N K Jemisin: Writing new worlds
The American science-fiction author goes in-depth about her world-building process and the power of fiction
New York-based writer N. K. Jemisin is one of the biggest names in modern science-fiction. She鈥檚 the first in the genre鈥檚 history to win three consecutive Hugo Awards, for each book in her Broken Earth trilogy. In conversation with presenter Dr Vic James, Jemisin talks in-depth about world-building. She reveals how the initial idea for Broken Earth came to her in a dream. This then led her to a NASA writing residency and a trip to Hawaii, flying over its volcanoes in order to accurately visualise the trilogy鈥檚 setting: a super-continent called The Stillness that is ravaged by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Jemisin reflects on how it all came together, how she gives voice to the oppressed, and why she thinks these books have resonated with so many people around the world.
Podcast
-
![]()
In the Studio
Inside the brains of the world鈥檚 most creative people.
