#Tananarive

[postcard-from-the-past]

Hova woman from Tananarive, modern-day Antananarivo, Madagascar

French vintage postcard

[richardmurrayhumblr]

Lifewriting Podcast -- WRITING HORROR!!! (Episode 85) https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/10519-lifewriting-podcast-episode-87-writing-horror/

#rmaalbc

[the-assignment]

Blog 6: The Final One

I can’t believe it’s here. Not only have I reached the end of my last term as an Undergrad EVER (graduation is in 6 days!!) but this is my last blog post for my Afrofuturism class. As such, I wasn’t sure what would be most fitting to end this experiment on. Call it hope for my future outside of UCLA or an ode to the way time is often malleable in Afrofuturism, but I decided that it’s important to look forward… by also looking to the past (because honestly what even is time).

One of my final lectures was about the current state of the Afrofuturism genre and its future. But in looking at how far we’ve come, we need to acknowledge Afrofuturism’s past…. And unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot going on to be honest. One of the things that surprised me, is that it wasn’t until recently-ish, a few decades, that Afrofuturism artists and works began to really emerge. In the beginning, there were only a few movies and books and authors, and like, one director. When one of the pioneers of the genre, Octavia E. Butler passed, it might have even felt or looked like Afrofuturism was done and over with. But that, fortunately, didn’t happen! In fact, it really started to take off within the last few years. When Black Panther came out - and by Mainstream Marvel no less! - it set a new fire and hope that Afrofuturism could inspire and continue - and it has. Many artists (Missy Elliot, Janelle Monáe, Kenrick Lamar, Beyoncé, Alabama Shakes, Reggie Hudlin, Okorafor, Nnedi (with Wanuri Kahiu), Boots Riley, etc.) through various mediums (music, music videos, lyrics, stories, movies) have produced great works of Afrofuturistic art and it’s only getting better. Especially with the past influences to draw from (Sun-Ra, George Clinton, Samuel R. Delaney, Derrick Bell, etc.) and the new forms of technology (which can be both good and bad) to help achieve a futuristic aesthetic. 

However, as discussed in one of my final lectures - the future of Afrofuturism (and I’d argue art in general) is a caution of relying solely on AI for these things. This is why, in my opinion, the WGA strike is so important in a lot of different ways. For the sake of good and soulful art - and for the care of people. Because Afrofuturism started and will continue to be a way that cautions and warns and shows people that we need to think about and invest in people that we often disregard. We as a society have to make sure we are taking care of each other and the things we care about: equality, justice, food and housing security, fair and liveable wages, healthcare, safety, etc. Parable of the Sower was set in the year 2024 - and we are almost there. And while I don’t think that it will be exactly like Lauren’s world, I do think that we are moving closer and closer to it. Closer and closer in having to fight for the right to live (I think most of us are actually there - just not in the extreme ways in Parable), closer and closer to constant violence and a need for hypervigilance, closer and closer to new and legal (if not completely unethical) ways for modern day slavery. 

But we can also get closer and closer to helping others and finding our own place to plant our own seeds. We can get closer and closer to helping others plant their seeds. And soon, if we work together, and take care of each other, and help and watch out for each other, and make sure we’re paying attention and fighting for the things that we care about, all the seeds that we were able to plant - of community, and love, and hope - will grow. And I want to make sure I’m part of that harvest.

[livelyvivian]

The Wishing Pool, Tananarive Due

[brokehorrorfan]

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror will be published on October 3 via Random House. It's curated by filmmaker Jordan Peele, who also provides an introduction and serves as editor with John Joseph Adams.

It features short stories by Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N.K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L.D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.

The 400-page book will be available in hardcover, e-book, and audio book. The synopsis is below.

The visionary writer and director of Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation. A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world... and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Pre-order Out There Screaming.

[fullmetalfisting]

Here is what I read in the month of October.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard ⭐⭐⭐

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison ⭐⭐⭐

American Rapture by CJ Leede ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Ways by Eve Kellman ⭐⭐

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio ⭐⭐

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel ⭐⭐⭐

Gay Club! by Simon James Green ⭐⭐⭐

This Girl’s a Killer by Emma C. Wells ⭐⭐⭐

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wilderness Reform by Harrison Query and Matt Query ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[la-femme-au-collier-vert]

I’ve been working my way through vampire novels of the African diaspora and posting mini reviews on twitter. I wanted to read more diverse representations of vampires after watching AMC’s Interview With The Vampire and what really stands out is how few I can find- while 2 of these have been published just this year 1 was first published in 1819 and as you can see there’s only a handful. Of the ones I’ve read so far my favorites are Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma and House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson, but I will be updating.

Previously I made a list of vampire books across the Mexican diaspora here

[sup3rxn0va]

I wanted to share this cool picture I found in the ebook version of Dawn, at the end of the book.

