Fen Of Color United

New Anthology: Bloodchildren

badger2305 — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:00:16 GMT

Help support the Octavia E. Butler Scholarship Fund! Buy a copy of Bloodchildren - the new ebook anthology of stories written by the Octavia E. Butler Scholars.

As a member of the Board of Directors of the Carl Brandon Society, what I can tell you is this: the annual cost to send a writer of color to Clarion and to Clarion West is about $8000. Therefore, we are looking for 1000 people to buy one copy each of our new anthology - or 500 to buy two, or - well, you get the idea.

Production and publication of the anthology has been supported by generous donations by SF3, the parent organization of WisCon, and individual donors.

Introducing: A More Diverse Universe Blog Tour

neo_prodigy — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:01:44 GMT

So last week I signed up for this most important event. Why is this important? Aarti explains why.

"I've spoken on this blog (and in other forums) about the lack of diversity in fantasy fiction, particularly fantasy fiction of the epic nature. If epic fantasy has diversity, it is often present in a fashion that mirrors the stereotypes of Medieval Europe, with Viking-like invaders from the North and Infidels from the East and uneasy peaces and petty wars with those that look most like the heroes of the stories. This is unfair for many reasons that I hope I don't need to enumerate here. And of course, there are absolutely amazing authors whose books are populated by characters of every size, shape, color, and species. But it's still difficult and frustrating to be a fantasy reader who comes up against the same tropes in every book. Because while fantasy novels can be, well, fantastic, they can also be very repetitive and tell the same story with different character names. And I can't help but think that at least part of the reason is because of the lack of diversity in fantasy book authorship. Because it is hard to break into the fantasy genre as a new author, generally. And even more difficult if your book is about a person of color. And most difficult of all if you yourself are a person of color writing stories about characters of color.

"Did you know that there are more books in publication about people of color that are by Caucasian authors than there are by people of color authors?! That means that if you are white and write a book about an Indian girl named Aarti and her life in Chicago (and perhaps a fantastical journey to Fairyland) you are more likely than I am to get that book published. That's messed up.

"And so a small group of bloggers got together to create an event to fight this. And, as bloggers do, we decided to organize a blog tour. For one week in September (the week of the 23rd), we want ALL OF YOU fantasy/sci fi/magical realism readers (with blogs and without) to read a fantasy/sci fi/magical realism novel written by a person of color. And to write a review of that book. You know as well as I do that books succeed based on word of mouth and mentions and conversation, and this is where bloggers can help the MOST. Just read one book. And share your thoughts on that one book.

I know your TBR list is huge. I know your commitments are many. I know that there are so many things on which you must take a stand, and it can be exhausting to make reading a political activity. But this is so important to me, and I really think it should be important to you, too. None of us lives in a monochromatic world, and yet the fact that terrifying hate crimes still occur makes it clear that we do not fully understand or trust each other. And maybe part of the reason is because the media we consume does not accurately reflect the diversity of our society. And books are such a massive part of the media we consume that we should demand and fight for those that do represent minorities and those that do present the world from a different perspective than the one we are used to. So please - participate. You may just discover a character or an author or a setting or a story that will completely change your life."

So what can you do? A lot of things, in addition to boosting the signal on this excellent event, you too can read a spec fic book written by a person of color and discuss it on your blog during the week of Sept. 23.

Need recommendations? We got you covered:

Want to participate, but don't want to commit to a full-length novel? Here's a list of short fiction.

Love YA fantasy? (Who doesn't?) Here's a list just for you.

Here's a few more reading suggestions.

And a few more.

And don't forget yours truly has a little novel entitled Hollowstone.

And like Aarti, " I am so excited to see what you read and your reaction to it - have fun making a positive difference!"

How Racism Works In The Comic Industry

neo_prodigy — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 18:48:01 GMT

Over on Bleeding Cool, Mr. Easton breaks down beautifully why there's only 3 percent of blacks working in the Big Two companies.

This quote here sums up why the comic industry is in the state it is in now:

"I reflect on the words of my friend Peter Briggs, the “Hellboy” screenwriter who was once asked “Why do Hollywood films suck so often?” Briggs replied, “Incompetence is rife in this business, and egos make it worse. And there’s a culture of poker buddy, frat boy nepotism that fosters ‘who you know’ and filters out genuine talent. And that’s why bad movies get made.”Replace movies with comic books in this equation. Add in egos fueled by bigotry and the sum is about 3.0%"

But this is the quote that really brings it home:

"I’m going to reveal a secret about Black males – a lot of us are naïve idealists. We actually believe that people are going to judge us on the content of our character rather than the color of our skin. What you see is our reaction to constantly having our hearts broken by the realization that yet another White person is counted as an enemy. Disappointment can be worse than hate."

Read this now. And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go buy and read Mr. Easton's graphic novel Shadowlaw.

