Cover: Possible Futures Volume 3

The cover depicts the POSSIBLE FUTURES logo with Vol 004 in small text on the right. Thin teal line scribbles of stars and S-curves peek in and out of the POSSIBLE FUTURES letters.

In the middle of the cover are various flat illustrations drawn with brown lines and filled in with white. These include lungs, a statue, a child picking up a flower, an old computer monitor, a rhizome (ginger root), a branch with blackberries, a pair of scissors, a cat, and several flowers. These illustrations are overlaid on top of a collage of brown-tinted strips of zine images and collages.

At the bottom of the cover is a small white strip with the DAIR logo on the left, and the text "A COMMUNITY ZINE" on the right.

Inner Cover (Pages 1, 2)

Across both these pages are the same few flat illustrations drawn with brown lines and filled in with light brown, just in different positions.

Page 1 Text:

In the Possible Futures workshop series, we imagine alternative futures in the form of drawings, poetry, prose, multimedia pieces, and more.

The following pieces were created by participants at an Possible Futures workshop facilitated by Dylan Baker and hosted at Mr. B's Mead Center in Seattle, Washington on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

Page 2 Text:

We asked participants to: show your imagined techno-futures

Here are some of those imaginations.

CREATIVE COMMONS CC BY-NC-SA

Page 3

This page shows a collage centered on two children sitting close together indoors. They’re bundled in winter jackets, and one child is holding a small white lamb in their lap. The setting feels warm and sheltered, with wood textures in the background.

Text is layered across the image in cut-out blocks and varied fonts. Near the top is the phrase “Community with a Shared Future.” Other text reads: “Shelters that offer safety and security,” “Room for Privacy,” and “Divine Nature.” Near the bottom, smaller text mentions “parks in the cities where children play,” and the word “SCHOOLS” appears large and bold across the lower portion of the page.

Credit: Aubrie Amstutz

Page 4

This page is a dense text-heavy collage set against a dark, leafy forest background. On the lower right is a stone statue of a seated figure in a calm, meditative pose.

Large cut-out words dominate the composition. They read: “Safety Net,” “Public assistance,” “HOME,” and SURVIVAL,” with SURVIVAL running vertically along the right edge. Smaller text fragments include “unity above all else,” “No Lights, No Camera, but Plenty of Action,” “keep you healthy,” and “MAKE IT WORTH ALL OF THE EFFORT.” At the bottom, a long cutout reads: “VALUE IS SUBJECTIVE AS LONG AS ALL INVOLVED ARE HAPPY, THAT’S WHAT MATTERS.”

Credit: Aubrie Amstutz

Page 5

This page shows an illustration painted in a soft watercolor style. A young child with short dark hair is crouching in a grassy area, picking small white flowers from the ground. The child is wearing a sleeveless blue top, light shorts, and blue sandals. Behind them is a leafy tree with branches spreading overhead, and the background fades into warm greens and yellows.

At the very top of the page, hand-drawn text reads: “PREDICT THIS.”

Credit: Clara ft. Cobra

Page 6

This page has a flat, warm brown background. In the center is a cut-out photo of a light-colored cat wearing a collar with a heart-shaped tag. The cat’s eyes are closed and its head is tilted slightly upward, as if enjoying the sun or a breeze.

Handwritten text is scattered across the background in different colors and directions. It reads: “To SAVE everything,” “PET HERE!” and includes a decorative striped arrow pointing at the cat.

Credit: Clara ft. Cobra

Page 7

This page shows a dense collage of illustrated and cut-out imagery on a gray background. At the top is a large bird with its wings spread, wearing a small red-and-gold crown. A red-and-black butterfly is centered in the composition, its wings open. Below and around it are overlapping images of plants, including a large green succulent and a green anemone with a clownfish. Both are also wearing a small paper crown. On the side of the page, a pair of toadstools also has a small paper crown.

Near the bottom is an illustrated figure with dark curly hair and brown skin, shown in profile and looking upward. The figure holds a red ball with a crown on it and wears a patterned garment. Below is a feathered headdress or collar that spreads outward. Underneath is a partial zodiac wheel.

Several small paper crowns appear throughout the collage. A cut-out strip of text near the center reads: “And how my crown is actually a bit heavy.”

Credit: Anonymous

Page 8

This page has a grid-paper background with teal hand-drawn curved lines repeated across it. Near the top is a circular photo of a person lying on grass, arms open and legs bent, seen from above. Below and to the side are torn newspaper clippings and black-and-white photos layered at angles.

