Margaret Atwood Doesn't Think We're Doomed

Margaret Atwood did not go to school for a full year until she was 12. She and her family spent a lot of time in the woods of northern Quebec. A key part of her story is her dedication to nature. The city she has called home for decades, Toronto, is where she grew up as a Biologist. You can't think that nature is separate from you.

The MaddAddam trilogy is a best-selling series of novels set in a world plagued by biological disaster. She is about to launch Practical Utopias, a workshop experience that encourages participants to imagine a better future, after the fifth season of The Handmaid's Tale. To get there, we need to do a lot of things.

It's not climate change, it's everything change. Tell me where it came from.

It's just the past. What happened to the people of the Maya civilization? It had a big downturn and ended up with a long dry spell. Climate events that are productive of chaos and lack of trust in rulers are likely to lead to societal change.

You helped popularize the term cli-fi.

You have to deal with climate if you want to write about the future. It had to be taken into account where the people in the story are located. What are their resources? Everything will be affected by climate.

There was a warning in the book. The author is back with another.

Climate themes can be used in a story, but how do they fit into a narrative?

The weather is not a person. It is just like the weather and landscapes are. They are metaphors but they aren't people in themselves. Even if those people are rabbits or hobbits, they are still fictions. Climate fiction is about people, in a plot, having events, having emotions, having interactions with other characters, in the context of a changing climate.

What does that look like in The Handmaid's Tale? Climate may not be at the top of the list of themes.

When I was writing the book, we didn't like it very much. People are sent to clean up environmental disasters. I have heard people say, "Which one are we going to get?" I'm saying that probably both are.

Don't be afraid.

I'm not making you afraid. I just pointed it out.

Do you know anything aboutomerism?

I think I need to have. It's not helpful if you think doomerism is helpful. One of the reactions to the Black Death was "We're doomed, so let's just party" Nobody will do anything if you get too far into doomerism. When you give up hope, it's the time when you stop taking actions that could be positive to escape the doom.

Young people are often said to give people hope. The young people need hope and inspiration.

They should be looking at people older than them. The old people were like walking encyclopedias. It was their job to teach young people how to read. Unless the young people asked for help, they couldn't do that. They aren't going to hear what you're saying unless they want to know.

It is the best of times and the worst of times. You should make the most of it.

Are you tired of answering questions about how to stay hopeful?

Is it time to stop? That's a concept. Project Drawdown is a website that tells us what we can do to mitigate the effects of the situation we are in.

There is no excuse for all out doomerism unless you really want to party. There are more than one way to party. A concrete result can be achieved and celebrated with a party. Is that really positive?

I know you don't like being called prophetic, but you do have a way of predicting future events. What has surprised you?

It was a wildlife-watching Mecca when we were going to Chernobyl in February of 2022. David Lindo, my partner in the Urban Birder, and I had it all set up and were waiting for the invaders to leave. Russia isn't going to be dumb.

When you heard about the leaked Supreme Court opinion, what was your initial reaction?

People have to look at the consequences of their actions. There are consequences from the Kansas referendum. A sector of the population has been galvanized by that decision that may until that time have been saying, "Oh, surely they're not going to do that." The backlash is likely to continue for some time after that.

You caused a bit of a controversy when you posted a picture of yourself holding a mug that said "I told you so"

I'm aware.

I want to know about the intent of that photo.

It's clear that the intent is clear. I said so. I was wondering if I went out and bought that mug. It was owned by some friends of ours who I was with. It was a bit bold. I don't think there's much controversy on social media. The rest of the people understood that this is what happened in The Handmaid's Tale. It hasn't been done completely. We don't have anything to wear.

The show's fifth season just started. June was involved in the killing of Fred Waterford. When you were writing the book, was that a plot point that came up?

They didn't know what to think after the first season. Rule one is that nothing happens that hasn't happened before. I wonder if it is a plot point that surprised me. It's not really. An example of someone being torn apart in season one was shown to us. At the end of the fourth season, they used that theme. Someone tearing apart doesn't mean you'll stay the same.

What do you want to see happen to the show?

I don't have to say anything. That is not a place I like to visit.

What are you doing right now?

It's not clear what's not telling. On Saturday, I will be doing the final proofread on a book called Old Babes in the Wood, which is a collection of stories. I'm working on Practical Utopias as well. This is for anyone who wants to be hopeful.

If you would like to write to Lucy, you can email her at time.com.