Black Women’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels: The Future Then & Now

Black women’s science fiction and fantasy (SFF) are read as “freedom dreams.” In this 13-week course we will discuss how these genres confront historical black trauma and glean present meaning about Black being and futurity. We straddle two of the most prominent literary eruptions: 1979-1989 when neo-slave narratives became popularized and 2015-2021 when Black SFF literature proliferates anew, particularly in children’s categories. Beginning with Octavia Butler’s acclaimed Kindred and concluding with Tracy Deonn’s instant bestseller Legendborn, we will examine how Black SFF stages cross-temporal conversations attempting to repair the ontological ruptures of historical trauma and recuperate Black being.