Aric McBay is an organizer, a farmer, and author of seven books. He writes and speaks about effective social movements, and has organized campaigns around climate justice, prisoner justice, Indigenous solidarity, pipelines, unionization, and other causes.
Fiction
Kraken Calling
In the Octavia Butlerian vein of the Parable of the Sower novels, comes a new work from political activist and author Aric McBay. Kraken Calling toggles between the years 2028 and 2051 to give us the experience, with breathtaking realism, of what might happen in just one generation to a society already on the brink of collapse.
In 2028, activists fight an increasingly desperate battle against the climate emergency and capitalism, but their every victory brings down repression. Meanwhile, discontented by protests and polemics, a radical movement named Kraken grows in the shadows.
Twenty years later, an oppressive regime has taken control after a series of epidemics, economic shortages, and ecological disasters. The population suffers ruthless “triage” at the hands of an Authority that cares only for its own inner circle. Revolutionaries struggle for survival and support. In the city and on a remote farm, regular people try to stay out of the conflict. But no one can avoid the coming storm.
Popular social movements and underground liberation groups clash, and people struggle against the limitations of their time. In 2028, the underground seems premature—but by 2051, they may be too late. A novel, available now from Seven Stories Press. Blurbs and more…
The Light Within
Writer and Narrative Designer of an upcoming game about mental health from indie studio Pomsky Games.
Non-Fiction Books
Full Spectrum Resistance
In Full Spectrum Resistance, author and organizer Aric McBay leads us through key lessons of movements through history and around the world. From the Suffragists to the Black Panthers, from Nelson Mandela to Gay Liberation, McBay illuminates the paths and pitfalls that movements must navigate, and the principles that make them succeed.
Full of stirring case studies and practical checklists, this book showcases the hard won lessons that movements for justice and freedom have learned. ( Dedicated site / get the book )
Direct Action Works
A legal handbook for civil disobedience and non-violent direct action in Canada. This collaboration with feminist lawyer Pamela Cross was first released in February 2020 at the beginning of the massive Wet’suwet’en solidarity actions.
You can download this entire book for free (10mb PDF).
See older books here.
Select Non-Fiction
Skeleton Press
Newspaper Column
My column Out Standing in Our Field, about food and farming issues as well as social and environmental justice, ran in Ontario newspapers for 5 years.
Sustainable farmer story-telling
I was very glad to interview amazing farmers and write the text for Fields of Hope, a beautiful coffee-table-style photography book by Andrée Anna Thorpe.
I was happy to be one of the movement story-tellers in this incredibly well-researched history of the National Farmers Union in Canada.
As part of a project to raise public understanding of local food, I enjoyed writing this series of success stories about twelve local farms and their farmers.
Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar
For many years I’ve supported this wonderful calendar by editing and copy-editing articles from activists and political prisoners. In 2021, I facilitated a twentieth-anniversary re-design, to freshen the interior aesthetic and make it more legible and accessible, especially as the number of aging political prisoners continues to grow.
Workshops, Talks, and Interviews
Select Recent Talks and Workshops:
- How to talk to the media about climate justice
- Intro to Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA)
- Advanced NVDA strategy
- Climate Action for Farmers
- What COVID-19 has taught us about local food
For workshops and interviews, please email talks at aricmcbay dot org.
Aric McBay