Readable text fragments include pieces of a newspaper headline referencing “World War III Preview.” Larger cut-out words near the bottom read: “designed,” “in,” and “harmony.” A longer strip of text reads: “rebuild your home … your nation.”

Credit: Renee Cohen

Page 9-10

This collage spans two pages. On the top half is a collage of quotes and figures about key events like climate change, the launch of AirBnB, George Floyd's murder, DEI, and more placed along a timeline of the last few years.

On the bottom half is a collage of nature-themed images like braided grass, hands holding a small plant, a blackberry branch, and a red moth in the center, with the exception of a black and white collage section on the right that depicts a man with a large rifle pointed at photos of grayscale buildings behind him.

At the upper right corner of this section are two cut-out words: "Piranesi" and "imaginary prisons."

Credit: Xin Glu

Page 11

This page has a beige textured background with several cut-out text fragments. From top to bottom, right to left, they read: BLEAK OUTLOOK, PORTENTS OF A POWER STRUGGLE, "In a world where you can easily create fake content, accurate answers and trustworthy sources become even more essential.", Together, We Are Enabling, Loyalty that lasts.

A large text fragment turned sideways reads: "This is a moment where every corner of the globe is being affected, and companies have very little control." An arrow is drawn in ballpen to a written note: BUT PEOPLE DO!!

Above all this is a small pen-drawn sparkle that is crossed out in red marker.

Credit: Emily M. Bender, DAIR Faculty Affiliate

Page 12

This page depicts a simple pen drawing of mountains above strings of colored square streamers, with clusters of stick people underneath. In pen is written: WHAT IF... EVERYONE HAD A SAY TECHNOLOGY WERE LOCAL SYSTEMS CENTERED COMPASSION

Credit: Emily M. Bender, DAIR Faculty Affiliate

Page 13

This page depicts a collage with large amounts of dense pen scribbling with some pink blocks of marker on gridded paper. Cutout text fragments read: Resource Shift Across the USA Everybody's going to have understanding I need legacy thinking you need it.

Below the text fragments are some cutouts of shrubs and greenery layered on each other.

Credit: @klmakesthings, @stephenflorida.bsky.social

Page 14

This page has an orange background with a collage of vertical strips of an evening lake and moonlit sky landscape illustration spliced on top. Stars are added in pen across both the strips and the orange background. On the lower half are stitched-together text fragments that read: It was as quiet as quiet could be. Everyone's going to be mortal and there were no brands, no building an AI version of yourself No hell no You read. I read a lot, and teach myseld the guitar. (Heart drawing)

Credit: @klmakesthings, @stephenflorida.bsky.social

Page 15

This page has a dark blue starry background layered with torn paper, watercolor textures, and cut-out text fragments in a chaotic pattern.

At the top left, large block letters spell “STARVE the ALGORITHM”, with “STARVE” and “ALGORITHM” in bold, uppercase lettering and “the” smaller in between.

Scattered across the page are many smaller text fragments in mixed fonts and sizes, resembling magazine cutouts. On the left side, vertically arranged, the words “please don’t steal our” appear in black text on light paper. Nearby, a rectangular block reads “Flood the Colosseum” in serif type.

One fragment near the top right is a paragraph about feeling drugged, brainwashing, and mind control, printed in small, dense text. Another quote near the center references propaganda and guiding people to believe something “for reasons which he believes to be his own.”

Lower on the page, a phrase reads “PROFOUND CONNECTION TO THE WATER.” Another long strip of text runs diagonally near the bottom: “making medicines as if people’s lives depended on them.”

Near the bottom left is a small label in pink reads “SHARE SPACE.” Additional words like “beautiful” and “the ability to form mental representations of our experience” appear in smaller fragments.

Credit: Cybergirl @cybergirlzines

Page 16

This page has a collage illustration featuring watercolor-painted people and scenes of everyday people in public life, overlaid with cut-out text. The color palette is soft and light, with greens, blues, and warm skin tones.

The background shows leafy trees and an outdoor setting near the top, transitioning into an interior bus scene in the lower half. At the top, layered text fragments read “WHERE THE POWER USED TO BE”, “MIGRATION”, and “it’s a reaction against that violence that tries to inject joy into daily life.”

