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Three years ago, we did a show where we asked which fictional dystopian future we were actually already living in. Now that we've arrived at, ya know, this present moment, that show has been on our minds. But we've realized we've got a new set of questions now too.

After all the dystopian and apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction there's been over the past couple decades -- and there's been KIND OF A LOT, right? -- has any of it actually prepared us for our very present, very current, actual nonfiction dystopia?

Well, mostly no. But some of it just may have.

And then: What exactly is dystopian fiction going to look like after this is all over?

GUESTS:
Naomi Kritzer - A science fiction and fantasy writer; she wrote "So Much Cooking" in 2015, and her novel Catfishing on CatNet just won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel
Laurie Penny - An author, columnist, journalist, and screenwriter
Ben Winters - The author of ten novels; his new collection of short stories, Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine, is out tomorrow as an Audible original

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

Three years ago, we did&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wnpr.org/post/which-dystopia-it-anyway">a show where we asked which fictional dystopian future we were actually already living in</a>. Now that we've arrived at, ya know, this present moment, that show has been on our minds. But we've realized we've got a new set of questions now too.
After all the dystopian and apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction there's been over the past couple decades -- and there's been KIND OF A LOT, right? -- has any of it actually prepared us for our very present, very current, actual nonfiction dystopia?
Well,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-apocalypse-myths/">mostly no</a>. But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tor.com/2020/04/14/didnt-i-write-this-story-already-when-your-fictional-pandemic-becomes-reality/">some of it</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/covid-19-in-italy-sports-season-shutdown-re-reviewing-contagion-comedian-mae-martin-more-1.5495224/science-or-science-fiction-what-contagion-gets-right-and-wrong-about-pandemics-1.5495234">just may have</a>.
And then: What exactly is dystopian fiction going to look like after this is all over?
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Naomi Kritzer&nbsp;- A science fiction and fantasy writer; she wrote "<a href="http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kritzer_11_15/">So Much Cooking</a>" in 2015, and her novel&nbsp;<a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250165077">Catfishing on CatNet</a>&nbsp;just won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel</li>
<li>Laurie Penny&nbsp;- An author, columnist, journalist, and screenwriter</li>
<li>Ben Winters&nbsp;- The author of ten novels; his new collection of short stories,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Inside-Jobs-Audiobook/B0875KWW44">Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine</a>, is out tomorrow as an Audible original</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/wnprcolin">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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