[SciFiNoir Lit] How to Get More Blacks to Read Speculative Fiction
How to Get More Black Folks to Read Speculative Fiction Check it out! In this little posting the Notorious BIG of SF feeds himself Humble Pie! On this and many another list time after time the above question has been put: how can we get more blacks to read SF? And time after time I have brushed off the question with contempt. Forget it! Never happened I have resigned myself Do a search for the particular postings and quotes. Well, yesterday I proved myself wrong. July 31, 2006. I have received an invitation to do a presentation for Yari Yari. For those not in the know Yari Yari (which means The Future I think) is a cultural/ literary camp/group for African American kids put on by Sisters Nineties of St. Louis. Debra MorrowLoving, president, usually runs these sessions ably assisted by Sis. Wilma Potts. The kids get education, culture, politics, everything. I have been a guest before. When I received my invite I thought , No sweat. I'll pull together a killer program of my poetry and dazzle them with my words. The more I thought of it, the less I thought of it. I have dazzled them thus a couple times in the last six months that I know, and several times over the past few years. Visions filled my head of them rolling their eyes and snorting because they heard it all before. Kids are not dumb. But I am. What do we talk about around here all the time? What were the last two articles I submitted to Sisters Nineties about? What can I offer an opinion about, however wrong and beknighted. Speculative Fiction. Furthermore, Blacks in Speculative Fiction. So I whipped up an outline, a handout with some terms, author names and websites and appeared. I spoke to a roomful of young men and women, 6-17. First they introduced themselves and then they recited from memory Shakespeare's Sonnet #27. Then I got into it. I insisted on conducting it as a conversation. I spoke. I read from my own works. I answered questions and asked them some. I learned. This is the group, people, that is into SF. The group that has seen the Matrix, knows about Harry Potter, reads the comix, watches the Star Treks. They wanted to know about Blacks writing SF and SF books with blacks in them. Not just them. Apparently the teachers knew about Octavia Butler, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due. They knew about the Mother of the Matrix controversy. They didn't know about the Lion's Blood and Zulu Dawn books and got all excited and took down the titles when I told them about them being an Alternative History where Africans owning white European slaves settled the Americas. (Steve! This is a shoutout! You gots to go where the people AT! The traditional methods and ways of flogging books are not going to work with black folks—particularly since they probably are not approaching them). Eureka! Here, by accident, is the formula. And you know what? Their next assignment for Yari Yari is to write a Speculative Fiction story (one young lady came up with a plot on the spot that mixed fantasy, sci fi, mythology and was a knock out). A young man confessed on the spot for the first time that he wants to be a comic book writer. Another young lady took my list and went right to the library to start looking up some of the authors and sites. You want more Black Folks to read SF? Take Black SF to the audience. Go to the schools, the community organizations, the clubs, the community centers, the jails and juvie halls, where these kids are and tell them about it. They are hungry to read about themselves. Go where the people AT! Stop sitting around in your conventions and panel discussion, preaching to the choir where they A'INT! Bop! Zap! Boom! There it is! No charge, man. 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/
[SciFiNoir Lit] Kill Harry?
In response to rumors that JK Rowling plans to kill Harry Potter, some people are urging her not to do it. Let's take our own poll. I say she should kill him. In the most ghastly manner possible. What sez everybody? This could get as good as the poll where the DC readers decided to kill Robin! 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/
Re: [SciFiNoir Lit] Kill Harry?
I read that by killing a major character, it makes it near impossible for corporations involved to continue the story without the author Tracey Chris Hayden wrote: In response to rumors that JK Rowling plans to kill Harry Potter, some people are urging her not to do it. Let's take our own poll. I say she should kill him. In the most ghastly manner possible. What sez everybody? This could get as good as the poll where the DC readers decided to kill Robin! 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 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/
[SciFiNoir Lit] Looking at my Gucci, it's about that time
Submissions are open soon! http://www.geocities.com/cecilwashington/creative.html Creative Brother's Sci-Fi magazine is a semi-pro market that prints speculative fictionScience Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, that features black characters and black themes in speculative situations. However, if you have a story that features a Slim Shady character or a character of another racial minority, send it to me if you think it will rock my world. In addition, I will be compiling special issues---Men's Issues, Women's issues, Teen, Computer Tech, Robots, etc.---that are open to all fiction, regardless of ethnicity, as long as the story addresses the particular theme. FOR SUBSCRIBERS This publication can only be ordered online, in print and CD format. Some issues are also avalable for free download. You can order it at: http://www.lulu.com/cecilwashington. Registration at Lulu is free. The magazine also has a free online group: Black Sci-Fi Horror Fantasy Club at Yahoo. FOR ADVERTISERS Ads are 50 cents per word, with a $10 minimum. FOR WRITERS I should be able to tell that your protagonist is black. Yes, you may have to write something like: Larry, a black man, drove his space ship to the mooon. If the protag is not black, I should be able to tell that he/she is a non-black person who is steeped in black culture Ex: Most of Keith's friends were black. Though he was not, his Afrofuturist comrades made him feel at home. Black includes African, African-American, Carribean, Carribean-American, Carribean-Canadian, just to name a few. If it reads like a Tarzan story or if your narrator still calling black people colored, wogs, negro or n*gg**s, it's an automatic rejection unless we're talking a first person narrative in a period piece, such as during American Slavery or, if he/she's in a sub-group that approves of the n-word. Having your black characters address each other by the n-word can be forgiven as long as you don't go overboard and the dialect is realistic. Please don't send me stories about Yacub's blue-eyed devils, ok? SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES Submissions are taken in March and September of every year. Subs sent at other times will not be read. Publishing dates are either April or May, or October or November, depending upon the volume of submissions. A) Stories should be between 1,000 to 5,000 words. B) Poetry will be accepted, as long as it is speculative in nature. Poetry includes Rap lyrics that are speculative in nature. C) Payment is $5 US per piece. D) Reprints are fine. E) Send me your best, WELL-EDITED, PROOFREAD, SPELL-CHECKED work. F) Submissions should be sent in the body of an e-mail, along with a bio of 50 words or less, to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The word SUBMISSION---[STORY NAME] should be in the subject line of the e- mail. G) No editorials or reviews. 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/
Re: [SciFiNoir Lit] Kill Harry?