Another prominent text strip states: “IF AMERICANS HAD A PUBLIC REALM, THEY WOULDN’T HAVE TO BUY MORE HOUSE.” (The sentence appears slightly awkward, as if clipped from a longer source.)

Across the middle of the page, short phrases describe everyday activities: “babies in prams,” “children with their dogs,” “reading the newspapers,” “people walking,” and “many people on the bus…”

The illustrated figures include a diverse group of people seated closely together on a bus: adults and children of different ages and skin tones. One woman wears a pink headscarf, another wears a green sari, and a baby sits in the foreground. Faces are calm and neutral, looking forward or slightly to the side, suggesting quiet shared space rather than interaction.

A small text fragment near the upper right mentions music blending with the landscape. At the bottom right corner, a final sentence reads: “Henry didn’t know there were so many stars in the sky.”

Credit: Cybergirl @cybergirlzines

Page 17

This page is a vertically oriented collage page with a muted green background. Handwritten text in dark ink fills much of the space, interspersed with cut-out illustrations of animals. The style feels handmade, gentle, and reverent toward nature.

At the top, handwritten text reads: “Tzedek, justice rooted in systemic change. Our relatives in”

Below this, the page is organized into ecological categories written in large, hand-lettered words spaced down the page. The word “GRASSLANDS” appears near the top right, alongside a cut-out illustration of a grazing cow. Nearby is a blue butterfly with open wings.

Further down, the word “FORESTS” appears, next to illustrations of a squirrel and a deer, both depicted in a naturalistic but slightly stylized manner.

Lower on the page, the word “DESERTS” is written, accompanied by a small illustration of a lizard resting on sand.

Near the bottom, the word “SEAS” appears, with illustrations of a seabird standing and a dolphin swimming through blue water.

At the very bottom, the handwritten word “THRIVE” stretches across the page.

Credit: Emily

Page 18

A bold, poster-like page with a mostly white background and large, graphic text arranged vertically. The design is clean and declarative, with strong contrast between letters and background.

At the top, large uppercase letters read: “OF THE LAND” The letters are tall and narrow, outlined in dark blue, with small red accent marks crossing some strokes.

Below that, the word “FREE” appears in large, thick letters filled with black and gold tones, making it the most visually dominant word on the page.

To the right of “FREE,” smaller handwritten text lists place names: “Congo,” “Palestine,” “Sudan,” “Myanmar.” Some of these words are partially crossed or overwritten, giving a raw, urgent feel.

Below “FREE,” spaced-out letters spell “SOVEREIGN” in blue. Underneath that, “INDIGENOUS” appears in bold red uppercase letters. At the bottom of the text stack is the word “FUTURES” in black uppercase letters.

Along the bottom edge of the page is a simple painted landscape: green rolling hills beneath the text, with small black dots scattered across the foreground, suggesting people or seeds on land.

Credit: Emily

Page 19

This page shows a collage with a bold orange background and black graphic shapes resembling flames or large petals radiating from the center. The page is dense with layered imagery and handwritten text blocks on light paper.

At the top, a handwritten note reads: “Imagine what we could build together if we weren’t so busy starving each other.”

Below it, another text block says: “I imagine a world where we meet artists like philosophers, human speakers translating from the sky to the soul.”

On the left side, a black-and-white photograph shows a person climbing or standing on a structure made of metal beams and wires, possibly part of an installation or construction site. The figure is mid-action, leaning forward, with the city faintly visible behind them.

Near the center, a handwritten paragraph reads: “Inspiration as manna. Nourishment is bittersweet, but we must come and have the sacred. Literally.”

Lower down, a cut-out image of a large hand points upward, the index finger extended, overlapping with the abstract black shapes.

Another text block near the bottom reads: “Machines could take our daily burdens so we can play and create and love as we were meant to do in this singular life.”

Toward the bottom left, a smaller handwritten note says: “They call this luxury. Degeneracy? Bring it. We are ready.”

At the bottom right, a final line reads: “The many did not ask to join the death cult of the few.”

Credit: Mercer Hanau, IG: @mercer.hanau.studio

Page 20

This page has a hand-drawn, monochrome illustration on a muted purple-gray background, resembling a sketchbook page. The drawing features a large pair of scissors positioned diagonally across the page, with speech bubbles and handwritten text surrounding them.

At the top, a speech bubble asks: “Is anybody here a left-hander?” Another bubble responds: “Oh! Me!” A third says: “Great! I have a left-handed scissors for you!”

