Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Nine must-read near-future novels by women

After graduating from Wellesley College and the Columbia Publishing Course, Leslie Stephens worked on the Editorial team at Food52 in New York before heading west to Los Angeles, where she served as the Vice President of Content for the brand, cupcakes and cashmere. Her writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Eater, Apartment Therapy, and Tasting Table. Her weekly newsletter, Morning Person is among Substack’s most popular paid newsletters and her debut novel You’re Safe Here was released in 2024.

Stephens recently earned her Master's in Professional Mental Health Counseling with a Specialization in Addictions from Lewis and Clark College. With her degree, she hopes to treat adults struggling with technology addiction, through nature-based therapy. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her hyperactive pit-mix Toast.

At Tertulia Stephens tagged nine favorite speculative fiction near-future titles by women, including:
Good Morning, Midnight
Lily Brooks-Dalton

The end of the world, from the perspective of people stuck in the most isolated places imaginable—an Arctic research facility and a space ship.
Read about the other entries on the list.

Good Morning, Midnight is among Michelle Anne Schingler's top five books where women in space take center stage.

--Marshal Zeringue