IBARW, post 2

[minxy]

Okay, so I consider myself a fairly well-read person, on account of I like to read, I read quickly, and I enjoy little more than getting lost in a great world. I've been as fannish about some books as television shows, back in the day.

So imagine my shame when fandom started collecting a list of non-pinkish-beige SFF authors and I realized how few of the authors on this list that I hadn't ever heard of.

This is the list, btw: (blogs and webaddresses are included where it's been indicated to me that the authors are fine with it, though I haven't asked; I will take the links down in a heartbeat if anyone lets me know of objections.)
Kobo Abe
James Stevens-Arce
Ray Anthony (Empress, a futuristic, matriarchal African derived society)
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Steven Barnes
Elizabeth Bear (matociquala)
Malorie Blackman (Noughts and Crosses)
K. Tempest Bradford (ktempest)
Tobias Buckell (blog)
Octavia Butler
Brenda Clough
Ted Chiang
M. Lucie Chin (The Fairy of Ku-She)
Wu Dingbo
Tananarive Due
David Anthony Durham (Acacia, and blog)
Greg Van Eekhout
Louise Erdrich
Stella Evans
Minister Faust
Heinz Insu Fenkl
Eugie Foster (eugie)
Amitav Ghosh (The Calcutta Chromosome)
Owl Goingback
Hiromi Goto
Angélica Gorodischer (Kalpa Imperial, translation by Ursula K. Le Guin.)
Virginia Hamilton
Karen Harbaugh, (romances with fantasy elements)
Jim Hetley
Ernest Hogan
Nalo Hopkinson (blog)
Kazuo Ishiguro (Never Let Me Go was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award, I understand)
Nora Jemison
Ruchir Joshi (The Last Jet Engine Laugh)
Jackie Kay (Scottish-Nigerian fantasy, Strawgirl)
Maxine Hong Kingston (The Woman Warrior)
Yoji Kendo/Eric Kotani
Larissa Lai (When Fox is a Thousand)
Yoon Ha Lee (yhlee)
Mary Soon Lee
Karin Lowachee
Ruth Ozeki,
Yukio Mishima (The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea)
Mary Anne Mohanraj
Toni Morrison
Walter Mosley
Haruki Murakami
E.C. Myers
Linda Nagata
Suniti Namjoshi
Gloria Naylor (Mama Day and Bailey's Cafe)
Misha Nogha
Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
Helen Oyeyemi
Fiona Patton
Tony Pi
Chelsea Polk
Ishmael Reed (Mumbo Jumbo)
William Sanders
Charles Saunders
Nisi Shawl
Leslie Marmon Silko (Almanac of the Dead)
Vandana Singh
S. P. Somtow
Craig Kee Strete
Cecelia Tan
Sheree Thomas
Toure (Soul City)
Michelle Sagara West (msagara)
Wrath James White
Colson Whitehead (The Intuitionist)
Frank Wu
Tetsu Yano
Lawrence Yep (YA)

Aside from Louise Erdrich (who was a favorite, lo 15 years ago), Kazuo Ishiguro (who has been high profile for a while) and the graphic novel The Changers by Ezra Clayton Daniels (v. cool, recommended.) I really, really hadn't ever heard of these authors. And I don't think it's for lack of paying attention.

Race issues are alive and well and living (among other places) in the publishing/PR industry, my friends. And, possibly, in my selective vision, but I'm educable.

Now, scifi writing is not always my cuppa. I lean towards fantasyish stuff, but often as not YA these days, because I want to just fall into it, you know? Plus the shorter length and quick read works well with my lack of huge amounts of free time (on account of which) And the covers can be soooooo cheesetastic on SciFi books, but I'm not really in it for the covers, (or rather, I shouldn't be.)

BUT, then I heard this from ltlj (she has it under flock, so I shall summarize): Charles Saunders wrote a story back in the 80's called Imaro, notable for being a fantastic black hero character in a sword and adventure type novel. The marketing was wretched, and despite critical acclaim from Black Gate (link goes to a review alongside Tolkien) and ltlj, among others, the books never gained a foothold.

Now the reprint is under threat of cancellation due to poor sales, so a grass-roots campaign is underway.

So Imaro is a mixed-race warrior in a fantastic Africa, from what I gather. His journey begins as a quest for acceptance and continues as he becomes more independent of what other people think. Saunders has been lauded for his world-building, and Black Gate, among others, say that the African setting is a character in it's own right (as well it should be, from one who has actually been there. Africa is a vast, incredible, romantic place, I'm still a little in love with it.) An interview with Saunders is here.

So, I just went to Night Shade Books and spend $14 on the first novel. It twinges a little as throwing money at the problem, but honestly, I don't think that's what it is. There was also this brilliant idea thrown about somewhere that suggested that perhaps a book by a WoC could be donated to a local library. That sounds like a marvelous idea to me.

