Futures Recommended Reading

Futures Recommended Reading

Are you awash with trends, blogs and articles about the future in 2024? My in box is full! And I hate it, especially when people create a list of forecasts as if they are predicting the future. Some of the lists come up with the obvious extension of here and now. Others express their points as siloed ideas and discrete ‘future’ chunks. Others come up with a funky name for something of little consequence. So I’m not going to do that.

Instead, here are some resources that I have really enjoyed in the last year. You may find something in here that takes you further on your journey of futuring. I am hoping that you will share some of your recommendations so we can all learn together.

Books

Non-fiction


This was my favourite book of the year. It reminded me that play and imagination are critical, especially to
move beyond entrained thinking. There is a strong focus on the power of collaboration, community building
and being an agent of change. The power of the “What if..” question resonates strongly with my futures work
and the openness to consider opportunities. It’s a book rich with ideas, full of practical examples
such as reimagining the role of public streets. I think I need to share this book with a few politicians…
I, Human reaffirmed some of my thinking about the role we play in the design and use of AI. There is a lot
of hype and noise out there. I am interested in the role of people and what changes are happening in
society. The book was a bit repetitive and a little USA centric, but still good. I did find myself nodding
when reading that curiosity is becoming rarer in the AI age. And this, “One day in the no-so-distant-future,
we will be grateful for all the undocumented and unregistered moments of our lives that exist only in our
memories.” It comes back to the importance of us remaining unpredictable, in control and Uniquely Human.
I have enjoyed becoming more familiar with Julian Bleeker’s work through the explanations and journeying
he and others share in this book. They share lots of practical examples of their work with great images and
prototypes to support this. Design Fiction seems like a great addition to help organisations uncover their
blind spots and false assumptions; and to entertain uncertainty. It reinforces futuring as a collaborative
practice. It does explain how Design Fiction can play a major role in strategy. I admire people who are
expert in this space as it doesn’t come so naturally to me.

Fiction

The Ministry for the Future was established in 2025 “To advocate for the world’s future generations and to protect
all living creatures, present and future.” It uses fictional eyewitness accounts starting with an initial chapter that is
gobsmacking and a little scary. This book was a bit of a slog to be fair. However it is definitely worth persisting
and I think I need to re-read it to appreciate it fully. It made my brain hurt but in a good way! It is a ‘cli-fi’ book, ie
climate fiction and hard sci-fi. It will make you think deeply about how climate change will affect us all.
This awesome picture book was the brainchild of Steven Moe, a local legend, lawyer, podcaster
and ecosystem connector here in Ōtautahi Christchurch, and illustrated by Cricket McCormick.
While it is a great read for children it is a wonderful futures book for adults, focused on intergenerational impact.
You should have this on your coffee table.
“Measure gifts of days not by how much you harvest but by seeds you plant.”
Two friends come together as creative partners in video game design. They are very successful but with this
comes its own twists and turns. It challenges thinking about the nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive
possibilities in play, and our need to connect: to be loved and to love. It’s not a love story exactly but it is deeply human.
This book imagines an end of the world that only the wealthiest can survive – lavish bunkers, private weather,
high tech…. However the Future is also a handful of friends—the daughter of a cult leader, a non-binary hacker,
an ousted Silicon Valley visionary, the concerned wife of a dangerous CEO, and an internet-famous survivalist.
They hatch a daring plan which could be amazing or go horribly wrong.
Corey Doctorow’s radicalized novella is a must read. Unauthorised Bread is a story of jailbreaking refugees
versus IoT appliances. I thought of how much this already exists in today’s world – inequities and the pervasive
power of technology to control us. Imagine living in an apartment block where one group has preference to the
lifts, where your toaster will only accept toast from an approved bakery. It’s IoT at its worst but it’s also the story
of community, relationships and creativity. I now want to read the rest of his Radicalized novella.

