Signal Boost #52 — L. D. Lewis (A Ruin of Shadows) and Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (The Dark Fantastic)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost52LewisAndThomas/SandF–Signal_Boost_52–Lewis_and_Thomas.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS In today’s episode of Signal Boost, Jen interviews L. D. Lewis, short story writer, author of A Ruin of Shadows, and Art Director of FIYAH Literary Magazine for Black Speculative Fiction! L. explains why the theme of changing allegiances after discovering the truth is something she likes to explore, how science fantasy helps her ground her world-building, her upcoming essay in Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Existence, and what it means to be the Art Director of FIYAH and how she uses that platform to boost the work of Black artists. Then Jen talks to fangirl, Associate Professor, and KidLit activist, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, about her new non-fiction work, The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games. Jen refused to cut anything because they talk about everything from the imagination gap in publishing to how Ebony’s long involvement with fandom and as a fangirl led to the critical lens through which she developed The Dark Fantastic, whether diversity in media is a moment or a movement, and so much more goodness that you just have to listen! We hope you enjoy the episode!
354. Black Horror – A Discussion w/ Eden Royce, Linda Addison, & Sheree Renée Thomas (moderated by Tonia Thompson)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode354BlackHorror/Sandf–Episode354–BlackHorror.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSDeer heads, Tituba, and zombies, oh my! Jen hands the podcast over to Tonia Thompson of Nightlight Podcast, who moderates a discussion about black horror between Eden Royce, Linda Addison, and Sheree Renée Thomas. These phenomenal horror writers bring their lives, their careers, and their knowledge to the table to tell us about the history of Black horror, the ways in which Black culture is colonized in horror, the importance of publishing markets for Black stories, the impact of Get Out, what they hope to see in Black Horror in the coming year, and so much more that you’re just going to have to listen to every word they say. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Signal Boost #46 — DC (Mutants in the Night) & Chinelo Onwualu (Omenana & Anathema)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost46DCOnwualu/Sandf–SignalBoost46–DcOnwualu.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS In today’s episode of Signal Boost, Shaun talks to DC, creator of the table-top role-playing game, Mutants in the Night. They discuss how Mutants in the Night utilizes the Forged in the Dark RPG system to explore marginalization, what inspired them to create RPGs in the first place, how RPGs allow us to create a space that isn’t plagued by problems of colonization, the way that language, ttrpgs, and jazz are connected, and their next project! Then our special guest host, Tonia Thompson, founder and executive producer of Nightlight Podcast, talks to Chinelo Onwualu, Nommo finalist short story writer of the phenomenal “Read Before Use” and co-founder and editor of Omenana magazine. Chinelo shares the history of her writing career, the themes of “Read Before Use” and how they were inspired by her home country of Nigeria, how living between two worlds influences her writing, her work on and the goals of both Omenana and Anathema magazines, and so much more! We hope you enjoy the episode!
At the Movies #71 – Daughters of the Dust (1991)
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFAtTheMovies71DaughersOfTheDust/Sandf-AtTheMovies71-DaughtersOfTheDust.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSColorism, root work, and history you should already know, oh my! Join Jen and Teri with special guest, Eden Royce, as they discuss the 1991 Julie Dash independent film, Daughters of the Dust. This is an incredibly intense and languid film about a Gullah family from Saint Helena Island and their preparations to migrate to the mainland and north in 1902. The team discusses the interweaving, non-linear storytelling, the significance of root work, the focus on hands, and the trauma, hopes, and roots of generations of a Black family in diaspora. We hope you enjoy the episode!
Short Fiction Review: Black Speculative Fiction Month!
Since it’s Black Speculative Fiction Month, it seems only appropriate that this month I spotlight some awesome new work by Black writers. First up, we have “Every Good-Bye Ain’t Gone” by Eden Royce, which appears in Strange Horizons‘ recent Southeastern USA special issue. It’s a séance story about family and food with a couple delightful twists. I also enjoyed “The Unusual Customer” by Innocent Chizaram Ilo, which appears in Fireside Magazine Issue 58 (August). It’s another story about family and food, except this one has more to do with women fighting off magical bad guys rather than summoning spirits. For a powerful, genuinely disturbing story about toxic masculinity informing a patriarchy, check out “Maria’s Children” by Tobi Ogundiran, which appears in The Dark Issue 40 (September). Lastly, I recommend “Running” by Itoro Udofia, which came out in August from The Book Smugglers. It’s an insightful, immersive meditation on the experience of being first-generation Nigerian-American.
Signal Boost #43 — A Conversation about Black Speculative Fiction Month at Skiffy and Fanty
https://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFSignalBoost43BlackSpeculativeFictionMonth/Sandf–SignalBoost43–BlackSpeculativeFictionMonth.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSWe know, we know. It’s been an age and a half since Shaun and Jen sat down to have a conversation, but we’re back to let you know about a very special month at Skiffy and Fanty — Black Speculative Fiction Month! October was designated Black Speculative Fiction month in 2013 by Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade (who also co-edited the anthology Steamfunk), and after hearing about it, we knew that we had to celebrate it. In consultation with Tonia Thompson of Nightlight Pod and our very own Teri.Zin (who has a new amazing essay over at Uncanny Magazine that you should go read immediately), we’re working on some amazing content for you guys. In addition to discussing our upcoming month of awesome, we also explain why we’ve been gone and briefly tackle the mess over at Goodreads regarding how they deleted two magazines, Fiyah and Anathema, by and for people of color. And, as always, we share some awesome things for our mini-boosts. We hope you enjoy the episode!
