Star Trek used mining colonies to stand in for the human drive for exploration. But what happens when people are already there. With the human history of oppression running hand in hand with colonialism, how do we address the sanctity of existing civilization and our basic quest to see what is out there. Science fiction and fantasy create spaces where we can explore these topics and build empathy. Using this framework, we will discuss upcoming novels that will speak to collection development and Reader's Advisory
Learning Objectives:
share an increased understanding of available upcoming publications that discuss the sensitive issues around colonization
advocate for genre fiction in their collections as a tool to built empathy and encourage growth
learn how SF/F works can be used to share diverse cultural perspectives and open readers up to world views beyond their own
better help patrons with reader's advisory in public and academic settings by increasing the working knowledge of what science-fiction and fantasy novel from diverse authors are currently or soon available
find commonality with librarians of diverse backgrounds and it encourages peer to peer development