We invited Elena S. Kotsile, author of “How to plant an olive tree on the Moon when all is lost” in The Future Fire #67, over for a brief chat about trees, planets and poetry.
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| Art © 2023 Fluffgar |
TFF: What does “How to plant an olive tree on the Moon when all is lost” mean to you?
Elena S. Kotsile: “How to plant an olive tree on the Moon when all is lost” is a poem that first came to me as an image. Olive tree, Olea europaea, is my favorite tree species and always somehow finds its way into my writing. I love how the silver-green leaves shine under the Mediterranean sun, reflecting the summer light like sardines on a sea’s surface. It breaks my heart to think about the decline of olive trees due to climate change.
TFF: If you could create a new planet, what would it look like?
ESK: Earth is perfect exactly because it emerged from organized chaos and randomness. If I could create a new planet, it would be the same blue planet as Earth, with islands instead of continents and several moons that would be bigger and closer to Earth than our moon. Imagine lying on a beach, the cold ocean cooling your feet, and a cloudless sky with two or three colorful moons hanging above your head.
TFF: What are you working on next?
ESK: I’m currently querying for my first speculative novel (dark urban fantasy) and working on a second novel and some short stories. Whatever I do, though, I always keep going with my poetry, either SFF or autobiographical.
Extract:
Bring soil from Earth, regardless how spoiled—
Lunar soil might not be polluted,
but it is full of silicon.
Do not use fertilizer.
Reminder: You can comment on any of the writing or art in this issue at http://press.futurefire.net/2023/10/new-issue-202367.html.
![[ Issue 2023.67; Cover art © 2023 Fluffgar ]](http://futurefire.net/images/f67cover.jpg "[ Issue 2023.67; Cover art © 2023 Fluffgar ]")