Prepping for Class

[lydamorehouse]

Since I had some nice feedback last time I posted my list of short stories that we are reading for our class "Reading the (Whole) Room: Race and Queerness in SF/F," I though I would posted it.... even though yesterday was reading Wednesday. (All of these are available online.)

"Africanfuturist 419," by Nnedi Okorafor (Clarkesworld, November 2016)
“Jamaica Ginger” by Nalo Hopkinson and Nisi Shawl (Lightspeed, 2018) 

Optional readings:

• “Rusties” by Nnedi Okorafor and Wanuri Kahiu (Clarkesworld, October 2016) 
• “The Book of the Phoenix (Excerpted from the Great Book)” by Nnedi Okorafor (Clarkesworld, March 2011)
• “The Go-Slow,” by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com, February 2011) 
• "Fisherman," by Nalo Hopkinson (Strange Horizons, October 2018)
• "The Glass Bottle Trick," by Nalo Hopkinson (Fantasy, October 2014)
• “Ours is the Prettiest,”  by Nalo Hopkinson (Podcastle, July 2012)
• “Non-Zero Probabilities,” N. K. Jemisin. (Clarkesworld, Sept 2009)
• “Bloodchild,” by Octavia Butler (Asimov’s, June 1984)
• “Aye, and Gomorrah” by Samuel Delaney (Dangerous Visions (Doubleday, 1967).

By chance Nalo Hopkinson was named SFWA Grandmaster just a few days ago, so that's cool.  

Right now, I am listening to Clarkesworld's podcast of Nnedi's "Africanfuturist 419." Then, I'm going to do some dissecting so I can come up with some questions and thoughts for class.  Luckily, once again, I picked a fairly decently complex story that needs unpacking and contextualizing.  I did link my students to the basic Wikipedia article that explains the 419 scam, but Nnedi drops references to Sun Ra and a number of other folks that my students might not be familiar with. 

Class STARTS at 10 pm tonight, so I have time to get this all figured out, at least.  

 

Comments

[sabotabby]

I feel like they need to make a special award for N.K. Jemisin. Like, when you already win all the awards but it's still not enough recognition of how awesome your books are. Maybe they could name it after her.

Awesome news about Nalo; she's amazing.

[lydamorehouse]

I was discussing with a friend how weird it is to only be seven years younger than someone who has been given a lifetime achievement award.... but, yeah, Nalo was one of those people who made science fiction feel really welcoming to me. She was literally one of the few pros who would talk to us up-and-comers. I have strong memories of feeling really left out in the SFWA suite at the Baltimore WorldCON because I was not yet published and so people would badge-surf me and then give me the "ah, you are nobody" brush off. Nalo and her then partner David chatted with me and Naomi... and it made a huge difference, you know?

And agreed with N.K. Jemisin. I really love this particular short story of hers, too.

[leia_solo]

These stories sound awesome! I'm definitely gonna have to dig into them.