Blogs and Recordings

In 2023 I hosted Sophie Howe, the First Commissioner for Future Generations in Wales. During her visit to
Ōtautahi Christchurch Te Pūtahi Centre for Architecture and City Making partnered for a City Conversation.
Sophie shared many valuable insights with some actionable take aways. Many of us here in Aotearoa
are keen to explore the creation of a Commissioner for Future Generations here. Conversations
on intergenerational fairness have continued, supported by the School of International Futures (SOIF).
In this podcast Frank Spencer chats with Nora Bateson on the theme of Pathways of the Unimagined.
There are some hidden gems in here, which led me to buy her latest book Combining (just started.) Nora
shares some of her poems and the importance of finding a door that does not track on old rails. I particularly
like this quote from her poem Something New, “Change is when I look back and see I did not see and know
that I still don’t know.” This reminds me that my most important work is to continually reflect on
myself, my assumptions and biases. That’s why Personal Futures is so important to me.
I co-hosted Heart, Head, and Hand: An Evolutionary, Organic, and Natural Approach to Foresight with
Frank Spencer, Founder and Principal at TFSX. This work takes futures into a space that transforms our
broken systems to become more human, more planetary, and more cosmologically conscious.
There is so much to unpack in this work, exploring the Head (Holoptic Foresight) the Heart (Natural Foresight)
and the hand (Transformational Foresight). I love the work of TFSX and encourage everyone to explore their
programmes and resources.
Sean Pillot de Chenecey has partnered with the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies to deliver this
focuses on understanding today and anticipating the future. Discussing these subjects via the stories
and viewpoints of his guests. Two of my favourites Matt Klein ‘Trend Spotting: AI vs Human’ and
Johanna Hoffman ‘Speculative Futures: illuminating the way ahead’ Johanna is a designer, urbanist
and strategist with a book that focuses on speculative futures and city building. It ties in really well with
the conversation we had with Sophie Howe (see the recording ealrier in the blog) and also with the new
ideas growing in Speculative Futures Tamaki Makaurau.

Oceania Favourites

Aotearoa Futures Network Map
The purpose of this network is to visualise the relationships and interactions among
futures practitioners so that we can maximise the potential for collaboration and alignment across sectors,
and accelerate collective action toward a more just, equal and sustainable Aotearoa for future generations.
It’s a great initiative spearheaded by Victoria Mulligan.
This excellent resource was developed by Alice Dimond and the team at Tokona te Raki. It starts with
the question “What is the world you want to leave behind for your mokopuna? Tokona te Raki ran a
series of workshops with whānau, imagining different scenarios to challenge assumptions and
stretch thinking. These were then aggregated into four scenarios to continue the conversation for
a preferred future for the iwi 2050. I like the addition of the Whānau Scenario Grids as it gives insight
into the three different generational conversations. There is also a great discussion guide to stimulate
thinking. I am a huge fan of the Tokona te Raki team – world leaders as indigenous future makers.
This Strategic Foresight Toolkit for Pacific Practice has been developed in the Pacific by those who
have been leading the futures and foresight journey there. It is values led and uses the metaphors and
stories that align with their context. The Toolkit currently has five chapters, sharing tools and ideas that
are really practical. Each tool includes what it is, when to use it, why to use it and where to find more
information. It’s a real treasure trove and a useful toolkit for anyone wanting to start their futures journey.
This is important work in Oceania and reflects a huge amount of work and dedication from the Pacific
Community team.

Hat tips

Finally, here are two credible places that help me focus and sift signal from noise.


The Futures Book Club brings together people working and studying in futures and foresight,
adjacent spaces, and futures-curious folk. Amanda Reeves from Wabisabi Futures is the
inspiration behind this club. The Futures Book Club has helped me to focus on reading some good
futures books. It has been amazing to chat with others from across the globe.
It is time zone friendly and keeps me grounded!
If you are keen on trends but awash with bullet points in your in-box check out Matt Klein’s Meta Trends.
I referred to a him in The New Abnormal podcast above. I like Matt’s methodology and his cultural
analysis approach to bringing a whole lot of information together. His meta analysis approach means
he can do the heavy lifting for us! Here is a quote from his work:
“To hedge against the risk of repetition, stagnation and crap reporting, we require two more ingredients: accountability and imagination.”

That’s it folks. I believe that we learn best when we collaborate. I’d love you to share your recommendations and your feedback.


One Comment
32
Steven Moe · January 11, 2024

Thanks for including The Apple Tree in your great list and sharing the picture too, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and got that the audience isn’t really children …

if any of you do want a copy just leave a comment or DM, info is at this link including the song composed for the book by Matthew Goldsworthy.

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