Abolition Science Fiction (2022) is a free collection of sci fi short stories written by activists and scholars involved in prison abolition and transformative justice in the UK. The stories are not all explicitly about prison abolition, but all of them explore the underlying question of how we can live well together, tackling complex topics like violence, revenge, responsibility, care, and community. As such they can help us imagine a future where we respond to harm without exclusion and punishment, illustrating Ruth Wilson Gilmore’s contention that ‘abolition requires that we change one thing: everything.’ Alongside the stories are extracts from discussions from the workshops where we wrote and shared the stories. There are also creative writing exercises and discussion prompts, included to help readers explore ideas about abolition and transformative justice in creative ways. The book is aimed both at those curious about abolition and at seasoned activists who want to explore abolition through creative writing. The e-book is free and can be downloaded here. The audio-book can be listened to here and individual tracks and chapters downloaded here. Print copies are available from these booksellers. There is a limited number of print copies available, to request one please email abolitionscifi [at] gmail [dot] com.
The book was created as part of my Independent Scholar Fellowship from the ISRF: Prison Break: Imagining Alternatives to Prison in the UK (2021-2022), a research project that used creative writing workshops to support UK-based activists and scholars involved in prison abolition and transformative justice to create speculative fiction (i.e. work in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror), that could help imagine and enact a more just future. For more info and resources see the project website abolitionscifi.org.
Credits
Authors: Anonymous, Cara Jardine, Chris Rossdale, Dave, Fergus McNeill, Jess Poyner, Josie Tothill, Koshka Duff, Lizzie Hughes, Margaret S. Malloch, Phil Crockett Thomas, Ren Wednesday, Richard C Quorum, River Ellen MacAskill, Sarah Armstrong, SCode.
Editor: Phil Crockett Thomas
Design: Maeve Redmond
Illustrations: Nat Walpole
Proof Reading: Matt Mahon
Phil Crockett Thomas 