Jarret Keene is a fan of the apocalypse.
He’s edited books about it, played music about it, and now he’s giving a talk about it.
Keene is an assistant professor in residence at UNLV, and on March 28 he’ll give a lecture about Las Vegas' apocalyptic appeal. The talk is called “ Sin City Apocalypse: Writing and Editing Las Vegas Dystopian Futures.”
“There are so many wild and crazy stories about Las Vegas that appear in the national and international news and I find those to be emblematic of the allure of Vegas,” Keene said.
Keene said Las Vegas offers both pleasure with a sense of danger, which makes it a perfect setting.
“I think that’s really the attractions of a city and why it makes for such a great setting for fiction, particularly in the post-apocalyptic sub-genre,” he said.
As for a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas in his own writing, Keene said he is attracted to the idea of our city that is slightly off.
“I just find the idea of a Las Vegas slightly askew or ruined to be very intriguing."
There is also the idea of the iconic Strip, a symbol of a good time, luck and wealth, laid waste like in disaster films like 2014's "Godzilla."
“Once New York, LA and DC are flattened, what’s the next city? Well it has to be, it deserves to be Las Vegas,” Keene said.
Jarret Keene, assitant professor in residence, UNLV English Department