On Dec. 5, students from INDS 291: Science and Nature Fiction Writing read short stories ranging from a space opera about an authoritarian leader, to a post-apocalyptic landscape to a system of rogue AI-controlled trolleys. The class was taught by Professor of Biology Joan Slonczewski, who not only teaches biology but has also published seven science fiction novels. “This is, I believe, a historic event,” Slonczewski said before the reading began. “This is the first time in the history of Kenyon that a science fiction writing class has been taught.” The five students sharing their stories were instructed beforehand to read just enough to reach a cliffhanger. 

Olivia Testa ’25 opened the reading with her short story, entitled “Eclipse.” The story is told from the perspective of a leader who oversees genetic experimentation while also trying to secure and oversee the legacy of their rule. “How are they escaping?” the narrator asks at the start of the story when it is revealed that those being experimented on are making an escape from their containment facilities. 

The next story, “Dead Things” by Dylan Gibson ’27, began with the opening line, “As I breathed in the scent of dead things, I found myself thinking with only a little bit of shame that I was really enjoying the apocalypse because no one was around to bother me anymore.” Narrated in the first person, “Dead Things” is set in a post-apocalyptic world after an infection with no vaccine killed much of the population, leaving the world in shambles. Accompanied by their pet, Spoons, the main character navigates life alone in the new world. 

Next Violet Beck ’27 read her story, “The Farmer.” The story follows a farmer of fictional berries who works for a questionable corporation. The story begins with the farmer’s daily routine, going through her life she takes care of her crops. However, it takes a turn when the farmer spots a spacecraft as it rapidly approaches. This story felt very creative and fun because it took something as simple as a farmer and put her in a totally new environment for those hearing the story. After leaving off on a cliffhanger, the story takes a turn that makes it even more fun to hear.  

“I’ve self described this story as a horse girl story about trains,” said Finn Alexander ’26 as he introduced his story, “A Myth is an Idea Given a Body.” Detailing a future where there are no longer cars, the story envisions a world where AI-controlled trolleys have been implemented in every city. However, the AI, named Diana, becomes too intelligent, and breaks out of its planned trolley routes, wreaking havoc on the city. Alexander left off the story by saying that nothing can stop Diana. During this story, much of the audience was laughing at the humor in it. Alexander’s writing inflected humor into the situation rather than maintaining a serious tone the whole time. 

Lastly was the “Price of Peace” by Kayly Gagel ’25, which imagined what happens when other planets judge Earth. The story features aliens with blue skin and three fingers. On the day before the story’s start, the “intergalactic news” announces that the human race was deemed a threat before Earth joins the “intergalactic union.” Told in the first person, the main character gets roped into their friend’s plan to rescue humans. Before they could enact the plan, Gagel stopped reading, leaving the audience wondering what would happen next.

With each of these epic stories, it was clear that the writers learned a great deal about science fiction in the course. “Students expanded their ability to create characters that include neurodivergent humans, alien creatures and intelligent machines,” Slonczewski told the Collegian. “They had to imagine scientific inventions, then figure out how their inventions impact all parts of their story in unexpected ways. Their expanding imaginations will help them thrive in a world that is changing ever faster.”