Couldn't she bring Harry back from the dead with magic? 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/
[SciFiNoir Lit] File - membership_faq
Welcome To SciFiNoir Literature SciFiNoir Literature is hosted by Tracey L. Minor and is run without charge for the benefit of fans and contributors from all backgrounds to speculative fiction. If you wish to join and maintain membership in the list, you must agree to the guidelines below. Also included in this document is information designed to help you get the most out of your membership. These guideline were created in response to feedback from SciFiNoir Literature Members. Save this message to make the most of your SciFiNoir Literature membership. SCIFINOIR Literature FAQ Guidelines Created: October 13, 2002 1. What is SciFiNoir Literature 2. Why a special list on speculative fiction literature for people of color? 3. Who is on the list 4. Important addresses 5. Posting a message to SciFiNoir Literature for the whole group to view 6. Introductions: 7. Membership Options: Help I love the group, but I am receiving too many emails! 8. Complaints: I have a problem where do I go to obtain help? 9. Off-topic subjects 10. Private conversations 11. Attachments: 12. Formatted text: 13. Spamming - Can I promote my business? 14. Flaming - What about personal verbal attacks? 15. Why are the rules so harsh? 16. Submit your suggestions 17. Reminders === 1. What is SciFiNoir Literature SciFiNoir Literature is a community of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds who have a deep appreciation for any and all literature involving speculative fiction. In a addition to traditional science fiction, members are also free to discuss horror, paranormal, scifi erotica, fantasy, paranormal, sci fi romance, and Afrofuturism. Particular emphasis is placed on discussing how people of color ( African American, Asian American, Hispanic, and native American) and women are addressed in speculative fiction or treated in the industries that promote the genre. Fans, creative contributors and critics participate on the list. We will help to keep you up-to-date on what's going on in speculative fiction, the people of color involved, and its impact on people of color. In addition to lively discussion, we will provide you with profiles, news, event announcements and more!! 2. Why a special list on speculative fiction literature for people of color? This list was set up after I became aware that the stereotype that only white males were interested in speculative fiction was not true. I was not alone in my love of the genre. There were others like myself. Over the past few years, I continued to meet women and other people of color that felt as I did about speculative fiction. I also noticed that most of us were not always comfortable about expressing our thoughts about the portrayal and treatment of people of color and women in the genre. The original Scifinoir list grew out of a desire to establish a place online where people could come and find others with similar interests, support for their creativity, and openly express their feelings about race and speculative fiction. I created this list because the other list became dominated by discussions on speculative fiction TV and Film which downed out the voices of those interested in speculative fiction literature. This list is my solution to that problem. 3. Who is on the list This list is comprised of the most diverse group of fans, critics, and contributors to speculative fiction. They come from all walks of life and almost every ethnic background. There are African American, Asian American, Hispanic, Native American, and White people on the list. While the list is dominated by Americans, there are also members from Canada, Puerto Rico, The Caribbean, South America, and Europe. There are students, teachers, writers, artists, screenwriters, comic book producers, accountants, web masters, engineers, parents, grandparents, secretaries, scholars, business-owners, and other people from almost every walk of life you can imagine. This list seeks to reflect the mosaic that makes up our country and the world. 4. Important addresses The following addresses can help you in a variety of ways. With them you can change you subscription, post a message to the group, contact me, or post. Community email addresses: Post message: SciFiNoir_lit@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe Digest Mode: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Shortcut URL to this page: http://www.yahoogroups.com/community/SciFiNoir_lit Yahoo Groups Help http://help.yahoo.com/help/groups/ 5. Posting a message to SciFiNoir for the whole group to view There are two ways in which you can go about posting messages for the group to view. a. Send your message via email to: SciFiNoir_lit@yahoogroups.com ( the group name is not case sensitive) b. Submitting your message via the egroups web site: After you've signed in, go to
[SciFiNoir Lit] File - Map_of_SciFinoir_Member_Locations
Hi SciFiNoir Family. This is a reminder to add your name to our group map that lets members know in what cities other scifinoir members live. Most of you probably live really close to other memers and do not even know it. This map will hopefully correct that. Please click through to add your point on the map. Takes less than a minute. http://www.frappr.com/scifinoir/map Thanks Tracey de Morsella, your moderator SciFiNoir/SciFiNoir-Lit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir-lit/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir2/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] 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/
