Hi! I’m Arwen Spicer.
I am a Portland-based science fiction writer, exploring humanity, ecology, and dark utopia.
My Work
A Soldier in the Borderlands
On a planet racked by drought, fourteen-year-old soldier Tánashen discovers the Citadel he serves is the true oppressor. Now he must save his brother and liberate his homeland – but most lies contain some truth.
“A heart-rending yet hopeful tale of a child soldier fighting for his own humanity in a world of warring states, fragile ecosystems, and vanishing cultures. From the very first line I was right there with Tánashen, and he was so real he stayed with me long after I turned the final page.”
– TK Greenleaf, Author
The Hour before Morning
Three people lie in a prison cell. One is a murderer. Can his companions help him unlock the door to his own mind before his unreasoning rages claim their lives. The Hour before Morning explores a distant future in which the human heart is much the same. The Ash’torians see their conquest of the Outliers as a triumph of civilization. The Outliers see it as servitude. Their resistance takes many forms, from non-violence to terrorism. Yet one thing remains constant: compassion endures.
Perdita
For centuries, the planet Perdita has warred over the proper use of high technology. Now the West-of-Now family has crash landed on the planet, bringing with them the secrets of jae, a tech as perilous as it is powerful. For pro-tech Ethan and anti-tech Sherayna, their actions will decide whether Perdita will enter into a new golden age or face destruction.
“Perdita is… a future of the heart and mind that we can actually hope for.”
-Nye Joell Hardy, Author
Dispatches from Anarres: Let It Die
Arwen’s “Let It Die” is featured in this collection of stories from some of Portland’s most vital voices. In “Let It Die”, a young healer from the serene, low-tech Kiri society faces the costs of tech limitation.
Orpheus Changed: A Play in One Act
In this one-act play, a middle-aged Orpheus, still grieving the loss of his beloved Eurydice, is visited by a mysterious old woman.
The Kafka Protocol
Tales of oppressive, surreal systems, including Arwen’s story “Leech” on the perils of teaching in a market-driven age.
Reclaiming Joy
A collection of 14 uplifting stories about perseverance, courage, and love, this WriteHive anthology features Arwen’s “Seeing Turquoise,” a fantasy exploration of a settler colonist’s grappling with colonial violence. Contributors include Sarina Dorie, S.M. Fox, Matt Bliss, R. Jean Mathieu, Emmeryn Palladino, K.M. Veohongs, Raven J. Demers, Kiera Alventosa, Carter Lappin, Emma Sloley, Valerie Hunter, Lindsay Mansfield, Karl El-Koura
Timeless 2
In this collection of fantastical twists and origin stories, Arwen’s “Lila” takes a look at Peter Pan in modern times.
Women of the Woods
A Fabled Collective anthology of stories of magical women, featuring Arwen’s “The Rebirth of Joy,” a fairytale of grief and transformation.
This Present Former Glory
This honest and sometimes irreverent anthology features a wealth of spiritual questing through a Christian lens, including Arwen’s story “The Descent of the Wind,” an exploration of an angelic fall as trauma.
Spoon Knife 4
An anthology of tales where neurodivergence, queer identity, and time travel meet, featuring Arwen’s story, “Veils and Gifts,” a prequel to the film, The Eater.
Surreal Entanglements: Essays on Jeff Vandermeer’s Fiction
“This edited collection approaches the most pressing discourses of the Anthropocene and posthumanist culture through the surreal, yet instructive lens of Jeff VanderMeer’s fiction.” Includes Arwen’s “Acceptance and Continuation: Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy and Hope in the Anthropocene.”
The Legacies of Ursula K. Le Guin: Science, Fiction, and Ethics
“The Legacies of Ursula K. Le Guin explores how Le Guin’s fiction and essays have built a speculative ethical practice engaging indigenous knowledge and feminism, while crafting utopias in which human and other-than-human life forms enter into new relations.” Arwen explores Le Guin’s relation to indigenous science fiction.
Fan Fiction
I am a proud writer of fan fiction! The heart of narrative has always been collaborative and always will be. My fandoms include X-Men (movies), Blake’s 7, Banana Fish, Les Misérables, Trigun, Mirage of Blaze, Mushishi, Doctor Who, and others.
Contact Me
