The Word for World is Forest Symposium: Ben Nadler

Highlights from our symposium in October 2022, honoring the 50th anniversary of the publication of Ursula K. Le Guin's anti-war novella, The Word for World is Forest.

In this episode, Ben Nadler discusses the possibility of dreaming as a radical and collective act of liberation.  He says:

"I am interested in exploring the ways in which dreaming can be understood as a collective act, rather than an individual one. In these explorations, I will draw on Robin D.G. Kelley’s concept of “freedom dreaming,” Saidiya Hartman’s concept of “critical fabulation,” and Abraham J. Heschel’s understanding of “prophecy.” Further, I will connect the practice of dreaming in The Word for World Is Forest to the practice of speculative fiction writing, as expressed by authors such as Nalo Hopkinson, Margaret Killjoy, and Le Guin herself. Ultimately, I hope to advocate for dreaming, imagining, and storytelling as forms of mutual aid."