TOD 007 Big Black Beautiful Roundtable: A Panel from the State of Black Science Fiction Convention 2016

December 22, 2016
6 mins to read

In this podcast The Outer Dark presents the panel “Big Black Beautiful Roundtable” from the first State of Black Science Fiction Convention in Atlanta, GA. The moderator was Milton Davis, and the panelists were Jeffrey Johnson (Da’shade Moonbeam), Cerece Rennie-Murphy, Balogun Ojetade, Kevin Sipp, Jazzy Ellis, and Dawud Anyabwile. It was recorded live on Sunday June 12, 2016. The broadcast also includes an introductory interview with Milton Davis.

Introduction

(00:00:20) Author/editor Milton Davis (Dieselfunk, From Here to Timbuktu) talks about the first State of Black Science Fiction Convention (SOBSFC), which he co-founded with Balogun Ojetade, June 11-12, 2016, in Atlanta. He sets the stage for this powerful panel presentation, including how it differs from “diversity” panels at traditional SF/F/H cons, ways to expand spec-lit to black readers including overlapping sub-genres such as Steamfunk, and how to reinvest success into black communities.

Show Notes

(00:34:00) “Big Black Beautiful Roundtable” features moderator Milton Davis and panelists from writing, music, art, comics, and film including rapper/filmmaker Jeffrey Johnson (Da’shade Moonbeam), author Cerece Rennie-Murphy, author/martial artist/filmmaker Balogun Ojetade, Gallery 72 coordinator Kevin Sipp, Hollywood stuntwoman Jazzy Ellis, and comics/animation creator Dawud Anyabwile (Brotherman). The dynamic discussion provides and overview of both independent and mainstream approaches to the creation, sales, and marketing of black speculative fiction, as well as provocative strategies on how to move black speculative work forward. The conversation includes the origins of the State of Black Science Fiction collective and con, the exciting state of black spec-lit now, recent growth in black spec-lit properties in Hollywood, keeping control of black spec-lit images and combatting misrepresentations, how black spec-lit is changing the narrative of science fiction, targeting African-American youth, the importance of educating the black community about what speculative fiction is, promotion at cons and street festivals, distribution models and challenges, community organization and grassroots strategies, the small press approach, how social media is bringing the global black spec-lit community together, engaging Millennials, public libraries as market and marketing tool, school reading lists, multiple other models for fostering and bolstering book sales and movie projects, how to take black spec-lit to the next level including finding investors and founding local SOBSF chapters, and much more.