I live in a big condominium in Chicago — a skyscraper, really — and a group of us plant-lovers organized a houseplant exchange last weekend. Dozens of plants changed hands. A building like ours is a vertical greenhouse, and we want to keep it green.

It’s hard to love houseplants without having lots of cuttings, plantlets, offshoots, and other extras to give away. I came home with two baby Ficus benjamina variegata, and I’m excited to have them.

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More news:

Last week I had a conversation in a podcast with “an extremely online pilgrim” named Tasshin. He reviewed my novels Semiosis and Interference, examining ethical themes raised by the books, the world of Pax, and the character of Stevland. You can watch our conversation here on YouTube, where there are also links to an audio version and a transcript. I hope you enjoy our chat as much as we did.

At The Best Books of 2023 by Tor.com reviewers, Matt Keeley calls Dual Memory “a satisfying thriller about art, climate, conspicuous consumption, and artificial intelligence. Burke remains one of our foremost science fiction writers.” Thanks, Matt!