_______________________________

Brandon M. Easton writes for Bleeding Cool. He is a current Thundercats and Transformers animation writer and recently had his first graphic novel, Shadowlaw, published.

Part I: Business as Usual.

A few weeks back, Rich Johnston published an article by Tim Hanley examining the employment numbers of White women, women of color and non-White men at Marvel Entertainment and DC Entertainment. The findings were awful but not unexpected as the Big Two have long been dominated by a culture of nepotism that routinely excludes women and non-White men, particularly Black/African-American men.

Clearly, breaking into Marvel or DC is insanely difficult and few people of any background manage to get close; but the fact that there are less than 3.0% of Blacks credited on all Marvel and DC titles as of June 2012 illustrates a serious problem that requires greater exploration. I’m not the first one to discuss this as Christopher Priest, Reginald Hudlin and Dwayne McDuffiehave shared their valuable experiences as Black men working in the mainstream comic book industry. Their experiences haven’t always been pleasurable and now, in 2012, things don’t seem to have gotten better.

Before I go further, we must understand that American race relations are very complicated and cannot be fully explained or understood through the microcosm of superhero comics. Any anonymous internet discussion of racism (in comics and in general) usually morphs into a virtual pissing match of accusation, denial, debasement, personal anecdotes and a lack of common decency. Everything becomes personalized, people make speeches and few walk away with increased clarity on the issues of race and prejudice. In the U.S., it becomes a situation where some White people feel personally indicted as a racist and the burden rests on Black people to 1) prove racism still exists and impacts all of us, 2) explain the difference between aWhite person living their daily lives vs. the institutionalized system of racism, and 3) defend yourself against claims of “reverse” racism as the very mention of the issue means that you hate White people. Almost every online discussion of race boils down to these three arguments before it’s all said and done. And ultimately, nothing changes because some folks refuse to separate the system from their personal identity.

Let me give you an example, during my undergraduate years, I took a few classes dealing with feminism and gender studies. I never once considered myself, a Black male, as a participant in sexism and patriarchy. I always thought of myself as being “more” enlightened than my male brethren on issues of equal rights for women. The revelation that I had sexist ideas drilled into my psyche was unsettling. I hated feeling like a bad guy. First, I blamed my professors, labeling them as “feminazis.” Then I gave endless examples from my personal life about how fairly I treated women compared to most men. For months, I carried a deep, burning hatred of feminism and those who preached the tenets of gender politics because I believed that the problem wasn’t “that bad” and it would go away if they would just shut up. Eventually, after many long years of self-reflection, I realized that it was not me – Brandon Easton – they were criticizing; it was the system of sexism itself and showing me how I was an unwilling participant in patriarchy didn’t mean I was an evil person. It just meant I needed to grow as a human being.

One more thing, I’m not an advocate of affirmative action in comics. Either you have talent or you don’t. The problem is that those with talent aren’t getting the same opportunity to pitch ideas as others. The numbers don’t lie. The question is why are the numbers so low?

I should delineate between comic book illustrators and comic book writers. To break in these days, a writer must distinguish themselves in Hollywood and/or the independent comics scene and/or be a creator of something in popular entertainment. The few Black writers who’ve been employed by Marvel or DC in the last few years have fit the bill (Eric Wallace, Felicia Henderson, Eric Jerome Dickey, Hudlin). However, there have been writers at Marvel and DC who never had to be someone notable outside of the realm of graphic novels to get a gig.

It’s not a racist or biased statement to say that the majority of the editors at Marvel and DC are White males from suburban backgrounds. Just as it isn’t a racist statement to say that the majority of NBA players are Black males from working class backgrounds. It’s not the statement, it’s the sentiment. The argument usually is this: “The reason the mainstream comic book industry infrastructure is predominantly White is because mainly White males read comic books. These same White males fall in love with the characters and then fall in love with the industry and then a few of them pursue it seriously as a career. The numbers in the industry reflect this and it’s not the result of racial engineering.”

That argument wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t a flat out lie. While there is no way to accurately measure the ethnic makeup of the mainstream comic book audience, one only has to use their eyes and ears to reach a cursory conclusion that it’s not a White-males-only party. I started reading comics in 1981 or 82, I can’t remember because I’m getting old. I do remember that it was a MARVEL TALES issue reprinting an original Amazing Spider-Man story by Lee/Ditko where Peter fights Flash Thompson in a boxing ring. In my elementary school, which was 70% Black (I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD), all my friends read comic books. Most of my friends were Black boys. And as I went through middle school, high school, college and graduate school, I noticed that there were a ton of Marvel and DC fans who were Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, Gay, Lesbian, developmentally disabled and physically handicapped, male and female.

