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A City on Mars: Science & Absurdities of Space Settlement

with Kelly and Zach Weinersmith

Join us for an out-of-this-world virtual conversation with New York Times bestselling authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith as they dive into their book, A City on Mars.

Earth is not well. The promise of starting life anew somewhere far, far away—no climate change, no war, no doomscrolling—beckons, and settling the stars finally seems within our grasp. Or is it? Critically acclaimed, bestselling authors Kelly and Zach Weinersmith set out to write the essential guide to a glorious future of space settlements, but after years of research, they aren’t so sure it’s a good idea. 

In a world hurtling toward human expansion into space, A City on Mars investigates whether the dream of new worlds won’t create nightmares, both for settlers and the people they leave behind. In the process, the Weinersmiths answer every question about space you’ve ever wondered about, and many you’ve never considered:

Can you make babies in space? Should corporations govern space settlements? What about space war? Are we headed for a housing crisis on the Moon’s Peaks of Eternal Light—and what happens if you’re left in the Craters of Eternal Darkness? Why do astronauts love taco sauce? Speaking of meals, what’s the legal status of space cannibalism?

With deep expertise, a winning sense of humor, and art from the beloved creator of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, the Weinersmiths investigate perhaps the biggest questions humanity will ever ask itself—whether and how to become multiplanetary.

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About the Authors: 

Zach Weinersmith is best known as the cartoonist of the comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. He also co-wrote the bestselling science books Soonish and A City on Mars with his wife, and worked with the artist Boulet to create a children's retelling of the story of Beowulf called Bea Wolf. 

Dr. Kelly Weinersmith is an adjunct faculty member at Rice University, and is currently President of the Helminthological Society of Washington and the American Society of Parasitologists. Her research on animal behavior and parasites has been featured in The Atlantic, National Geographic, BBC World, Science, Nature, and more. Kelly co-wrote the New York Times bestsellers Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve And/Or Ruin Everything and A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?. In 2024, she and her co-author/husband Zach received a Hugo Award and the Royal Society Trivedi Book Prize for A City on Mars. Kelly is also co-host of the podcast Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe. 

This program is sponsored by the Alexandria Library Foundation.

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