TOD 065 State of Black Science Fiction Encore Authors Panel

January 30, 2020
11 mins to read

In this podcast The Outer Dark presents ‘The State of Black Science Fiction’ Encore Authors Panel, presented by Subsume Summit, moderated by Milton J. Davis and featuring Marcus Haynes, Violette L. Meier, Kortney Watkins, and Aziza Sphinx, plus The Outer Dark Symposium 2020 news and special guest co-host Tonya Liburd. The panel was recorded live on Saturday Jan. 25, 2020, and the intro was recorded Tuesday Jan. 28, 2020.

Show Notes

Special Guest Co-Host Tonya Liburd joins Anya to update listeners on The Outer Dark Symposium 2020 and talk a little about her own work and the upcoming submissions call for award-winning Abyss & Apex Magazine where she serves as senior editor. She also shares some exciting spec-lit publishing news and recommends authors P. Djeli Clark, Zin E. Rocklyn, Brandon O Brien, R.S.A. Garcia, and Malon Edwards. Plus her parrot Rio has something to say about his pivotal role in her Patreon!

(0:20:20) Then The Outer Dark airs ‘The State of Black Science Fiction’ Encore Authors Panel‘, an extension of the panel we aired in episode TOD060 taped at Subsume Summit. The dynamic discussion is moderated by Milton J. Davis and features Marcus Haynes, Violette L. Meier, Kortney Watkins, and Aziza Sphinx . After an introduction by Subsume founder Dedren Snead, writer of the Sorghum & Spear comics series, Milton provides some background on the State of Black Science Fiction group and panel series, then the authors introduce themselves and give their perspectives on the current state of black science fiction in literature, film, and comics, the Black Panther effect and its limits, taking black spec-lit beyond Afrofuturism and the “struggle,” and the growing influence on the spec-lit genre by African diaspora authors. The conversation then turns to perceptions of SF/F/H by black readers, driving the future of black science fiction and keeping their work from becoming just a multimedia trend, the importance of transforming the literary canon, nurturing readership, innovative entrepreneurial marketing approaches, and how listeners can find the panelists’ works. Scroll down to Additional Links for more info on authors and mass media mentioned on this podcast. This event was recorded on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History in Atlanta, Georgia

The Outer Dark Symposium on the Greater Weird is the only annual conference centered around contemporary Weird fiction. Our mission is to foster conversation and connect communities among the diverse slate of creators and audience members under the umbrella of speculative fiction—inclusive, safe and welcoming to women, LBGTQ+, and writers of color. The fourth annual symposium will be held March 27-28, 2020 at Silver Scream FX Lab. Find out more, including a link to purchase supporting and attending memberships at TheOuterDark.org.