Many of the Black folks I work with today in Hollywood are lifelong fans of Marvel and DC Comics. Go to San Diego Comic Con, New York Comic Con, WonderCon, Comikaze, Anime Expo or any of the larger conventions across the nation and you will see a very diverse population of fans that are over the age of 30. Then there are the Black-themed conventions like theEast Coast Black Age of Comics Convention in Philadelphia, OnyxCon in Atlanta, Motor City Black Age of Comics () and there was even a Black Comic Book Day held in Harlem in NYC over the last few years. And I’m not even going to address the Black cosplayers LOL.

The point here is that historically-speaking, no one can make the argument that there haven’t been Black people interested in mainstream superhero comic books; at least, not from the late 1970s onward. I’m surrounded by very talented, incredibly intelligent and remarkably geeky Black professional writers all the time. Some of them create in the independent comics scene and others stick to Hollywood television and film. Almost all of them would love the opportunity to do work at Marvel and DC. So again, the question is why are the numbers so low?

At this point, I may offend some folks, so if you’re the type who is easily offended by honest discussions of prejudice and race, then stop reading. Now, here is where it gets complicated. There are those who confuse the terms “racism” and “prejudice.” Some believe the terms are interchangeable.

I don’t.

From a purely sociological definition, prejudice is having an assumption about a person, group, place, thing, food, etc. without an experience to justify that assumption; hence, to “pre-judge” something. That said, we all have prejudices, heck, I was prejudiced against sushi for decades before trying it. I am prejudiced about living in certain kinds of neighborhoods. I am prejudiced against driving SUVs with low gas mileage. I am also prejudiced against being the only Black person in a room and if I know that there won’t be at least two or three other Black people in attendance at an event, I tend to avoid it. Prejudices aren’t rational, they just exist.

It’s well-known that Black Americans have a perception problem. Even though the majority of Black Americans are middle class, we still are generally considered to be dirty, poor, angry, violent, irresponsible, inherently stupid, morally depraved and whiny with a never-ending sense of entitlement. Black males are considered to the worst of the worst in almost every conceivable category of society. It’s not much of stretch to assume that there are a lot of people in the U.S. and the world who possess an anti-Black Male prejudice.

I deal with it all the time. Pretty much every day I step outside. There’s a tangible fear of me no matter where I go. People are less gentle and less kind, there’s an assumption that I’m a moron and a pathological liar. There’s no effort made to get to know me as an individual, rather, people often speak to me in street slang or make stereotypical comments about basketball and drugs (I’m asked where to score cocaine or marijuana). The comic book industry is not immune to this mentality.

Part II: My Experiences

I said before that people confuse racism and prejudice. The difference is that racism = prejudice + power. A lot of people have prejudices but not everyone has the power to transform that prejudice into a stimulus that can affect jobs, economics, education and housing. I know some Black folks who scream and holler about White people but it doesn’t change a single thing. That’s prejudice.

There are Whites who scream and holler about Black people and they get increased police protection or get congressional districts realigned to keep their kids away from predominantly Black school districts and cause those school districts to lose funding, therefore affecting the lives of Black students. That’s racism.

I’ll never forget the first time I learned that there were a lot of bigots in the comic book industry. Not too long after SDCC 1999, a group of Black comic book creators met in an apartment in Manhattan. It wasn’t a planned thing, a popular artist was in town and we grabbed some beers and met him. Soon, a party of six became a party of twenty. Most of the guys there were illustrators but there were a few writers, colorists and editors in attendance. While they were all Black men, none of these guys were similar. Some were Baptists, some Republicans, some were Muslim, some Catholic, some were gay, some were liberal and some were anarchists. It was a very, very eclectic mix of personalities and attitudes.

Eventually, the conversation turned into a series of jokes about the racist crap some of them had recently experienced. After a few moments, the tone got serious and the name of a White male editor at the Big Two kept coming up.

Then another name. Then another.

After thirty minutes of this racist roll call, those guys all realized that the same five White editors had treated them the same. And the only common thread was the color of their skin. Of course, for every racist name mentioned there were six or seven guys who were decent human beings. There’s an old saying about never meeting your heroes, and this conversation bothered me on a deep level. I’m going to reveal a secret about Black males – a lot of us are naïve idealists. We actually believe that people are going to judge us on the content of our character rather than the color of our skin. What you see is our reaction to constantly having our hearts broken by the realization that yet another White person is counted as an enemy. Disappointment can be worse than hate.

Fast forward a few years, I had a meeting at the Big Two. An assistant editor set up a meeting with his boss after I sent him some pitches. I emailed his boss back and forth for a week or two and things were pleasant. The last step was a face-to-face meeting to nail down the specifics. Stepping into that office the first time was an amazing feeling, a fulfillment of a lifelong ambition. I was dumbstruck by how cool that place was and the euphoria lasted only a moment as I saw one of their “superstar” editors and he completely ignored me when I said hello and tried to introduce myself. I told the assistant editor what happened and he was shocked, replying, “Really? He did that? Weird.”

