My latest short story, “Steel Soul,” is illustrated by my better half Reetta Linjama, and appears in Cloudscape Comics’ anthology Life Finds a Way. In “Steel Soul,” I ponder the measure of humanity in a robot-dominated future. If we build robots that are stronger and smarter than us, then what unique merits do we as humans have in comparison? If a robot was required to raise a human baby, take care of all of the baby’s needs, what intrinsic worth would such a robot see in its human charge?

Life Finds a Way is a compilation of post-post-apocalyptic stories, each one focused on “finding hope and renewal in a post-apocalyptic world…. Stories about people coming together, getting creative, forming community, and helping each other. Just because the world as we knew it is gone doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to end with it.” Our world is currently in the throes of both worldwide pandemic and deep cultural change. It’s nice to think that maybe when one culture perspective collapses, something grander and more beautiful can take its place.

For more on Life Finds a Way, visit the Cloudscape Comics store.