Nancy Kress: How Science Fiction Helps Us Rehearse for the Future

Stephen Cass: Hello, Im Stephen Cass for IEEE Spectrums Techwise Conversations.

Nancy Kress is a celebrated author of science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. First published in 1976, her work often focuses on the implications of genetic engineering and other biomedical technologies. Among other awards, she has won five Nebulas from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations this August, Spectrum will be publishing Coming Soon Enough, an anthology of six original science fiction stories, including one by Kress titled Someone to Watch Over Me. But you dont have to wait to read it: The story is available now as part of Spectrums June special issue about the long-term future of technology.

Without giving anything away, Someone to Watch Over Me is a dark tale about the unintended consequences of advanced biomedical implant technology. To talk about the story and the broader themes that run throughout her work, Kress joins us now by phone from her home in Seattle. Nancy, welcome to the podcast.

Nancy Kress: Thank you. Im glad to be here.

Stephen Cass: So what was the inspiration for Someone to Watch Over Me?

Nancy Kress: I often write about children. The next generation of any society is, of course, what carries it forward. But in addition, we are faced right now with so many interesting possibilities, with genetic engineering and in other technologies as well, that the generation being born now is growing up far different than, say, the way I did. Texting, to me, would have seemed unimaginable. To them, its just normal ho-hum everyday kind of things. So when I was thinking about this story, I was thinking about cameraswhich, of course, are a far next generation of Google Glassthat actually fit in the eye and are not noticeable to anybody else or even possibly to the wearer, except in that they are recording. I naturally turn to the idea of a child wearing one, and I asked myself, What child? Under what circumstances? And from there the story grew. I frequently do start with a character.

Stephen Cass: So how closely do you then follow real-world technological developments? You mentioned Google Glass, which is an emerging technology

Nancy Kress: Im not trained as a scientist, which I deeply regret. When I was in high school, I didnt have chemistry because it conflicted with French 4, and now I cant do chemistry or speak French. It was a great tragedy. However, I try to keep up with the journals that are written for laymen, and when something captures my attention, Ill try to get the latest books on it. And I also collect microbiologists the way some people collect butterflies.

And I have a list of people that I can ask questions of when something captures my attention. So its kind of hit and miss whether some emergent technology comes to my attention. But if it does, and if it also succeeds in capturing that attention, then I try to find out about it in anyplace thats available to me.

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Nancy Kress: How Science Fiction Helps Us Rehearse for the Future