10 Years of Storythings - 8 Stories About the Future

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We mentioned last week that there would be an extra newsletter landing in your inboxes this week. So here it is. To celebrate Storythings' 10-year anniversary we've commissioned 8 global writers to write 8 short fiction stories about life in 2031.The stories explore themes such as artificial intelligence, climate change, digital identity, and machine learning.

As a way of digging deeper into the themes, each of the stories are accompanied by responses from experts. The responses come in a range of formats including a reading list, an interview with an expert, a discussion, an epistolary exchange between writers and explaining a subject as if you were speaking to audiences with different levels of subject knowledge.

OK. Let's take you ten years into the future. Enjoy your trip...

Night Farm - 2031, USA. You live on Night Farm, an intentional living community. Your relationship with your sister changes - and you remember your lost brother.
(8 min read)

Response - An email exchange by Maria Anderson and Jessica Buchleitner.
(6 min read)

Your Cup Runneth Over - 2031, Bangalore, India. Your perfect coffee is a double espresso, you go on holiday to Coorg. But are you in control of what others do with those choices?
(9 min read)

Response - A video discussion with Anjali Ramachandran, Malavika Raghavan and Emrys Schoemaker.
(45 min watch)

Madrid, 2031 - 2031, Madrid, Spain. You remember what it was like to walk around the city in the sticky summer months. Will it survive climate change and gentrification?
(8 min read)

Response - Alice Bell, author and co-founder of climate charity Possible writes about what it will take for the human population to truly tackle climate change
(6 min read)

The Confession - 2031, Gwangju, South Korea. You're interviewing at Ahn Robotics for an AI job. But who are the robots and who are the humans?
(9 min read)

Response - Abadesi Osunsade writes 5 Things I've Learned from The Confession with her thoughts on what we should really be thinking when it comes to the future of work.
(6 min read)

Three in One - 2031, Jordan. In a post-pandemic country ruled by a monarchy, what is the role of culture - of writers, museums, galleries? Is there one anymore?
(11 min read)

Response - A reading list of useful articles and videos to know more about Jordan by Jordanian media entrepreneur and journalist Rana Sweis.
(2 min read)

Robot Poet - Originally written in Spanish, Bolivian-born Edmundo Paz-Soldan's story is about a poetic robot involved in a shoot-out in 2031 - also a policeman
(13 min read)

Response - US academic and writer Casey Fiesler responds to Robot Poet with her thoughts on what we might expect of human-computer interaction in the future
(2 min read)

Glass Cage - 2031, UK. A story about longevity, mortality and healthcare - and how we might be able to retain humanity in the face of advancing machine intelligence
(8 min read)

Response - Priya Banati uses her experience in healthcare and management to respond with her personal and professional learnings
(6 min read)

Undullah Street - 2031, Australia. You can afford to buy a place on Undullah Street, though privilege doesn't sit well with you. Your place is underwater. Will you move?
(8 min read)

Response - Climate writer Duncan Geere explains climate migration to 5 different audiences who have 5 varying levels of knowledge
(8 min read)

How can we help you?

Storythings is a strategy and content company based in Brighton and London. We'd love to help you with some creative and bold ideas.

Here's 3 reasons to get in touch.

1. You want to talk to us about content production: podcasts, videos, animations, illustrations, editorial.

2. You want to talk to us about content strategy or format development.

3. You want to create a brand or an identity that makes it easier to communicate your message.

We do other things too. We're very friendly and always enjoy meeting people, so get in touch.

Thanks to all our subscribers, clients and friends for your support over the last 10 years. We hope you've enjoyed this special birthday newsletter. I'm sure some of your friends would love to read it. If you've received this from a friend you can subscribe to our regular weekly newsletter here.

Hugh, Matt, Anjali and the team at Storythings