I let it go and prepared for my meeting with his boss. The “meeting” lasted about 180 seconds. The person saw me, realized I was a big Black dude, their eyes widened and their body language betrayed a revulsion they’d never admit to in polite company. I don’t remember what they said except “I’ll be in touch.” I never heard from this editor again. I told the assistant editor what occurred and he didn’t have a logical explanation for his boss’ behavior. But I understood, I understood all too well.

I could easily recount another twenty incidents that were racially tinged; situations where the gig was available until I showed up in person for a meeting, interactions that were strangely uncomfortable and awkward, people who refused to make eye contact or shake my hand, editors flat out lie to me about the availability of writing assignments but told my White male colleagues to give them a call later. There are only so many times these situations can be explained away as coincidence or bad luck.

Part III: Why the Numbers Are So Low

The idea that there are less than 3.0% of Blacks credited on recent books at Marvel and DC is beyond absurd. It’s embarrassing and problematic. It’s endemic of the greater problem of racial misunderstanding and a massive lack of concern about proper representation in the industry. The truth is this: Marvel and DC aren’t in the business of telling meaningful stories about Blacks or providing gigs to qualified minority talent. The Big Two are primarily interested in keeping their intellectual properties viable for the next fifty years. It’s not just about comic books and movies, it’s about video games, backpacks, balloons, t-shirts, sneakers, hats, cereal boxes and other accessories.

Editors are busy folks. Editors have to manage entire lines, juggle multiple levels of continuities and make their superiors happy all on a deadline. I respect the work they have to do. However, editors have their own set of priorities, prejudices and expectations. Most of the editors out there aren’t bad people, but some of them have the idea that the only writers out there qualified to tell stories about billion dollar characters are other White guys from suburban backgrounds. This means that a non-White male will have almost no chance to pitch story ideas and concepts.

I don’t have to tell you that the American superhero comic book industry is in dire straits. The sales are in the toilet and continue to shrink despite momentary upticks caused by gimmicky “big event” crossovers. The new push for digital distribution should have been in place 15 years ago when the internet took hold of the pop culture landscape. The call for racial and gender diversity has never been fully embraced even though it is crystal clear that the world of social justice outside the industry has changed at an exponential rate.

I reflect on the words of my friend Peter Briggs, the “Hellboy” screenwriter who was once asked “Why do Hollywood films suck so often?”

Briggs replied, “Incompetence is rife in this business, and egos make it worse. And there’s a culture of poker buddy, frat boy nepotism that fosters ‘who you know’ and filters out genuine talent. And that’s why bad movies get made.”

Replace movies with comic books in this equation. Add in egos fueled by bigotry and the sum is about 3.0%.

Brandon Easton is a writer for the new Warner Bros. Animation series THUNDERCATS and a writer for the TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS for The Hub Network. In January 2012, Brandon’s first graphic novel SHADOWLAW was released to a nationwide sell-out and widespread acclaim with positive reviews from USA Today, Forbes, Wired, Ain’t It Cool News and other major publications. Brandon continues to produce his “Writing for Rookies” advice podcast for aspiring comic book and sci-fi writers. Brandon recently signed a 6-book deal with LION FORGE ENTERTAINMENT, a new transmedia company based out of St. Louis, MO.

Green Lantern 0: Now With More Racefail

neo_prodigy — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:27:59 GMT

So Green Lantern #0 came out today and the world was introduced to Arab-American superhero Simon Baz.

The verdict?

The Black Avengers

neo_prodigy — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 13:46:30 GMT

Now THIS is the Avengers comic and movie that needs to happen:

neo_prodigy — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:39:09 GMT

Cross-posted for feedback:

Ladies, I have questions. May I have a moment of your time please?

So for Clarion Write-a-thon, I've been knocking out a lot of writing projects. I just finished a book which I'm currently editing. I'm working on an outline for a publisher. I'm about to work on my next project which I've developed.

An action-packed SF/F story, it's a predominantly female merc crew with a queer black heroine as the central protagonist. In fact, I envision said heroine resembling the lovely and talented Ms. India Arie in the above pic. This is a diverse team that features other women of color, a protagonist of size, as well as a trans heroine. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that even with most women-centric stories, women of color, particularly black women, are often thrown under the bus and that’s definitely something that never sat well with me. The story is loosely based on an old comic book script I previously wrote. Think a female Expendables meets Birds of Prey in a dystopian setting.

So my question to the women is this. In an action packed book where the ladies take center stage, what would you like to see more of from writers and what would you like writers to avoid? I basically want to hear your thoughts so I can know what to bear in mind while writing the story.

Your comments will also serve as a great resource to other male writers who genuinely want to do it right. While many of us know to avoid the major tropes and fails, there may be some elements/dynamics that we haven’t considered.

Women of color and queer women, I especially want to hear from you.

Thank you for your time.

