SAUL (School of Architecture University of Limerick) and The Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies UL are proud to welcome one of the most renowned writers of science fiction, Kim Stanley Robinson, to SAUL on 7th April where he will present a lecture entitled “Time in the Novel”. The opening welcome will be made by SAUL Professor Merritt Bucholz followed by an official greeting by Professor Don Barry, President, UL. Professor Emeritus Tom Moylan will then make an introduction.

This SAUL public lecture is free but registration is required beforehand at the following link.

This lecture forms part of ‘A Week With Kim Stanley Robinson’ from 6th-10th April, a unique, interdisciplinary series of events including readings, workshops, lectures, conversations, and site visits, many of which are free to the public (details attached).

Kim Stanley Robinson is a towering, multi-award-winning figure in science fiction, and he has authored over 20 books, including the Mars trilogy(1993-1997) and Aurora(2015). His work deals with some of the most critical social, economic, and environmental issues facing our world, particularly in relation to ecological sustainability, world building, and utopian possibilities. Robinson’s writing resonates with the ethos of the Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies, which was established in 2003 with a research agenda based on the premise that social values, policies, and practices are shaped by hopeful, utopian visions which is critical to the betterment of life for all members of society.

As Founding Director of the Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies, which is named after the nineteenth century Ralahine Cooperative in Newmarket-on-Fergus, Professor Emeritus Tom Moylan notes that Robinson’s visit to Limerick and Tipperary marks “a significant moment in the Centre’s twelve-year history of conducting research, teaching, and public programmes on all topics of utopian studies.” Moylan continues, “Kim Stanley Robinson’s work entertains and challenges readers of all generations. Unafraid of writing critical accounts of the world as it is, he is no less afraid of generating realistic future alternatives. Whether in near-future science fiction dealing with rapid climate change or more far-reaching accounts of the settlement of Mars or stories about prehistory or time travel to the future, Robinson is simply one of the best. We are privileged here at UL to have him with us as our guest for a week.”

Short Biography:
Kim Stanley Robinson is a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards. He is the author of more than twenty books, including the bestselling Mars trilogy and the critically acclaimed Forty Signs of Rain, The Years of Rice and Salt and 2312. In 2008, he was named a “Hero of the Environment” by Time magazine, and he works with the Sierra Nevada Research Institute. He lives in Davis, California.