Unfashionable? Sure. Obstinate? You bet. And yet tales of optimism ("hopepunk") are increasingly winning against stories of doom ("grimdark"). Which stories will help us create a better world?

The Rev. Amanda Aikman is a retired UU minister. She served churches in the Pacific Northwest and Canada for 25 years and is now writing a novel. Amanda lives in Everett with her spousal unit, Nancy, and cat, Mousehole. She is delighted to be back in our pulpit after an interlude of four years.