The livestreamed book launch for this second of her futuristic novels took place at the Sunset Labs Victoria venue on April 29th, overlooking the waterfront downtown. About 40 local and loyal Starhawk fans were in attendance, and dozens more tuned in from home via the Stream of Consciousness livestream. (I really chuckled when she opened up the live-streamed Question & Answer session at the end of her reading. After years of attending conferences where the audience only ever seems to hear the ‘A’ part of the ‘Q & A’, Starhawk gestured to the microphone and quipped, “Make sure to use the magic talking stick so that your words can go out into the world…”)
City of Refuge, a sequel of sorts to the Fifth Sacred Thing, continues the author’s vision of the world that began to emerge in that first novel. The City of Refuge story attempts to answer the question, “What would it look like if we won?” and through her personal narrative and short passage readings from the book, Starhawk painted, for the audience, a vivid picture of the core principles she believes in for the future of humanity.
“When I have answers,” she says, “I write non-fiction.”
“How can we create the new world — the non-hierarchical, socially just, ecologically balanced and beautifully diverse world we long for —unless we can first imagine it?”
Starhawk’s ‘speculative fiction’ novel, City of Refuge, follows the struggles and the victories of the peaceful warriors from Califa as they construct a new haven in a parched and war-torn land. Can magic, healing and love overcome the violence of a cruel and despotic regime?
Starhawk’s lively presentation makes us believe that it can — and gives us some new ideas and tools to take on the deep work required in our own very current world circumstances, to spark discussion on shifting cynicism and despair into empowerment and engagement. “We live in dire circumstances right now, and the choices we make will affect the world for generations to come,” she says. “Realism is a luxury we can’t afford right now – I believe we need hope and vision.”
Starhawk’s teachings, encompassed in her new novel, City of Refuge – offer both of those in large quantities. In case you don’t believe me, have a look at the livestream, and listen for yourself!
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