DISCUSSIONS FROM THE OTHERHOOD

Juneteenth can be a real head-scratcher for African Americans.. It recognizes the date that the people of African descent (in Texas) who were the victims of forced labor were informed that the practice had been illegalized... two and a half years earlier... the last people to know. So why is this a holiday? Let's Discuss it. Also We'll be discussing White Dog, a film from 1982 featuring a white do...

Recall when some fans of The Hunger Games expressed shock when a black actor was cast as one of their favorite characters… despite the fact that the character had been a person of color in the source material. Alnd remember when almost two million people signed a petition to remake the final season of Game of Thrones, this time “with competent writers.” While creators enjoy fans being invested in...

Roxanne Bland of Black Rose Press, author William Hayashi, voice talent/researcher Sonia James and author/Librarian Cranston Burney discuss different paths that new and established writers can take to get their books into bookstores and libraries.

Turner Classic Movies can be a great place to experience film history. But don't leave your kids alone to watch the 1943 TV-G Caped Crusader live action show, the Bat Cave where they'll be treated to statements glorifying the internment of Japanese citizens or as they call them, "sl@nty-eyed j@ps" (No I am not kidding nor mistaken). And don't forget General Spanky, (also rated T V-G), where a youn...

The Prime Video presentation of "Covenant" the first season of the anthology entitled THEM has opened to mixed reviews. Described variously as exploring race using the subgenre of Horror as a vehicle or exploiting Black trauma as entertainment, there are many points of view. We'll discuss the show, our opinions and speak with individuals who have actually lived through it. READINGS: https://www.ny...

We cosplay and muse and discuss the prospect of DC coming out with a Black Clark Kent/Superman. But what does it mean for Black indie characters; Black Characters already created by Marvel and DC who haven't had their time in the sun? So... do we want a Black Superman... or not?

Is it Sarah Connor, Evelyn O'Connell, Ripley, Lucky Emory, Morticia Addams, the Borg Queen? Join us as we discuss who were (and weren't) the "baddest MFs" (that's "Mother Figures") in our favorite supernatural, horror, science fiction and fantasy stories. (And time permitting, we can discuss why Disney Princesses are always raised by their fathers. and recap Black Fae Day 2021!!)

In genre literature and other media, is the depiction of crime and punishment an extension or perversion of real-world institutions? Does PreCrime violate the Sixth Amendment? does the Federation’s form of “punishment” actually encourage crime? Is killing an undead person murder? Do supernatural beings have “rights” as they are not “natural human beings?” Join us as we deliberate the evidence.

Arguably Science Fiction is the best vehicle for describing the Black Experience while making it accessible to any viewer. Join us as we discuss Science Fiction and the Black Experience. Who got it right? Who got it wrong?

Considering recent films like Us, Get Out, Them and even It Comes at Night, is the horror genre the appropriate vehicle to discuss the African American experience in film? Join us to discuss.

How many times have you heard that a new book or movie is a “twisty mind-bending” read with such cultural awareness it would make you weep; or a film that is so WOKE it would keep you up for a week... then you track it down and when you finish it you ask yourself, “What were they talking about?” Join us as we discuss, “Is it us or them?” when disappointed by cultural awareness in popular media.

The Bible has not been just a source of inspirations and guidance but also popular entertainment, from novels, musicals, “sword-and-sandals” epics in the ‘50s to “sword-and-sandals” epics in the New Millennium. Join us as we discuss the treatment (and mistreatment) of religion in popular entertainment media.

The 2017 Justice League film was not one of DC's Finest. In fact Rotten Tomatoes rates it as a 40% in comparison with Zach Snyder's 2021 cut which weighs in at 73%. Better effects and expanded/modified sequences are certainly responsible for some of the ratings shift, but an apparent erasure of scenes and sequences prominently featuring Blacks may have added to the disjointed storytelling that ear...

For International Women's month we take a look at how genre media portrays women and who were the (most) positive and negative portrayals in fantasy, sci-fi and horror. How have women been treated historically in genre works? What is the current climate and what are our expectations for the future?

In 1988 a prince from an affluent African nation travels to America to find his bride. In 2018 an abandoned and disenfranchised child of a prince who found his bride in America claws his way back to his African homeland to claim a throne that was denied him. In 2021 the abandoned son of an African prince with an American mother is reclaimed and brought home. The interesting interconnectedness from...

In the wake of Sorry to Bother You in 2018, Tessa Thompson noted that Black people were generally excluded from Hollywood's areas of Magical Realism and in our search we can't say that she's wrong. Amazingly there aren't many examples of works of Magical Realism from a Black focus. Take a look at the ones we discovered and let's discuss why it is that more Black-centered films aren't occupying the...

We all loved Get Out and Black Panther, Watchmen and Octavia Butler’s works, but what other “overlooked” or “undiscovered” works should be put on our “Must” list? Let's discuss what you've read or seen and want to share!

In their history in the New World, people of the African Diaspora have been given many names, few of them qualifying as "self-identifiers." The latest name, originating in social media, is "BIPOC," Black and Indigenous People of Color. It was intended as a means of inclusivity, to show that the struggles of marginalizes and under-served people and communities are "connected." But are they? And is...

It's our Valentine's Day show and what better way to celebrate than by exploring Black Love (or the dearth of it) in sci-fi, fantasy and horror? Join us with your favorite (or least favorite) scenes!

Yep. That's us standing on the corner, arms crossed, toe tapping... waiting. Gleaned from Samuel Delaney's original essay (https://www.nyrsf.com/racism-and-science-fiction-.html) and restated among others in NK Jemison's 2013 story collection (https://nkjemisin.com/2013/09/how-long-til-black-future-month/) we can't help but wonder while we observe the portrayals of people of color in genre media …...

Our Sci-Fi futures solve environmental issues, social issues and gender equality but still can't quite grapple with the white gaze when it comes to romance and sexual attraction. Join us tonight as we take a trek down memory lane to see how far we haven't come and how much farther we have to go, We'll also have a SPOILERY DISCUSSION about Marvel's WandaVision and whether you are still along for th...

No doubt everyone remembers or knows of Thriller, Michael Jackson's groundbreaking music video that ushered in the world of long-form narrative, high production value visual music fare. However the video did more than that. It was the crest of a wave that ushered in Black Horror that allowed Black horror fans to come out of the closet and demand more and better horror films featuring and/or produc...

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87625450299?pwd=N1QzM2ZFSng3R1JwWUZ4V3MyM09aZz09 ZOOM LINK This is the weekend before the MLK holiday and the Inauguration of President Joe Biden in the U.S. and a week after the recent terror attack on the capital; so with politics, government. anarchy and change on our minds let's consider the politics of genre fiction. Why does it seem that it focuses on t warring king...

Pandemics have long been fare for science fiction and fantasy. From the bubonic plague to the current COVID pandemics have been part of the Hollywood landscape. So tell us ,what about your favorite pandemic film actually occurred in reality? Join us to discuss the similarities and differences between real life pandemics and their Hollywood analogs.

There was a time when conspiracies were only uncovered after the fact (it was in the aftermath of President Lincoln’s assassination that the plot also included killing the Vice President and the Secretary of State). Today, conspiracies occur in real time and the plots and perpetrators are “outted” publicly as the actions happen. Are films and TV the basis of the rise of the Conspiracy Nation? What...