel “A Shot of Gin” will release in October of this year, and is being published by Parliament House Press. It follows Juniper “Gin” Cain as she survives in a world of vampires and radiated zombies while she struggles with a power she didn’t know she had.
“While I’m primarily known as an editor in the solarpunk subgenre, I feel it is just as important for me to write solarpunk stories to help address some of the gaps or holes I see in the growing genre,” said Wagner. “For instance, I’m always asked where’s the “punk” in solarpunk, and I purposefully included skateboarding, mutual aid projects, and anti-establishment themes throughout the book in response.”
On the same day as the novella’s release, Wagner will be holding a book reading and signing in the Humanities Research Center, in the Academic Center on the Lycoming College campus. The event will begin at 4 p.m. and will be free and open to the public.
Whether English majors focus on literature or creative writing, their experience in many ways embody a union of writing and pleasure. The Lycoming English department is a tight-knit literary community where students marry their passions for writing and reading with their natural curiosity about the world around them. To learn more about the English and creative writing program at Lycoming College, visit: https://www.lycoming.edu/english/.
About Lycoming College
Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected liberal arts colleges. Today, our community of 1,200 active learners from 31 states and territories and 15 countries comprises a student body that is 35 percent domestic students of color or international, all of whom work with our renowned scholars to craft customized combinations of market-driven majors, minors and concentrations across our 40+ academic programs. Students compete in 19 NCAA Division III sports, participate in faculty-driven research, thrive in a robust program of internship experiences, and study abroad in more than two dozen countries. Lycoming College has one of the highest endowment-per-student ratios in the country. The institution is a member of the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges and is recognized by The Princeton Review as one of The 388 Best Colleges. Lycoming College is dedicated to providing a high-quality liberal arts and sciences education for all students. Learn more at http://www.lycoming.edu.
