DISCUSSING DEZUN
10/28/23 – Prestige STEM Academy, Irvine
DEZUN, to me, is a work that deeply values the flawed human nature. In writing it, I sought to capture the ugly truths and imperfections that plague us as a people. It’s very much a character-centric novel. But it’s also, at its core, a work of science fiction. The concepts explored in its chapters were inspired by my own research, and my coursework at Prestige STEM Academy. It only made sense that I’d want to return to my roots and discuss my writing with like-minded, science-driven younger students.
DEZUN’S MARTIAN ORIGINS
Previously, I’d discussed DEZUN with all sorts of people. Writers and readers, for the most part. Literary enthusiasts. Some I found through social media, while others I worked alongside during creative programs at the University of Iowa and Stanford. What they all had in common was that they cared deeply for the value of narrative. Of compelling characters, and carefully-crafted plot work.
On the other hand, while speaking with Prestige’s students, I found myself able to cover another aspect of DEZUN. The more fact-driven side, guided by my past research project on the colonization of Mars and the structural integrity of its regolith. Dyson spheres, subterranean civilizations—all products of that extraterrestrial endeavor. Strands of far-out fact, when woven into fiction, make for a story that’s all the more substantial and satisfying.