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In the NoCo

Colorado sci-fi author X. Ho Yen’s new book reveals its story as the reader solves a series of puzzles

X. Ho Yen, a man with close-cropped dark hair, stands outside wearing a black button-down shirt with a row of sunflowers on the front that he says show his support for Ukraine. He is a science fiction author who has autism. He is holding both hands in front of him making a Vulcan "live long and prosper" salute with each.
Courtesy of X. Ho Yen
"I didn't grow up in the world you're familiar with, and I don't live in it to this day," says Centennial author X. Ho Yen, who is autistic and has written several books featuring autistic characters. "And so that drove me into science fiction, especially because in science fiction, I can write stories that are not status quo." His newest work features a series of puzzles, geared toward pre-teens, that reveals a story as the reader solves them.

When Colorado writer X. Ho Yen was a kid, he loved to read science fiction.

X. Ho Yen is autistic. He liked how some sci-fi stories, like the Star Trek series, depicted a more enlightened future society where neurodivergent people were treated equally.

Eventually he began writing his own science fiction novels. His newest release is titled Space Autistic Author’s Puzzling Innerverse. It’s different from his other books: It’s a series of puzzles that reveal the plot of a story as you solve them.

X. Ho Yen spoke with ITN’s Erin O’Toole about the new book, his influences and how science fiction resonated deeply with him as a child.

Check out a recent profile of the author from The Colorado Sun.

Correction: An earlier version of this episode gave the incorrect city of residence for X. Ho Yen. He lives in Centennial.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.