There's a long list of WoC that I've never bloody-well HEARD OF, my people. I'm starting with Saunders.

ETA: there is a comm called 50books_poc for anyone who wishes to participate in the intention to read 50 books by a person of color by ibarw next year. I signed up, and others have too. You could watch that comm and catch short recs or reviews of these books if you want a little more information before running off to buy (and, of course, you want my or other's opinion.)

ETA2: The first week of October is a apparently banned books week. The lovely sanguinity has collected some links here.

Comments

[princessofg.livejournal.com]

thanks for the roundup; fascinating.

don't get me started on the Earthsea uproar but did you remember that? The author was not a person of color, but when SciFi filmed the book they replaced the brown skinned Ged of the books with a blond white surfer dude looking guy.

aieee.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

I do indeed remember that. As I recall, there was also an introduced romance between the lead male and lead female, because you couldn't possibly have them just running around and being competant without introducing a romance to keep it interesting.

[rydra_wong]

I really, really hadn't ever heard of these authors.

Some linkage, just off the top of my head:

Yoon Ha Lee is the lovely yhlee, who's also a fantastic vidder (her LJ links to her pro website, so AFAIK she has no problems with people connecting the two).

And K Tempest Bradford is ktempest (ditto).

Nalo Hopkinson's blog is here: http://nalohopkinson.com/blog

And Tobias Buckell can be found at: http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/weblog

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

No kidding? Wow. It really isn't my preferred novel genre, for whatever reason (I think it has something to do with wanting to see the shiny explosions) but I have shame for not knowing any of the authors. I wonder if I'd feel less guilt if someone gave me a list of white SFF authors and I didn't know any of them either?

[vee-fic.livejournal.com]

Couple more notes in addition to rydra_wong's:

* Nora's last name is spelled Jemison, not Jemisin.
* Michelle Sagara is probably easier to find under Michelle Sagara West, and I believe she still journals under msagara.
* Mishima (The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea) -- this is Yukio Mishima
* You've got Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu on there twice.

Some of the authors on the list are a bit obscure (and some of them, like Mishima, are dead), but quite a few of them have a web presence, or a short story or two online, and some of them go to conventions.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Oooooooohhhhhhhh...... Thanks! *edits*

This boggles the mind. I haven't been that into SFF books, but still I don't know why the idea of fannish scifi print is so surprising. Of course, you know? I'm so naive about fandom sometimes.

[stargazercmc.livejournal.com]

Eugie Foster keeps a pretty active blog here on LJ. She's eugie. She's also terrifically nice, really cool and was one hell of an author guest at the con where I head the entertainment committee.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

That's a nice recommendation! I'll have to check out her blog (thanks for the link!)

[yinkawills.livejournal.com]

See, this kind of post, minxy, is why I look at your LJ blog and it's fantastic friends pages every day.
Happy to see one author- black Brit Ray Anthony- and his book on there that was my contribution at matociquala's LJ when I nipped over there a few days back. Hopefully, one day my name will be on the list...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

That might be one of the most extraordinary compliments I've ever heard. Thank you.

I saw your comment over at Matociquala's when I was collecting the names, and your description of Anthony was very interesting. I look forward to picking up your first book someday and seeing you around LJ in the meantime.

[spiralsheep.livejournal.com]

Psst... Malorie Blackman's name doesn't have a d at the end.

You also might want to add Craig Kee Strete to your lovely long list. :-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

LOL, that's the problem with cutting and pasting names you didn't type and don't know! It's the least I can do to spell Ms. Blackman's name properly; thank you for facilliating that.

And, added Craig Kee Strete to the list too. Thanks!

[lyr]

Wow, it's nifty to see Chitra Divakaruni on the list. So few people have heard of her, but she's a fine writer and a lovely person. I took a poetry class from her as an undergrad, and she was great.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Hey! Missed this comment way back when, but it's really cool to hear that people have met and liked these authors. Makes me want to support them all the more.

[rydra_wong]

IIRC, there was a query in matociquala's comments about whether Angelica Gorodischer counted (she's Argentinian but otherwise pinkish-beige, as far as people knew).

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Noted. There were some other wierd comments in matociquala's journal from an author who didn't want to be included on a list because it was too American-centric and she didn't want to be listed with people she didn't consider her demographic. It's a valid point, but in terms of the broader point of the list, I think I'll still at least look at Gorodischer's work--chances are she'll broaden my horizons a little, even just be having a South American perspective or culture in her writing.

I just signed up for 50books_poc and I blame you.

[rydra_wong]

Another blog find:

http://www.davidanthonydurham.com/blog/

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Thankee *edits*

[archangelbeth]

First and second books of Imaro: bought and on their way to me! Thank you. (Now to investigate the rest.)