<<This has been a great discussion. This is, I think, what I had in mind when I came here. That we would have these kind of in depth discussions on sci fi lit in general and African American sci fi lit specifically.
I had time to think of this being offline yesterday--I was helping out at a jobfair for black folks seeking employment where we had folks lined up out the door and down the block seeking employment--- I am going to shoot the next person who says black people don't want to work in the ass, I swear--and I came up with this. You are an academic right? A professor, right? You have to publish articles books whatever? Why not write a story or novel that illustrates what you are talking about? You can write the novel that you wished Barnes had written. In the manner of Derek Bell, I'm sure you can justify it as a historical or literary excercise. At any rate you can set the standards for the genre. If you don't want to do that, you could write an article on the matter or gather together a journal or one time book featuring the type of alternative history work you'd like to see. Chris Chris Hayden --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "Dr. Lester K. Spence" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Chris, I don't have the time to answer all of your questions, though > all of them are fair. The one that I think you asked when the "what > does steve barnes need to do to get to the next level" is one that I'd > like to take a stab at. > > Steve Barnes is a published novelist, an essayist, a martial artist, a > television personality (i didn't know this), and an overall renaissance > man. He is what many of us aspire to. > > But I don't think the original poster asked the question to ignore or > downplay his accomplishments. The average NBA journeyman, or newspaper > columnist, is already better than the vast majority of hobbyists in > their respective fields. It isn't downplaying Barnes' skills to > suggest that he can get better--get to the next level--anymore than > it's downgrading Ben Wallace's skills to say that homeboy needs to work > on his free throws. > > One of the things that separates blacks and latinos from their white > counterparts in general is that we have a great deal of experience at > multitasking. What this means SOMETIMES is that we aren't EXCELLENT > at one thing. Barnes is a good essayist, a good novelist, a black belt > (i think)...but for people like him the next level shouldn't be "more > of the same". It should be "excellence". What excellence means to me > is being the best at his craft. > > Now in the realm of alternative fiction I chose Turtledove for two > reasons. One, he is one of the most recognizable alt. history writers > in the business--alternative history is damn near all that he DOES. > Two, he's the one I've read the most of. But your mileage may vary. > Whatever the case, Barnes is not the best at alternative history. > > This isn't a knock on him. I recognize that he's already accomplished > more than most of the people on this list would if they had two > lifetimes available to him. But he's only what? 45 maybe? At some > point as a human you've got to make a decision to either push forward > and accept new challenges, or be satisfied with doing more of what > you're already doing. > > Working on the idea that Barnes is interested in excellence, AND that > he is interested in becoming excellent at the types of books he writes, > I said he should spend more time on the research end fleshing out his > works. As has already been established there are other capable > writers in the field who have carved out nice niches for themselves > telling neat stories without really going deep into the history. If > that's what Barnes wants to do...cool. He can be the Cornel West of > alternative history. But if he is aiming for higher, and he has the > skills and the stamina to do so, he should reach higher. > > We all should. And while being understanding of people who shoot high > and fall, I don't think we're in a position to simply be happy to > shoot. > > lks > > > Dr. Lester K. Spence > Assistant Professor, Political Science, Afro-American Studies > Washington University > Kellogg Scholar in Health Disparities Community email addresses: Post message: SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe Digest Mode: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir_Lit/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir_Lit/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