Tru Blood Watch

neo_prodigy — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 22:51:40 GMT

Who all is watching Tru Blood tonight?

And for the record, Rutina Wesley is FINE!!!!!!!

Folklore And Other Stories

neo_prodigy — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 20:47:08 GMT

Exciting news. My good friend Ankhesen Mie is back with an awesome new title that you're going to want to grab:

Middle Child Press is proud to present Folklore and Other Stories:

_______________________________

"Folklore"

When young Kazuya Kurosaki orders the disposal of a rival’s favorite, beautiful Amisi Ryan shows up with a "'thank you'...from the dead". Her priceless gift, an approximately four-thousand-year-old solid gold mask, lures Kazuya into a world of myth and intoxicating fantasy, and with each telling of an ancient tale, he finds himself drawn further and further away from everything - and everyone - he knows.

"Echo"

Rory Zheng is a young traveler who arrives at Silver Wood Manor, an enchanting residence atop a mountain where he meets an array of characters. Among them are the mischievous old Irishman who designed the buildings and the chatty nine-year-old daughter of the beautiful, somber landlady of Silver Wood, whose husband is often away....

To unlock the mystery and history of the manor and its people, Rory employs some magic of his own: the art of storytelling.

"The Collection"

The divorce between Jason Rang and his filthy rich, soon-to-be ex-wife Mireille is actually going well. Or at least it does until Jason lets his new fiancée Maribel actually meet Mireille. Invited to Mireille’s newly inherited mansion (fully furnished with all manner of beautiful shirtless young men), Jason and Maribel find themselves lulled into a sensual world where they learn that sometimes - but only sometimes - an entire divorce proceeding can be just another lovers' quarrel.
_______________________________

For those of you who are always stating how you wish there was more diversity in publishing and how you wish you could support more marginalized voices, here's a perfect opportunity to do so. Middle Child Press is a wonderful publisher, Ankhesen Mie is an incredible writer, and voices like theirs need to be uplifted like yesterday.

More information on Folklore can be found here.

Some Interesting Links

neo_prodigy — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:49:21 GMT

A Note On Whitewashing, And Honest Storytelling

The Ongoing Problem of Race In Y.A.: Being a person of color myself and the author of a YA novel which features a black protagonist, I definitely related to most of the issues raised in this article

"Is 'Game of Thrones' Too White?"

rubynye — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:31:56 GMT

"Is Game of Thrones too White?" subtitled, "Fantasy fiction might have racial problems, but they're just a reflection of America's broader battles." On reading this, I really enjoyed seeing these problems with GOT and the fantasy genre in general laid out so clearly. (With thanks to hand2hand. Content advisory: Mr. Ahmed quotes, among other sections of the novels, a sequence graphically depicting sexual assault.)

More Live-Action BLEACH details

neurotic_rat — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 03:16:06 GMT

Reblogging this from my journal. Read at what was not mentioned:

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-03-30/wrath-of-the-titans-writer-discusses-live-action-bleach

Hey, aren't you going to frikkin' cast Asians in this at all? Because that's the main reason a lot of manga/anime-to-live action movies sucked because you didn't include us in this.

I can't wait until I see that even though they were 'faithful' to the source material, then they start putting white actors/actresses in it and wonder what the hell they did wrong.

And This Is What Happens

neo_prodigy — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:47:12 GMT

So over on Goodreads, we've been discussing the Hunger Games racefail in a POC-community in which I belong. One of the members reposted a comment from Jezebel which eloquently sums up the issues at hand.

"This is what happens when your culture teaches you that you are the world and the world exists to reflect you when, even counting your cousins back from where your family originally came, you're not even a majority of the world population.

This is what happens when Hollywood makes it okay to take other forms of media about PoC and make them about white people, claiming all the while that it was about "the best actor" when the pool was artificially narrowed to favor even those who aren't great but have their preferred "look." (I see you Angelina Jolie in Wanted, the tragedy that was Earthsea, and the whole heroic part of the cast of The Last Airbender.) We hear how it's about "the story" and that's what matters even if the original context is important to the film. (Hello, there, 21 and Akira.) Stories about PoC that aren't white washed outright are made to revolve around white characters or can't get made without changing history to make one the hero. Good thing Sandra Bullock was there to save the Michael Oher they rendered in more dire straits than he was and neglected her character's role as a booster in herding him toward the school they supported. They were doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, right? I'm sure the Haitian Revolution will be lead by Matthew McConaughey since he already helped change slavery in Amistad. Could we have seen a movie about the last samurai without Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise in a different costume?

Flip it and there's death threats because a Black guy playing an alien in a movie about a comic book loosely based on the Norse mythology becomes an attack on Western (read: white) culture. Can't have a Black Nick Fury! (....what do you mean they made a version of him based on Samuel L. Jackson and got his permission only if he could play him in the movies involving that version..) Or the Doctor--who regenerates randomly enough to be worried about being a chick or being ginger--can't ever come back as a PoC because the universe would end! END! (Must be why he never gives a thought to traveling back in time with his companions who can't pass for white, which curiously seems to be safe across all space and time.)

