Some Selected Readings I’ve Come Across Recently:

thewritingcafe:

• Spears, Sorcery, and Double Consciousness (Part 2) (Part 3) – a series about African-inspired fantasy and the Western vs Non-Western writer.
• Sexy Loki, Queer Tricksters, and the Problem with LGBT Villains – an opinion piece on how lgbt+ villains are written and used in fiction.
• Postcolonial Fantasy and African Against the Word “Tribe” – a discussion on the use of the word “tribe” in fiction, especially fantasy.
• The “Other” Histories of Fantasy – about (the lack of) non-European settings in fantasy and drawing from history.
• Fantasy’s “Othering” Fetish – about the portrayal of POC in fantasy, particularly how they are “othered”.
• Green-Eyed Asian – about giving POC traits that are more common in white people in an attempt to “beatify” or “exotify” them.
• Respective Portrayals of Asians in the Media and How to Balance Them – a primer on stereotypes and portrayals of Asians and Asian-Americans in American media.
• No Queens in Afrika: Women Rulers in Sword & Soul and Other African-Inspired Fantasy – about the use of the word “queen” in relation to non Western European (mostly African) female rulers.
• Tropes of Women of Color in Sci-FI – an eight-part series looking at five tropes that surround women of color in sci-fi.
• Why Sci-Fi Keeps Imagining the Subjugation of White People – an article about the popular topic of colonialism and anti-colonialism in sci-fi.
• On Black Women, Teen TV, and Fantasy Space – a short article about the desirability of black women in fiction and its relationship with women being validated “through heteronormative romantic success”.
• On the Erasure of People of Color from Dystopian Fiction – about the absence of POC in speculative fiction, particularly futuristic settings.
• Mary Anne Mohanraj Gets You Up to Speed Part I (Part II) – a two-part essay about race and racism in fiction and about writing a race other than your own.
• You’re Hurting My Head Again SF/F – a rant on erasing an entire race for the sake of an alternate history.
• Diversity and Disability – about the lack of representation for disabled people in YA fiction and the two tropes that often surround disability in fiction.
• No, Really, Stop Raping Your Women! – disputing arguments that favor rape and sexual assault against women in fantasy.
• Monstrous Females and Female Monsters – on the difference between the portrayal of male monsters and female monsters, and on what makes a female character a monster.
• How White Writers Should Address Racism – a short post on how characters address racial and ethnic prejudice in fiction.
• Dystropia: Why the Sassy Gay Friend Isn’t Progressive – an article on writing “sassy gay friends” and how it can turn bad quickly.