On the evening of October 3, the international book launch of Island’s New Realities: Imagining UBI in Taiwan was held at REEDS Bookstore in Taipei. This is Taiwan’s first fiction anthology centered on the idea of Unconditional Basic Income (UBI), jointly produced by UBI Taiwan and SciFaSaurus Publishing.
The event gathered activists, researchers, and creators from Taiwan and abroad, including BIEN (Basic Income Earth Network) Chair Sarath Davala, UBI Taiwan Chair Jia-Kuan Su, Executive Director Pin-I Lee, SciFaSaurus Wu-Hsuan Lee (aka Pumpkin President), and several contributing authors (StillWater, Merlin Ma, Hsiao Yiou, Shirlina, and Iguana). Together, they used storytelling as a medium to engage in dialogue about the future of UBI and society.
Freedom to ‘imagine society’
The event featured a special address by BIEN Chair Sarath Davala, who used the metaphor of “the smell of a library” to praise the book for transforming the freedom to read into the freedom to imagine society. Davala summarized the five core principles of UBI: cash, individual, periodic, universal, and unconditional, emphasizing that UBI is not merely a mechanism for cash transfers but a way of “seeing life, society, and the state.”
He also shared his recent work establishing UBI networks in Asia, including Korea and Malaysia, and reflected on Taiwan’s challenges of aging, loneliness, and demographic transition, through a sociological lens. He stressed that policy debates should balance economic growth with social well-being, making “the health of society” an essential standard in legislation.
Speaking to the youth, Davala encouraged Taiwan’s creators and activists to “be pragmatic in everyday order, but bold, even reckless, when it comes to dreams about life and society,” because public imagination must be kindled.
At the close of his remarks, Davala presented UBI Taiwan with an “In Honour of UBI Taiwan” certificate on behalf of BIEN, recognizing a decade of steadfast and innovative advocacy.
People centered and youth-driven advocacy
UBI Taiwan Chair Jia-Kuan Su continued the international perspective by introducing the association’s people-centered, youth-driven advocacy approach. He explained that the team both deepens policy research and engages the public through creative actions, such as producing a documentary on a single-parent basic income pilot, organizing UBI parades, and participating in BIEN Congresses, bringing Taiwan’s experiences to the world and global conversations back to Taiwan.
Su shared two personal impressions from reading the book: First, many stories portray subtle reflections on human choice within near-future scenarios; second, the authors handle themes of gender, family, and freedom with both tenderness and sharpness, revealing how UBI touches the intimate seams of everyday life.
He also discussed youth policy ideas amid AI disruptions, noting that when structural unemployment arrives, young people without assets or networks are most vulnerable. Therefore, UBI and related policies should form a key part of the social safety net.
Turning research into policy
UBI Taiwan Executive Director Pin-Ii Lee elaborated on the organization’s recent public communication efforts: entering mainstream media and podcasts, connecting with NGOs, and engaging members of parliament, to move discussions from academia and the internet into policy options comprehensible to legislators.
He described this as a process of “getting the ball rolling”: first posing big questions to spark dialogue, then deepening them through arguments and real cases.
Lee also highlighted the book’s focus on women’s experiences, noting that when systems redirect resources, shifts in economic autonomy and household power dynamics become intertwined, an issue worth long-term social observation.
SciFaSaurus founder Wu-Hsuan Lee reflected on the collaboration between the publisher and UBI Taiwan. Since its founding in 2014, SciFaSaurus has sought to address contemporary issues through the creative power of fantasy and science fiction, treating literature not merely as entertainment but as a medium for policy dialogue.
He emphasized that Island’s New Realities represents an experiment cobining policy discussion with narrative creativity, showcasing the diversity of original Taiwanese storytelling. He also noted SciFaSaurus’s commitment to ESG transformation and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified sustainable publishing, underscoring that cultural production itself should embody the values of sustainability and responsibility.
Authors and public reflect on basic income
The creative sharing segment featured multiple authors presenting their stories from unique perspectives:
StillWater, in 808, set in a rehearsal room, contrasts two musicians’ diverging lives, describing UBI as an “amplifier” that magnifies the self-discipline and passion of some, but not necessarily the achievements of those prone to procrastination.
- Merlin Ma, in Uncaged Brain Initiative, follows a freelancer who gradually changes his view of UBI through interactions with an AI assistant, revealing his renewed commitment to writing. The author shared that he even discussed the title and plot details with AI during creation, forming a dialogue within and beyond the text.
- Hsiao Yiou, through The Discard Mother and Heartfelt Words, examines family dynamics from both wife and husband perspectives, depicting how UBI reshapes relationships and personal dignity within the household.
Shirlina, in Bi-Lian, centers on a woman in a patriarchal family who awakens and rebuilds herself under a UBI system. She noted that UBI is not a cure-all but a starting point for recognizing opportunities for change. - Hsiao Yiou, through The Discard Mother and Heartfelt Words, examines family dynamics from both wife and husband perspectives, depicting how UBI reshapes relationships and personal dignity within the household.
Shirlina, in Bi-Lian, centers on a woman in a patriarchal family who awakens and rebuilds herself under a UBI system. She noted that UBI is not a cure-all but a starting point for recognizing opportunities for change. - Iguana, in The Fatal Document, uses a journalistic narrative pace inspired by his media background. He observed that many around him oppose UBI, believing “human worth must be measured,” and he turned this tension into a suspenseful thriller.
- Wu Hsaun Lee, also a contributing author, wrote The Coming-of-Age Ceremony, set in the far future, exploring how humanity can still mature and grow in a society where everyone’s livelihood is guaranteed.
During the discussion, audience members raised questions on topics such as eligibility age and migrant workers’ rights. The authors collectively emphasized that fiction’s purpose is not to provide answers but to offer extreme scenarios and ethical dilemmas that invite reflection. One participant with a disability shared personal employment struggles, to which author Hsiao Yiou responded: “The real test of UBI lies not in grand numbers, but in personal dignity and the recognition of one’s value.”
The event concluded with book-signing and group photos. The combination of international recognition, local creative perspectives, and the advocates’ effort to translate research into public language made Island’s New Realities not merely a literary publication but an act of reconnecting culture with policy, inviting society to rethink how we live together.
Sarath Davala’s presence and his commemorative gift symbolized Taiwan’s growing role in the global UBI conversation. UBI Taiwan and SciFaSaurus announced plans for continued activities to keep the dialogue alive, hoping this book will become a starting point for broader discussion and imagination of our shared future.
Founded in 2017, UBI Taiwan is a non-profit policy advocacy organization dedicated to exploring and implementing UBI solutions. It promotes the idea that the state should provide everyone with a regular, unconditional cash grant to secure basic livelihood and economic dignity, addressing social and economic challenges through research, experiments, and public campaigns for a fairer and more sustainable future.
Founded in 2014, SciFaSaurus is a Taiwan-based publisher specializing in fantasy and science-fiction novels, comics, and games. It cultivates original Taiwanese creators and has developed over 35 intellectual properties (IPs). SciFaSaurus is also the first small-scale publisher in Taiwan to complete an ESG transformation, with all its publications certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
