Ambitopia

‘Ambitopia’ breaks down the binary of utopia and dystopia, while including the extremes of both. Redfern coined the term in an interview for Gizmodo with fellow writers Eleanor Tremeer and Laurie Penny, titled ‘Why We Need Utopian Fiction More than Ever’ (Gizmodo, 2018).

Since then the concept has provoked essays, thinkpieces, been discussed in academic theses, journals, and has inspired radio shows and art exhibitions. A scientific study has even been conducted exploring ambitopia’s impact on climate action.

Redfern has further written about the genre of ambitopia for the British Science Fiction Association’s magazine: ‘Ambitopia: Futures Beyond the Binary’ (Vector, 2023). They expanded upon the concept in the article ‘Ambitopia: how to face an uncertain future’ (OnlySky, 2025), where they highlighted the importance of an ‘ambitopian mindset’ in dealing with a rapidly-changing world.

Their novel ‘Proud Pink Sky’ was written to be an ambitopian exploration of the world’s first gay state, containing elements of both dystopia and utopia. They have also written several short stories exploring various forms of ambitopia and plan to explore the subject further.