Or this girl of recently mixed parentage playing Rue is the most evil nappiest Blackest thing ever why did they change the book for her!?!?!?!?! Or how you can do all kinds of modern reinterpretations of "classic" stories that are supposedly "for everyone," but they better not involve PoC in prominent roles or there will be outcry (see: the colorful adaptation of Cinderella with Brandi, Whitney, and all kinds of PoC and the rage over Lucy Liu as Watson). Or Perseus/Spock/anyone in the True Blood universe/Dean Winchester/anyone in the Potterverse/so on can't really be with Andromeda (Ethiopians have thin noses so they must be really be white people!)/Uhura (has a bad attitude and he'd really be better with someone else no matter what Gene Roddenberry said)/anyone but Sookie but especially that evil Black bitch Tara (who really should just die why is she crying like she just got kidnapped and raped and her best friend didn't care and all the men she could have sent to help didn't)/Cassie Robinson (he didn't really love her anyway so she should die)/I never thought of [insert name] that way and I should get what I want!

The majority of white people don't want anyone that's not them included in any meaningful way because it makes them uncomfortable. Many of them would have to learn to empathize with people that don't look like them--as PoC are expected to every day--for the first time and that makes them mad. It means the world isn't about them like they were taught. It also smashes their Mary Sue fantasies because they can't fathom being that person unless there's something in the way to make them forget the person isn't white (e.g. Spawn's mask) beyond their own willful ignorance or inability to read for comprehension.

Those earlier comments about not being mean to the racist assholes on Twitter because they're just kids? They're talking about a child, too. Where is your concern about her feelings? Oh. That's right. You don't have any.

Those people wondering why it's so wrong to assume everyone you've never seen looks like you? Your empathy chip resources seem to have been taken over by your ego drive. False equivalencies of different colored Santas are just that: false. You've obviously never had to field any of the awkward questions that would precipitate the need for Santas of color or Jesus pictures that aren't blonde/white."

Warner Bros. has picked up Tite Kubo's BLEACH

neurotic_rat — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:41:55 GMT

Just a heads up, because I found this out today.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-02-22/warner-develops-live-action-film-of-tite-kubo-bleach-manga

Masi Oka is in this, but I'm still skeptical that Hollywood could ever do this justice (and, never mind the fact that I get irritated enough seeing fanatic Bleach fans claim Kurosaki Ichigo is 'white,' when he is Japanese just by the name and setting alone!).

Sh*t Duran Duran Fans Say

parlance — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:39:02 GMT

Hey, everyone. I just completed this parody of the Sh*t Girls Say video called Sh*t Duran Duran Fans Say. It's my first time directing and I had a lot of fun with it. And I'm particularly proud of it because it was a collaboration between three Black Durannies.

If you like it, please share. Thanks!

The Arkh Project: Cis straight white people are trying to shut Arkh down

neo_prodigy — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:03:43 GMT

Details here

One fucking rpg and we can’t even get that much.

Stone Telling issue 7, Queer issue, call for subs

shweta_narayan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:22:50 GMT

(also posting this to deadbrowalking).

Hi all!

I'm co-editor of the speculative poetry zine Stone Telling, along with founding editor rose_lemberg. We're looking for speculative poems with a strong emotional core, and we're looking for voices that too often go ignored or unrecognized.

We're currently reading for our Queer issue; while we've published some wonderful speculative QuILTBAG poems before, we think there should be more! Thus the themed issue. We do define this broadly, and we have no interest in identity policing or in outing people; for this issue, we will consider any treatment of sexuality and gender that does not fall under the heteronormative paradigm.

We've got general guidelines here and
the specific call for submissions for this issue here. Poets, do please send us something :)

And - if you'd be willing to signal-boost our call for submissions, we'd really appreciate it! It's part of Stone Telling's mission to actively counter the whitewashing that pervades so much spec poetry, and to showcase a variety of awesome poetry that isn't white-default (and US-default). We think we've made a pretty decent start on this, but of course we can only take poems that people send us. And right now, our slush pile is overwhelmingly white.

We love receiving and showcasing diverse submissions, and the current state of the slush makes us really unhappy; we're hoping for a better balance. So, y'know, *flail* any help getting the word out would be awesome!

