A new literary genre is appearing that Susan Kollin identifies as Cli-Fi, or Climate Science Fiction for long. Kollin, Professor of English and Director of the Center for Western Lands and Peoples at MSU, introduces us to the emerging genre, and to the discussion as to whether fiction can serve as a useful vehicle for conveying ideas of climate science. Focusing on the American West, specifically Alaska, she describes accounts of early travelers such as John Muir, and highlights the role of indigenous knowledge, which considers that glaciers have agency.

Recorded at the Ellen Theatre on September 20, 2018, as part of the MSU Innovation Roadshow.