What will the world look like in 2031? 

The impacts of the last year on culture and society will reverberate through much of the next decade. We know from our clients that a lot of people are asking how this will affect them and their work. Storythings started in 2011 with a project for Faber & Faber that imagined life in 2021. So we thought for our 10th anniversary, we’d ask the same question: what will the world be like in 10 years’ time?

We’ve commissioned eight writers from across the globe to write short fiction that explores some of these impacts – climate migration, climate change, digital identity projects, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in multiple settings from work to health to culture, and how all this affects who we are – with a view to the year 2031. The world was different 10 years ago when we launched and it will have changed again 10 years from now. 

The Storythings perspective doesn’t stop at fiction though. We want to extend the thinking and themes behind these brilliant stories. So we asked experts to build on them in different formats – like a reading list, an interview with an expert, a discussion, an epistolary exchange between writers or explaining a subject as if you were speaking to audiences with different levels of subject knowledge. For Storythings, a format is the magic ingredient that makes a story memorable – so if you read both the stories and their responses, maybe they’ll kickstart some interesting ideas and reflections for you. 

We’d love to hear what you think – feel free to share on social media (tag us on Twitter or LinkedIn), or if you’d like to chat to us about how we can help you with a project you’re working on, get in touch via email. Do also click through and learn more about the amazing writers, illustrators and experts we worked with – we couldn’t recommend them more!