Final Year Quest - The Great Fundraising (and Signal Boost)

neo_prodigy — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:26:26 GMT

Originally posted by leoprincessat Final Year Quest - The Great Fundraising (and Signal Boost)

Hey, LJ peeps! I've usually promoted other people's crowd-sourcing endeavors, but now it's my turn. =D

Last week, I launched my own IndieGogo campaign entitled, Final Year Quest - The Great Fundraising. I'll explain why I've decided to go this route with an excerpt from my campaign's literature:

My Story

I'm a 4th year BFA Illustration student at Edna Manley College, Jamaica, and I'm bent on putting together the best Independent Study project that I can. Having been forced to defer in 2011 due to chronic illness, 2012 is set in stone (as far as I'm concerned) as my year to shine. Unfortunately, having to buy a new computer, as well as most of the outstanding bulk of art supplies, has taken a huge bite out of my savings, leaving me with limited funds to cover my printing, remaining art material, and exhibition costs.

My final exam is scheduled for late May 2012; all being well, my work will be displayed in the annual college exhibition in early-mid June 2012. Having sat out a year before, I really want to end my BFA studies with a bang - and 'bang' costs quite a bit of bucks.

I've also been documenting my progress and pitfalls as I get this project going on my sketch blog, LangiSketches. Please feel free to check it out, and catch up with what I've been up to regarding my final year work. Also, you can also help in this campaign's success by .

Thank you, peeps! =D *hug*

TODAY is the last day to support "Tulpa, or Anne&Me"

neo_prodigy — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:17:57 GMT

Originally posted by afro_dyte at TODAY is the last day to support "Tulpa, or Anne&Me"

On January 12 at 11:59pm EST, the IndieGoGo campaign for my play, Tulpa, or Anne&Me is ending. Although people have supported the project by contributing a total about $1,700, there is still $1,300 to go.

Let’s break this down mathematically. If only 130 people on LiveJournal each donate just $10 TODAY, Tulpa, or Anne&Me will reach its fundraising goal.

With so many conversations going on about who gets to tell POC stories, the importance of things like “Shit White Girls Say … To Black Girls,” the release of George Lucas’ Red Tails, and otherwise being an ally supporting POC voices in arts and entertainment, your contribution sends a message that it matters to you that POC stories find their way on stage and screen, that it matters who tells these stories, that it matters who benefits from these stories, and that it matters who gets to witness these stories.

Tell the world this matters to you. Take a couple of moments to say so now.

P.S. If you are sick and tired of first-person shooters starring square-jawed White dudes, you should check out and support the Arkh Project too.

2012 Is Already Off To An Excellent Start

neo_prodigy — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:25:11 GMT

Ladies & gentlemen, the national nightmare is OVER!!!!!

The Black Girls Club

neo_prodigy — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:43:35 GMT

The Black Girls Club: A comprehensive look at the women fandom loves to hate.

Other Required Reading:

Fandom And Its Hatred Of Black Women

Black Heroines: A Tribute

Fandom can keep hating them, I'm gonna keep loving them. Now stay mad!!!!

Web Media

neo_prodigy — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:21:49 GMT

I’ve come to the belief that web media is the future of entertainment. With each passing day television is getting more and more irrelevant, especially with the continued subpar storytelling and whitewashing which has alienated countless fans. Web media is also more efficient as you can get a full story in an episode or short film which on average runs between 3-10 minutes. That’s ideal if you’re at work and between meetings or waiting to pick up your kids from school.

While I don’t think televisions should be getting thrown out of windows just yet for being obsolete, web media has definitely put the entertainment industry on notice. We’ve witnessed this with many television shows now being shown on the web and more than a few web shows getting network deals.

Web media has also come a long way in such a short amount of time. In addition to Sanctuary and Web Therapy, I’ve also discovered some excellent gems such as Sorority Row, Pink the Series, and It’s A Mall World among others.

We’ve also seen the unprecedented success of shows such as the Guild and Doctor Horrible.

Now while most web shows are far from perfect, one has to give credit at what these storytellers have accomplished with virtually no budgets or resources in comparison to Hollywood media.

When my buddy Ankhesen Mie forwarded me this recent article from Racialicious, I was immensely excited to discover there was quite a number of POC-centric web series out there, many of them sci-fi/fantasy.

For the past few weeks I’ve researched many of these shows and upon doing so I learned about many others. I then learned about some LGBTQ web shows that also caught my attention.

Some of these shows I previously knew about, others I learned through research, others I just happened to hear about in unrelated paths in passing over the last week or so. Of course at this point in my life, I don’t believe in coincidence.

So why did I compile the seemingly never-ending POC/LGBTQ web media post?

It’s fun.
I’m a firm believer in supporting marginalized media.
I want to create a library for others who are also searching for quality marginalized and progressive media as well.

And here we go:

Why Fangs for the Fantasy?

neo_prodigy — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:54:19 GMT

Originally posted by sparkindarknessat Why Fangs for the Fantasy?

It’s vaguely possibly you’ve noticed I’m involved in the running of Fangs for the Fantasy by my oh-so-subtle plugging. But yes I’m one of the ones behind it and I likes it I does. But there’s always the question of why, especially given how little time I have and how much time it takes.

