Science fiction is what initially sparked my love of short stories as a form, thanks to an entirely dinosaur-themed collection of Ray Bradbury stories someone gifted me when I was a kid. My other published fiction shows that influence, but has tended to be more atmospheric than plot-driven. "Salvage" was my attempt to write something more structured and propulsive.
In my professional life, I work with some excellent librarians who provide library service to people who are incarcerated. They introduced me to the concept of "image poverty" in the jail and prison system - the profound lack of novel views and images. One of the most common reference requests they receive is for pictures of nature and art, which help relieve the visual tedium of incarceration. This idea of visual monotony struck me, and I began to develop a story around the idea of someone imprisoned in a spaceship who never gets to see the stars. I was also influenced by the exhibition Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration, and the ingenuity of incarcerated artists who persist in making art despite deep constraints on time, space, and materials.
In the earliest concepts of this story, the artificial intelligence that inhabits the prison ship was a more straightforwardly benevolent ally. Unfortunately, that was boring. By pushing to make that character more alien and ambiguous, I think I was able to better explore the story's themes of autonomy, exploitation, and uneasy solidarities.
Interesting! Thanks, A.R.! Be sure to check out "Salvage" and the rest of the November 30 stories!
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