Space Economy Camp for Writers
What could a sustainable, non-exploitative economic model for space look like?
The purpose of this project is to equip storytellers with a solid foundation of economic theory that can drive new and expansive world-building based on sustainable, non-exploitative economic models for space. To achieve this we will bring together a small cohort of storytellers of different media for an in-person interactive “Space Economy Camp.”
Key accomplishments
- Kim Macharia and Tracy Drain co-facilitated a discussion at The Economist’s Space Economy Summit on November 13-14, 2024 in Los Angeles to promote the camp, hosting 20 participants, including finance and business development professionals.
- Hosted a multi-day Space Economy Camp for Writers from November 9-12 bringing together 20 respected economists and skilled writers to create new concepts for worldbuilding in speculative fiction.
- Completed an event summary and lessons learned document to inform future camp iterations.
- Crafted creative “zines” that reflect the camp’s thematic essence.
• Asteroid Belt
• Mars
• Moon
• Space Station - Secured $10,000 in matching funds from Breakthrough Initiatives to offset costs of the upcoming camp.
- Presented the Lessons Learned document and infographics at the ASU Space Futures Convening in January 2024. Published Lessons Learned Infographics based on the group presentations of 4 shared world space economies to encourage stories beyond the participating writers.
- Applied for and received the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) Givers Grant Award.
- Developed “Choose Your Own Adventure Economics,” a cheat sheet for science fiction writers to incorporate economics accurately into storytelling.