Additional speech bubbles express frustration and reflection, including: “Woah, can I use them?” “The shapes aren’t coming out like I want them to!” “This is terrible. I thought I could learn to make it work better.”

Centered on the page, large handwritten text reads: “NO TOOL IS NEUTRAL.”

At the bottom, a smaller handwritten note says: “Spoiler: the lefty grew up w/ right-handed scissors.”

Credit: Anonymous

Page 21-22

A two-page collage spread with a dark charcoal-gray background and torn paper text fragments arranged loosely across both pages. The overall style resembles cut-up advertising slogans and protest posters, with overlapping textures and uneven edges.

At the upper left, a torn white scrap reads “Shrinking the nation…” in bold black type. Nearby, layered fragments overlap each other: “RE” followed by “BUILD IT.” and “MIX IT UP.” The words appear in different fonts and colors, suggesting motion and interruption.

Toward the upper right, a small black strip with handwritten white text reads: “I knew I could do it.”

Centered across the spread, a large yellow torn rectangle reads: “Picture the Difference you can make!” The phrase “you” is emphasized in a smaller cut-out piece layered on top.

Directly below, a wide strip of text in bold purple letters reads: “EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE.”

Near the bottom center, smaller torn text fragments read: “IDEAS to make” followed by “Aloha” in quotation marks. A small cut-out image of a purple and yellow flower sits nearby, adding a softer visual element.

At the bottom right corner, a bright red-and-white fragment reads “Get Happy!” in large, cheerful lettering, contrasting with the darker background and more serious tone of the rest of the spread.

Credit: Remi Yamanaka

Page 23

A collage page with a pale blue, paper-textured background. The layout feels diagrammatic, with arrows and labels suggesting movement, process, or feedback loops.

Near the top right is a cut-out illustration of an old, boxy computer or machine, drawn in muted gray tones. Lines of binary-style numbers are printed on its side. Red arrows point toward and away from the machine, implying input and output.

At the top left, a small cut-out image shows a person’s head partially obscured by mechanical or industrial elements, with a red arrow pointing away from it.

In the center of the page is a handwritten note on white paper, heavily edited with black scribbles and red pen marks. Red circles and underlines emphasize parts of the text. The handwriting references dates and ideas, but much of the writing is intentionally crossed out, suggesting revision, correction, or struggle with language.

To the right of the note is a small vertical label reading: “Middle Management (tactical management).”

At the bottom left, a cut-out illustration shows a group of people standing together, drawn in a flat, cartoon-like style. The figures are diverse in clothing and posture, suggesting collective presence or community.

Scattered near the bottom are small text labels reading “INTRODUCTION TO” and “MISTAKES.” Nearby are small illustrations of money and coins, reinforcing themes of systems, labor, and value.

Credit: Danish Arsalan, Seattle, WA

Page 24

A dense, poster-like collage with a tan and green background, layered with maps, product images, diagrams, and bold text. The style resembles a survival manual or instructional guide.

At the top, large block letters spell “SURVIVAL KIT.” Nearby, smaller text reads “You Are Not Alone” and “Survival Guide.” A red banner says “ENTER TO WIN.”

Various numbered sections are scattered across the page, each paired with images and instructions. A heading reads “MAKE A PLAN,” next to images of camping gear including a backpack, a tent, and survival supplies.

Another section reads “MAKE IT EASY TO BE SEEN,” paired with a stylized illustration of a human head and face.

A circular compass image appears near the bottom, next to the heading “KNOW WHERE YOU ARE.” A block of text nearby reads: “A pandemic bond is akin to a towering structure. At the very bottom is a thick layer of trust.”

Other visible headings include “HELP THEM HELP YOU” and “SUPERSTITION,” each surrounded by explanatory text fragments and arrows connecting ideas.

Toward the bottom right, a bold quotation reads: “I’m like, everything’s going great. This is all moving in the right direction. I’m on a fucking rocket ship.”

At the bottom of the page, a sentence reads: “Let’s do our share to lend a hand.”

Credit: Paige Han, IG: @afterhann

Page 25

This page shows a collage on a a green background, with “Imagination” at the top in hand-drawn black lettering. Along the left edge, the word “Patterns” is written vertically, and along the right edge, “Tending.” At the bottom, the word “Ahead” is written in large letters.

