The novella “We Were Out of Our Minds with Joy” by David Marusek was published for the first time in 1995.

Sam Harger is an artist who started a difficult relationship with Eleanor Starke, a very important woman whose power is growing. Despite some problems, their relationship becomes stable and after some time the couple receives an extraordinary news: they received a license to have a child. At the end of the 21st century, having a child is a huge privilege, yet for Sam and Eleanor is a new problem.