Writer, artist, and ex-expatriate, I see fantasy and speculative fiction as that "spoonful of sugar." Maybe it gets you through the day so you can hope for tomorrow. Maybe it takes you far, far away to a brave new world that, as it turns out, is not so different from your own. I don't believe in completely "escapist" fiction, however, because a good story is very much medicine. It enters us, inoculates us, injects new ideas, repairs broken resolve, soothes tired bones, bolsters creativity, and--yes, oh yes--it makes us better. --C.E.