Speculative Fiction Meets Climate Reality: Leonard Crosby’s "A Return to Grace"
An interview with Leonard Crosby about his short story being published in Andromeda Spaceways Magazine
By Júlia von Gersdorff ’25
The English Department wants to highlight the publication of Leonard Crosby’s short story, "A Return to Grace", which is forthcoming in issue 97 of Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, an Australian literary journal that specializes in speculative fiction, publishing four digital issues per year. More specifically, they define themselves as “a science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazine, publishing short stories, poetry, interviews, articles of interest, and book reviews.”
In light of this exciting publication, we asked Professor Crosby a few questions about "A Return to Grace":
Q: Could you give us a short synopsis of your story?
A: In a post-nuclear-apocalyptic earth, Maria Couture is sent to the Secondary Earth Habitat (the last remaining living space station) to discover why communications have ended and what disaster has befallen the colonists. What she discovers there threatens the remainder of humanity. Here is a brief excerpt:
The “bear” stopped. Though I could only see its shifting prints in the sand, I pictured it raising its shaggy head, sniffing the air, appraising. Of all the fauna of old Earth, learning about bears had been one of my favorites as a child. Some of the ancient tribes of North America had named them old grandfather for their wisdom and grace. I wondered if under its invisible fur, this one was built like its ancestors: a thorny disposition capable of restraint . . .
Q: Tell us a bit about how the story came about; what inspired it, how does it fit into your writing journey, etc.?
A: One inspiration for this story is concern over the damage humans are doing to the planet, and wondering how our surviving ancestors will see us. What would a culture that viewed capitalism like we view totalitarianism look like? Two, I've encountered black bears in Lassen National Park, in northern California, and they flee at the first sight of a human. What would happen if their fur were genetically modified like a cuttlefish's skin? Would we no longer be the top predator in the food chain? Or so sure of our place in the universe?
Q: How does this story fit into your canon as a creative writer and/or upcoming projects?
A: This short story is part of a larger universe which I hope to write into a novel or collection of stories. This is also a benchmark for me, as it's my first paid sale, and second publication in a magazine dedicated to speculative fiction. This story is similar to the current novel I’ve completed, and future ones I have planned, in that it explores not just upcoming technology, but future morals and cultures different from our own.