Post-Dystopia Space Exploration: A Deep Dives Conversation with Mary Robinette Kowal and Dr. Sian Jones

Space exploration has always been the product of imagination, science, and perseverence! Join author Mary Robinette Kowal (The Calculating Stars) and retired commercial astronaut Dr. Sian Jones for a discussion about the current state of global space programs and our possible futures among the stars.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Mary Robinette Kowal is the USA Today Bestselling author of twelve novels, including Apprehension, The Spare Man, and the Lady Astronaut series. Her novel The Calculating Stars is one of only eighteen works to achieve the “triple crown,” winning the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards in a single year. She is also a four-time Hugo winner, a recipient of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, and a former President of SFWA.

Her storytelling is uniquely shaped by a twenty-year career as a professional puppeteer. Performing for Jim Henson Productions and LazyTown, she earned two UNIMA-USA Citations of Excellence—the highest honor in American puppetry. This background in physical performance informs the body language and characterization found in her prose.

Mary Robinette is a core cast member of the Hugo-winning podcast Writing Excuses and an acclaimed audiobook narrator for authors such as Neal Stephenson and Seanan McGuire. A collector of vintage manual typewriters, she lives with her husband Robert, their dog Guppy, and their cat Elsie, who uses Augmentative Interspecies Communication buttons to “talk.” She also has the distinct honor of having an asteroid, (52691) Maryrobinettek, named after her.

Dr. Sian Leo Proctor is a visionary poet, artist, educator, and space explorer. In 2021, Dr. Proctor made history as the first artist selected to become an astronaut with the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission. She is also the first woman commercial spaceship pilot and the only African-American woman to be a mission pilot. Find her on Instagram @Dr. Sian Proctor and experience her current project, the EarthLight World planetarium show at the Boston Museum of Science.

TICKETS

General Admission: Join us for the conversation starting at 7pm PT and the book signing to follow!

VIP: As a VIP ticketholder, you’ll add to your experience a VIP gift bag, priority seating and book signing, as well as access to the pre-event reception at 6pm featuring an intimate meet-and-greet with our speakers.

The Deep Dives conversation series is a fundraiser for Clarion West! Your ticket purchases support all of our programming, helping us continue to reach and serve bright new voices in speculative fiction.

About Deep Dives

Clarion West’s Deep Dives series places an author of speculative fiction in a moderated conversation with a scientist or other expert in subject matter relevant to the author’s work. The goal is to contextualize the fantastic in ways that relate to our shared reality, and help guide media literacy of speculative literature. The series itself is our fall fundraiser in support of Clarion West’s programming and each event includes a VIP reception, conversation, and book signing for the featured authors. The theme for 2026 is “Futures Less Dystopian.”

The Deep Dives conversation series is made possible in part by support from: