For the past few weeks, the United States and much of the world has been in the grips of a massive movement of protest and resistance against police brutality and systemic racism, all under the familiar and power banner of Black Lives Matter. To say that 2020 has been a difficult year is an understatement, but while there was very little we, as an SF/F/H podcast, could do about the COVID-19 pandemic, there is something, however small, we can do to support black communities in the world. And so we’re going to do it in the most forceful way we know how.
With that in mind, we have three announcements to make:
Announcement #1: 2020 and Beyond
For the remainder of 2020, this podcast will focus exclusively on the works and voices of BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color). Going forward, this show will deliberately emphasize the works and voices of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and other marginalized groups. We do not expect to change this for the foreseeable future.
In practical terms, this will mean the following:
- Almost all of your podcasts in 2020 will either include BIPOC voices and/or cover the work of BIPOC creators.
- In the immediate term (through at least August 2020), we will focus specifically on the works and voices of black creators.
- Going forward (2021 and beyond), this podcast will be explicitly and publicly a show dedicated to marginalized voices in the SF/F/H community.
- We’re not “banning” white people. We’re just not centering you in every single conversation because publishing and SF/F/H in general already do that.
There will be a handful of exceptions:
- Torture Cinema will probably remain the same because we don’t want our show to be seen as dunking on BIPOC works.
- We have two podcasts in the backlog that will not fit this new focus. We will release these at some point this year during a gap week.
- Individual members of the show may set their own personal policies about the kinds of work they will explore as reviewers and writers. The podcast, Shaun, and Jen will maintain this new and explicit focus.
Please note that most of us involved in this show and blog are white. We will stumble. We will screw up. As such, we will remain open to criticism in hopes to improve our coverage and be better allies.
With that in mind…
Announcement #2: Open Call for BIPOC Guests and Projects to Review/Discuss
If you are a BIPOC creator or fan of SF/F/H OR a publisher working with a BIPOC creator, please contact us at skiffyandfanty@gmail.com to let us know about your upcoming project or interest. We want to interview BIPOC creators, discuss and review their work, and include more BIPOC voices in our shows.
In general, we look for the following kinds of material:
- Any media (book, comic, film, art, music, etc.) that fits within the science fiction, fantasy, or horror genres. Our definitions are loose, which means adjacent genres, literary interpretations, and so on will be given the same consideration.
- Any media which is about science fiction, fantasy, and horror (loosely defined), such as non-fiction books, documentaries, and so on. Our preference will be for works by BIPOC creators or that are also focused on the work of or issues relevant to the BIPOC community.
- We will consider any published work, traditional or independent.
Additionally, we are happy to include BIPOC guests to discuss individual works of SF/F/H media, topics relevant to the SF/F/H community, or even to have fun talking about a bad SF/F movie on Torture Cinema.
Publishers interested in pitching projects to us should send an email to skiffyandfanty@gmail.com for information on our format preferences, reviewer addresses, etc.
We will do our best to include as many people as possible, but please be kind to us. We’re one podcast. We can only cover so much!
Announcement #3: Support for New BIPOC Podcasters
If you are a BIPOC creator or fan considering starting your own podcast, we will happily offer our knowledge from 10 years of podcasting to you. You only need to email us at skiffyandfanty@gmail.com.
Feel free to ask us about technology and software, editing practices, promotion and podcatchers, and more. We will do what we can to give you what is in our brains to help you start your own show!
Some of this won’t be a surprise to longtime followers. Indeed, we’ve tried to be an inclusive and diverse show since we began conducting interviews in our early years. These efforts have developed and advanced over the years. But we feel this is different because it is not just an annual project. This is a permanent change to the way we plan to do things around here. One that is transparent. Blatant. In your face. With no fucks to give. We don’t have the power as a podcast to change the world, but we can do our part to make our corner of the SF/F/H community a better and more just place. And so we’re gonna do it.