"Butler with authors Tananarive Due, Jewelle Gomez (standing), Samuel R. Delany, and Steven Barnes (sitting) at Clark Atlanta University’s conference for African American science fiction writers—the first of its kind—in 1997."

instagram.com/tananarivedue

instagram.com/vampyrevamp

------

I love this picture of Octavia Butler with fellow Black Sci Fi writers in 1997! (I turned 7 years old that year) I wish I was older at the time so I could have been there 😊 It would have been amazing to see these five in the 90s, just writing sci fi and making a way for future Black sci fi writers.

So much talent in one image, wow.

[postcard-from-the-past]

Children from Tananarive, modern-day Antananarivo, Madagascar

French vintage postcard, mailed in 1902 to Paris

[richardmurrayhumblr]

The 34th edition of the 2024 Richard Murray Newsletter.

topics

The sixty-sixth of the Cento series-> A cento is a poem made by an author from the lines of another author's work. In the series I place my cento and a link to the other authors poem.

The Coin of Keekuk Johnson->literature+adoptable+coloring page

The Last Golden-> literature+synthography+development video

A Family On The Sea-> literature + synthography+ development video

Dates-> astrology , goethe, gere

IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR : in honor of kang , juliana lepine art , Clinical Research in Africa- Norvan reports , slow motion water craft , Tananarive Due on Aliens , The art of tanya , The future of black elected representatives

URL https://rmnewsletter.over-blog.com/2023/11/08/25/2024-rmnewsletter.html

#rmnewsletter

[the-assignment]

Blog #4 - Alternate Histories

I think one of the most interesting things to think about – especially when considering an event or certain topic – is what would it be like if it happened another way? The idea of alternate history is so fascinating to me. I first learned about this type of thinking (on an academic level) actually in my Historical and Sociological Methods course. And now it is a theme for this week in my Afrofuturism class.  

The idea can come from a single question or line of thought – what would’ve happened if...? If it happened a different way, if it didn’t happen at all, if it happened to different people or a different country, etc. And it’s really interesting because this can be used to think about anything through a new lens or perspective. It can be used to consider role reversals in terms of race or sex / gender or what if X did/n’t happen. What if Martin Luther King, Jr. wasn’t assassinated? What if it was the Founding Mother's instead of the Founding Fathers and what if Black people were the ones with the power and enslaved white Europeans instead?

And this final question is so fascinating to think about – but is also very complex. Which is why I am very glad that I was able to hear author Steven Barnes talk about this concept when he virtually visited our class to talk about his novel Lions Blood – as well as the concept of alternate histories in general, and how the book came together and came to be. What really caught my attention was Barnes’ attention to detail and the care he put into creating a novel that dealt with alternate histories. It was not a concept that he took lightly – and in fact, he shared a story about not taking an earlier job as he didn’t feel like it would be the best avenue to talk about race reversals beyond easy jokes and tropes – and instead, did 6 years of historical (and slave) research to get it right for the book.

He also had great insight into what goes into making alternate histories that are good, that work, and that are realistic – like only changing one thing and then seeing how that affects – or doesn’t affect – other aspects of the social, political, cultural world around the change, additionally the changed factor should be logical, and it should be a significant change that means something – otherwise the reader wouldn’t really care or follow along.

I thought it was also really critical that Barnes brought attention to how important it is to have a basic understanding of history – to understand what happened and why it did – what aided this event to begin with, etc. – to know the ins and outs of what occurred in order to – and before – you can impactfully change or alter the event in any significant way. Otherwise, it can fall into the trap of stereotypes and tropes, or be illogical, or uncompelling, or just skim the surface.

It’s a good reminder that when creating these alternate histories, that there is a delicate balance of creating entertainment and asking (and answering) hard questions.

[goodblacknews]

MUSIC MONDAY: "Golden Time of Day" - A Tribute to Frankie Beverly Playlist (LISTEN)

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest) Being your groove chauffeur at GBN is the closest I’ll ever come to having a blog or column. In the years I’ve pecked write-ups for these Music Monday playlists, I have often discovered new tracks and artists in an attempt to be comprehensive in my collections. I have more than once received wonderful…

[harveyguillensource]

Harvey was a guest on Interview with the Vampire’s aftershow, Obsessed with the Vampire, hosted by Cameron Esposito! He was joined by fellow guests Cassandra Peterson/Elvira, David Dastmalchian, Tananarive Due, and Maura Athari.

[brokehorrorfan]

The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand will be published in hardcover and e-book on August 19, 2025 via Gallery Books.

Edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, the anthology features 34 short stories based on The Stand. It includes an introduction by Stephen King, a foreword by Golden, and an afterword by Keene.

Contributors include Wayne Brady & Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S.A. Cosby, Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers.

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered Stephen King’s seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraordinary works exploring the unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel—generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of characters. Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today’s greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World As We Know It features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand—brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the classic, bestselling novel.

Pre-order The End of the World As We Know It.

[sleepynegress]

For those looking for something to tide you over before the next season, Tananarive Due just tweeted this panel with herself and a bunch of faves!talking about vampire lore, IWTV, and the intersectionality of race and queer identities.

I really enjoyed this panel and what they had to say.

[sestrahulk]

Tatiana Maslany via Steven Barnes on Facebook