Centered on the page is a crossword puzzle filled in by hand. The puzzle contains words related to creativity and learning, including “joyful,” “futures,” “calls,” “teaching,” “learning,” “illumination,” “knowing,” and “regenerative.” Some letters intersect, forming a dense grid.

Beneath the crossword, the grid visually transforms into a triangular perspective pattern, like a path or tiled floor receding into the distance, suggesting forward movement or depth.

Credit: Tovah King

Page 26

This page shows a collage on a warm brown background. Near the top right, handwritten text reads “Human Being.” Diagonally across the center, a cut-out label says “SUBLIME” in bold capital letters.

On the left side, there is a vertical strip of printed text that has been heavily blacked out with marker, resembling erasure poetry. It reads: emerged from shelter, dusting off a world confirmed an amateur, a devotee Every kind is here: mother baby wonders make it who jumped times before life

In the center and lower portion of the page, illustrated pink flowers grow upward from a snowy or white ground at the bottom edge. Along the right edge are layered landscape images, including desert rock formations and a green cactus-like plant.

Small green dotted marks appear across the page, and the handwritten word “connetions” is visible near the lower left.

Credit: Tovah King

Page 27

This is a hand-drawn page on a white background titled “Rhizomes” at the top, written in large, outlined letters. Below the title is a simple line drawing of a ginger root, shown horizontally with multiple knobby branches, emphasizing its spreading, interconnected form.

Under the illustration, the word “Ginger” appears in parentheses. Beneath that, large, stylized text reads “Against A.I.” The letters are hand-drawn with decorative line patterns inside them.

To the right of this phrase, smaller handwritten text adds a humorous aside: “(especially if you’re queasy…)”

Credit: Anonymous

Page 28

This is a simple zine unfolded out and laid flat, written in black pen on white paper. The title page says "ChatGPT, how many b's are in blueberry?" with a black border. The next few pages say: "Answer: "There are 300 b's in bluebbbbbbbbbbb...[Four full pages of b's]...bbberry..."

Credit: Anonymous

Page 29

This page shows a collage with a textured olive-green background. Cut-out words and illustrations are arranged like a scrapbook.

At the top, blocky cut-out text reads: “OFTEN HUMANS IN FRONT OF OUR EYES, ALL AROUND US, GO COMPLETELY UNNOTICED AS THINGS OR AS INANIMATE OBJECTS,” with the words appearing in mixed fonts and pastel colors. To the upper right is a simple illustration of a white park bench.

Along the left side, three small pink labels read: “FLOATING,” “EXPLODING,” and “WEEPING.”

To the right of that is a large green tree, its trunk rooted at the back and its branches blowing to the right. In the center is a surreal illustration of a human profile facing right. Flowing from the hair of the head are the cursive words “what if…,” Below the head are illustrated human lungs. The left lung looks organic and pink, while the right lung resembles branching tree limbs or roots, visually linking lungs and trees.

Across the middle-right, bold cut-out text reads: “HUMAN BEINGS BREATHE LIKE TREES!”

At the bottom is a simplified city skyline made of muted pink and gray buildings, suggesting an urban environment beneath the human-and-nature imagery.

Credit: Aleema G.

Page 30

Five cartoonish figures with a brown stroke and a light brown fill hold hands in a circle in the center of a page with a white background.

Back Cover

The back cover is a dense, vertically oriented collage composed of many narrow horizontal strips layered from top to bottom, creating a tapestry-like effect.

The first strip shows a fragment of a crossword puzzle is visible with the partially filled word “ILLUMINATE.”

The second strip shows alternating bands of rust-red and pale blue, decorated with small hand-drawn stars and crescent moons.

The third strip features circular zodiac imagery, showing astrological symbols and animals arranged in a wheel.

The fourth strip include botanical illustrations: berries on stems, leafy plants, and twisting roots or branches. A red moth or butterfly appears near the center, wings spread.

The fifth strip shows painted human faces of an older person with short hair, and beside them a person wearing a pink headscarf, both rendered in a soft, illustrative style. Nearby are fragments of printed text, including the word “landscape.”

The sixth strip shows camouflage-patterned fabric or foliage.

The seventh strip that is a close-up photograph of a light-colored cat's neck wearing a collar with a heart-shaped tag.

The eight strip shows a tree with a small label on the left that reads “WEEPING.”

Below is the DAIR logo and website link, dair-institute.org.