I'm very involved with Burning Man. Have I mentioned that yet?
After I'd been attending for a few years, I realized that I looked upon Burning Man - and the other playa trips I undertook, alone and with friends - as training.
Training for what?
I believe that there's a strong possibility that some time in the near future our society is going to be blown to hell. Not by nuclear weapons, necessarily; more likely by a natural or man-made catastrophe that starts a domino-chain of other catastrophes that in turn bring about an apocalypse. The end of civilization as we know it - or at least a damn big dent in it. Something's going to happen that will shatter our first-world bubble of privilege, permanently harshing the mellow of millions of people who never pause to think about how their food is produced or how it gets to them, who can't imagine the power going off for more than a few days or the phone lines cutting out for good. Something that's going to bring our technology-addicted society down like the house of cards it really is.
A time when people who know how to adapt to harsh conditions are the ones with the edge needed to survive. A time when knowing how to use a gun might ensure that you won't go hungry that night. Or at least still be alive when night falls.
Grim stuff, I know. Don't tell me you've never thought about it yourself.
About a year ago I found myself writing a series of story-fragments set in a time when things are pretty damn hairy. Story-fragments where a group of people - Burning Man veterans, surprise surprise - live on the playa where they used to romp, waiting for the hairiness to blow over. People who find that the Road Warrior lifestyle is a lot more attractive when viewed on the movie screen rather than through the windshield of their own SUV.
What I've come up with so far is here on this page. I'll be adding to it as I go along, so check back now and then for new stuff.
Everything here is pretty much first-draft. Don't expect consistency unless you want to be frustrated; it's, uh, a work in progress. Yeah. I'm gradually weaving these stories together as I go along in the hopes of getting a book out of 'em.
In the meantime, enjoy.