Fables and Futures: a conversation with author George Estreich

From next-generation prenatal tests, to virtual children, to the genome-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9, new biotechnologies grant us unprecedented power to predict and shape future people. That power implies a question about belonging: which people, which variations, will we welcome? How will we square new biotech advances with the real but fragile gains for people with disabilities—especially when their voices are all but absent from the conversation?    

In Fables and Futures, award-winning poet and memoirist George Estreich explores that conversation: the troubled territory where biotechnology and disability meet. Estreich—also the father of Laura, a young woman with Down syndrome—delves into popular representations of cutting-edge biotech: websites advertising next-generation prenatal tests, feature articles on “three-parent IVF,” a scientist's memoir of constructing a semisynthetic cell. 

Through readings from the book and conversation with Genspace Executive Director Casey Lardner, Estreich will reflect on how each new application of biotechnology is accompanied by a persuasive story, one that minimizes downsides and promises enormous benefits. In this story, people with disabilities are both invisible and essential: a key promise of new technologies is that disability will be repaired or prevented. Examining the stories we tell ourselves, the fables already creating our futures, Estreich argues that, given biotech that can select and shape who we are, we need to imagine, as broadly as possible, what it means to belong.

A moderated Q&A will follow. Fables & Futures was named a Best Science Book of 2019 by NPR's Science Friday. Learn more at https://georgeestreich.com. 

Accessibility Statement: Genspace is committed to ensuring that our online classes, events, and workshops are as accessible as possible, and can meet the ever-changing needs of our community. As we navigate the opportunities and challenges of online programming, we are constantly learning and adjusting our workflows to prioritize accessibility, and we’d love to hear any feedback our community might have. Please contact us (info@genspace.org) if you have specific accessibility requests or questions. 

George Estreich teaches in Oregon State University’s M.F.A. program in Creative Nonfiction. His books include the Oregon Book Award winner The Shape of the Eye: a Memoir and Fables and Futures: Biotechnology, Disability, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves, named by NPR’s Science Friday as a Best Science Book of 2019. His essay “Concision: A Sprawl” was chosen for Best American Essays 2023. He is currently Nonfiction Editor at AGNI, and his essay collection, The Shadow Family, is forthcoming from the University of Iowa Press.