Well, let me count the ways. I like Fangs, I like the reviews, I like an opportunity to snark, I like the new series its exposed me to and because it’s fun, lots of fun.

But also because I think it’s important. Especially analysing books from a social justice perspective. Yes, analysing fluffy, trashy, frequently silly Urban fantasy is important. Especially since it’s popular and, if anything, becoming more so and establishing itself very firmly as its own genre.

Our society is shaped by the media. In fact I think the media is one of the grand pillars of our culture. The media we consume reflects the stereotypes and tropes of society, reinforces them, encourages them and spreads them. We as a society, as a culture, as people are shaped by the books we read, the television we watch, the films we see and the games we play.

When we see the same type of people showcased front and centre, the same stereotypes paraded, the same groups erased, the same insults given, the same bad behaviour showcased, excused or justified and generally the same prejudiced, and –ism scented problems repeated again and again then yes it shapes us.

And I know there are people out there saying “but why urban fantasy? Who cares about sexist werewolves or homophobic vampires or racist witches?” there are many reasons – I can talk about how we tend NOT to analyse these types of books so the genre is even more unchallenged and just accepted. I can tell you it’s because I love the genre – I really do – and as such I want to be able to consume it without sporks and with more joy; as something I love, I want it to do better. But most of all, it’s because if we’re going to challenge any media, it has to be popular fiction that is consumed broadly for entertainment.

What do you think shapes culture more? A verbose, dense literary fiction artistic epic read by English literature professors in a university congratulating each other on how wonderfully dense and nigh incomprehensible it is, so full of metaphor and depth? Or Twilight? Or True Blood? A series that is read by thousands if not millions, turned into a TV series or a film and watched by yet more? Personally, I think it’s the latter that will have the greatest effect on our culture.

I also don’t think that you can truly change culture without addressing the media. Ultimately, no matter how many laws we pass saying that misogyny, homophobia, racism, transphobia, ableism et al are Not OK, no matter how much we fight, no matter how many bigots we vanquish, if everyone goes back home to books and TV full of hate speech and stereotypes and tropes and marginalised servants and villains or – and most commonly – to fictional worlds where we don’t even exist – then how much can you change? “Hearts and Minds” are the key here – and it’s in the pages of books and the light of the TV screen where we will reach them.

Yet if you turn round and say you’re going to analyse the dusty book of pretention everyone will nod and smile. Say you’re going to analyse True Blood and we get “it’s only fantasy! Don’t take it so seriously!” It’s a genre that seems to actively resist and deny analysis even more than most.

Do I claim I’m doing some massive cultural changing thing? Gods no. I snark too much for that :P. But it matters, it does matter.

Also, of course, I need to say the inevitable – we have yet to read/watch a perfect book/TV programme. We have always found something to criticise. That’s not because we’re joyless curmudgeons who hate everything – it’s because our society is so well and truly messed up that it’s nearly impossible to produce something lacking in problematic issues in a society that has saturated us with them. I say again, criticism does not mean “I loathe this book and all it stands for!” it means there are problematic elements that could be – need to be – better. For our opinion on the book, check the fang rating (and if it’s 0.5 fangs? Yes, I did loathe that book and all it stands for!). I will say that we’ll never just say “I hate it.” There’ll always be a why – so even on a negative review you can be a recommend – since you can see “oh Sparky hated this book because he loathes X, Y and Z. I actually quite like them so this book is worth reading”.

So, yes, Fangs. I like it.

Why "Misadventures of An Awkward Black Girl" Won't Be Coming To Television Anytime Soon

neo_prodigy — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:15:08 GMT

And this is me exhibiting no surprise:

Recommended Reading:

http://www.ankhesen-mie.net/2011/11/sometimes-i-hate-being-right.html

Nov. 1

neo_prodigy — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:14:20 GMT

It's Nov. 1, so I gotta ask, who's doing NaNoWriMo?

ROLL CALL!!!!!

And if anyone's interested, I can post some writing articles on here that gives sage advice/encouragement for the next 30 days of writerly chaos

calling spec poets of color!

shweta_narayan — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:27:06 GMT

...A little orc horde help?

I'm co-editor of Stone Telling, a literary/speculative poetry zine dedicated to boundary-crossing and multi-perspective poetry. Nearly half the poems in our last few issues have been by poets of color; we're pretty pleased with this, though we can always do better.

Our next issue is focused on science and science fiction poetry -- part of why is to counter this prevalent notion that science fiction is necessarily dominated by straight white able cis folks.

...And guess what's in the inbox? Plenty of subs from straight white able cis folks. Very little, if anything, from poets of color, queer poets, poets with disabilities... and of course if we don't get the submissions, that limits what we can publish.

So! Help? If you are a poet, please please consider sending us something. We have a very broad definition of science and science fiction. We're open to subs this round till November 27, and our general guidelines are here

If you know poets, please consider signal boosting.

And thanks so much.