Episode 020 of the AboutSF podcast is a recording of an interview John C. Tibbetts conducted with science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson. If you have not been following the podcasts, John Tibbetts, associate professor in the department of Film and Media Studies at the University of Kansas, provided donations of audio interviews with luminaries in the fields of Science Fiction and Fantasy, including Ray Bradbury, Frederick Pohl and Stephen King, among others, to the J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction in Lawrence, KS. The interviews, gathered during the course of a lifetime of reading, collecting, and writing about Science Fiction, include conversations with Frederick Pohl, Poul Anderson, Jack Williamson, L. Sprague De Camp, and many more.

Kim Stanley Robinson is best-known as the author of the Mars trilogy, featuring the landing, exploration, and terraforming of Mars. Many of Robinson's works feature ecological issues, as well as scientific research and how to find balance between technology and human pursuits. He won the Nebula Award for Red Mars, the beginning of the trilogy. Robinson went on to win the Hugo Awards for Green Mars and Blue Mars. He also won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel for Pacific Edge.

In this episode, Robinson discusses his research about the planet Mars for his trilogy, his inspiration for writing the novels, and his ambitions for writing science fiction.