Author: Keisha Parks
-
No Seasoning, No Soul: The Shortsightedness of the White Imagination in Rain by David. M. Booher
It’s been a while since I hate-read something, and this graphic novel adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story “Here Comes the Rain Again” proves why there should be no inherent trust in white writers and artists and their depiction of non-white characters in their works. I have a brief rant about this book somewhere on…
-
Sankofa: Learning from Our History for a Better Tomorrow
I fear we don’t process the past, even the recent one, enough to properly understand and grieve to create and reimagine better and sustainable futures. As I learn about the meanings and history of the adinkra symbols, I realize one that resonates with me at this stage of my life: Sankofa. We must look back…
-
Author Conversations in The Blerd Library: Jessica Lewis
This series spotlights Black and Brown authors in speculative genres, aiming to uplift marginalized voices. The conversation with Jessica Lewis explores her works, including “Monstrous” and “Bad Witch Burning,” her writing journey, inspirations, and themes of hope and representation. Lewis emphasizes the importance of unique voices in publishing and her love for dogs.
-
Neon Moons Launch: A New Literary Community
Neon Moons launches today at Bindery, focusing on speculative storytelling by Black, Indigenous, and other Authors of Color. The initiative offers various storytelling mediums to foster community discussions, crafts, and possibly a book club. The monthly selection begins with “Ghost Roast,” exploring a girl’s challenges with her father’s ghost-hunting business.
-
Musings on “Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food Justice”
Two days after my son’s 8th birthday, the pain in my chest decided to take permanent residence. What was occasional pain after binge eating fast food now felt like I was being stabbed after every meal. My diet fizzled into a measly ½ cup of Cheerios and the smallest amount of unsweetened almond milk I…
-
7 Must-Read Comics by Black Women
Similarly, with Moongirl and Devil Dinosaur, the first run was good, but it lacked the conversations and nuances of the Black experience seen in the runs written by Stephanie Williams and Jordan Ifueko. Why read someone else’s whitewashed perspective when I can read our stories? Here are seven comics I enjoyed written by Black women.…
-
Audacity and Delusion
I mean it when I say audacity and delusion are a helluva drug! I remember being told to have the confidence of a mediocre white man, and it took me forever to recognize that that was just audacity. The belief that I am supposed to be where I want to be. That desire to have…
-
Recent Watches in Black Speculative Fiction
My mind has been hopping from topic to topic and doing a lot of research. About what, you ask? Abolition, Unreliable narrators, Black Speculative Fiction, the connection between music, art, film, and stories in Afrofuturism. Until then, why not talk about my current and recent watches?
-
Shakespearean Scholar to Afrofuturist
While I was privileged to live in a predominantly Black neighborhood and went to public schools where most of my teachers and staff looked like me, and I gravitated to Black film and TV, I was still profoundly impacted by the white-washed American curriculum.
-
Taboo Begets Inquiry and Change in BIPOC Speculative Fiction
As someone who struggles with human interactions, I’ve always found the function of taboo in society intriguing. Mostly because I wonder if people know why they are reacting to the taboo. I usually follow a line of questioning that goes: Why do we need to fit into molds made by these societal norms? Yes, you should…
-
Supacell turns Disability into a Superhero
I love reading about Black people with supernatural powers and how it impacts race, class, and gender. So now that I have binged Supacell this past weekend, my interest in this conversation has been piqued yet again.
-
Exploring Themes of Love and Politics in Those Beyond The Wall by Micaiah Johnson: Book Review
I was scared for a bit but this book definitely delivered. The science fiction novel, Those Beyond The Wall, is a sequel to The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. Taking place years after the end of book 1, several unexplained deaths occur, the most devastating being the death of Helene X. As a result,…
-
Welcome to The Blerd Library: A Space for Speculative Fiction
Well, I am here. Writing again. I am almost embarrassed to say it has been years since I wrote anything outside of a video or photo caption. Former English professors are shaming me right now. My English Literature degree is definitely side eying me. But, I figured in my year of delusion/ intentional self-confidence and…