Exploring Futuristic Events in 2025: A Guide for Science Fiction Writers
Exploring Futuristic Events in 2025: A Guide for Science Fiction Writers – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 136
“Once or twice a year, I like to do an episode about upcoming events that you can participate in. And this is especially helpful if you’re looking for inspiration about how to think about the future, whether you’re a science fiction writer, you just want to get ideas, or you’re somebody who cares about the future and wants to come at it from a creative perspective.”
In this How To Write the Future episode titled “Exploring Futuristic Events in 2025: A Guide for Science Fiction Writers” podcast host and science fiction and fantasy author and writing teacher, Beth Barany, shares strategic foresight events that are taking place in the futurist community that you can get involved in. Beth also shares information on her World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers which is available to download for free.
Platforms The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify | Podcast Addict | Amazon Music| YouTube
RESOURCES
Creativity Coach for Writers: https://bethbarany.com/
GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING – START HERE
Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/
Get support for your fiction writing by a novelist and writing teacher and coach. Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/
Amy Webb’s 2025 SXSW talk – Link to 2024 talk – https://youtu.be/5uLSDbh6M_U?si=k2KDD54_Jr1uYOCI
Teach for the Future [2025] https://www.teachthefuture.org/all-events – March 1
IFTF – 2025 event [pick 1] https://www.iftf.org/
APF – Association of professional Futurists: https://www.apf.org/
SOIF – Finally, registrations are now open for our Summer retreat in strategic foresight (28 July-1 August 2025). Register before 1 February to save £750. Please contact dawson@soif.org.uk to find out more. #SOIF2025 soif.org.uk/retreat
About the How To Write the Future podcast
The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers. This podcast is for readers too if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.
This podcast is for you if you have questions like:
– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?
– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?
– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?
This podcast is for readers too if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.
Transcript for Exploring Futuristic Events in 2025: A Guide for Science Fiction Writers
BETH BARANY: Hey everyone, Beth Barany here with How To Write The Future podcast. I am a science fiction and fantasy writer and writing teacher, and here to bring you some fabulous events for 2025.
What is happening in the strategic foresight and futurist community that you can join in?
[00:21] Get Inspired by these upcoming events
BETH BARANY: Once or twice a year, I like to do an episode about upcoming events that you can participate in. And this is especially helpful if you’re looking for inspiration about how to think about the future, whether you’re a science fiction writer, you just want to get ideas, or you’re somebody who cares about the future and wants to come at it from a creative perspective.
In this episode, I’m going to share a few events that are coming in 2025.
So I hope that these will inspire you and I hope that you will take part in them. Some are free, some are not.
[00:52] Amy Webb’s Annual Tech Trends Talk March 2025 at SXSW
BETH BARANY: So first up, I want to call your attention to Amy Webb’s annual South by Southwest talk happening in March, and she always talks about tech trends and also does sometimes some reflection about the year previous.
And this will be broadcast on YouTube for free. It’s fabulous. I love her work. I find it so fascinating. She always gives insights into emerging technologies and society changes, and this can really help you if you are writing near future scenarios or even if you’re writing far future scenarios, I think it will give you some ideas.
[01:29] Teach for the Future March 1, 2025
BETH BARANY: Also happening in March, 2025, in fact, March 1st, is another organization that I really love because their focus is on young people and this is called Teach For The Future. And it is a fabulous international Zoom event that you can participate in for free. I participated in it in 2024 and it was wonderful. And young people who are active in the futurist and foresight community, educators. And people are brought into little rooms online on zoom and meet each other and talk and share. It’s just fabulous.
So it’s a great way to be talking to the next generation also and be so inspired. I’m so inspired by the young people who are involved in Teach For The Future. And I’m very inspired by their mission.
[02:16] Institute for the Future
BETH BARANY: All right, next, I want to talk about two organizations that have ongoing events and materials that you can find online.
The first one is the Institute For The Future. And they are based here in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been around for quite some time. I actually read recently I think they’ve been around for 56 years, 57 years. Fabulous. And you can take a class from them for free on Coursera. They’re always offering events online. And if you’re local to the San Francisco Bay Area, you can check out their in-person events. And really fabulous for understanding the basics of strategic foresight. And I really recommend them. I have a friend who trained with them and really loves them. And I’ve dabbled in their Coursera class and found it really interesting.
[02:59] Association for Professional Futurists
BETH BARANY: Another resource for you that offers membership, if you’re a professional futurist. but also for the broader community, they offer materials and trainings is the Association of Professional Futurists.
They do some interaction with the broader universe, the broader community, and they have a magazine called Compass that I wrote for a few times. And they’re professionals who are taking their expertise and bring it into the real world. And it’s so fascinating to see how they work. So check that out you’re interested at all in the professional side of being a futurist.
[03:34] School for International Futures
BETH BARANY: And then last but not least today, I want to talk about this really interesting organization out of the UK called the School of International Futures.
And I went to their summer retreat a few years ago, and I really got a wonderful training in strategic foresight. And this coming year, their training is going to be July 28th to August 1st. And it’s an England and it’s just a fabulous five-day intensive program. It does cost, and it is for people who are working in some way in the futurist community.
And I got to meet all kinds of amazing people out there in the world. So if that is a kind of training that you’re searching for, I highly recommend it.
[04:12] Your feedback welcome!
BETH BARANY: What events would you add to this list? I’m sure I forgot some. I’m keeping it short today, but if you have some futuristevents that you want to point out to me, please let me know. I would love that. Write me. Comment where you can comment and just let me know.
And there’s also a way to leave me a voicemail. If you go to how to write the future.com, you can leave me a short voicemail, I think up to 60 seconds. Just say hello. Tell me your favorite foresight, futurist event. Let me know what you would like me to cover in another episode for 2025. I am working on my calendar for the rest of the year.
[04:49] Check out the World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers
BETH BARANY: I want to invite you to check out my world-building workbook for fiction writers. I am a fiction writing teacher. If you need help with your world-building and you want to process to bring yourself through so you can make decisions about your stories world, then I invite you to sign up for my World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers.
All right. That’s it for this time, everyone. Write long and prosper.
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ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany teaches science fiction and fantasy novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor. She’s an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and runs the podcast, “How To Write The Future.”
Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:
Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog
CONNECT
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CREDITS [H2]
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C 2024 BETH BARANY
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