Literary Diva: N.K. Jemisin
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| Photo: Laura Hanifin |
Okay?
Here's the author bio from her website:
I live for fantasy; it's my favorite literary genre. I've read most of the popular fiction of the last decade: Harry Potter, Twilight, The Sookie Stackhouse Books, Divergent, etc. I've even written a couple of Sci-Fi/Fantasy scripts while studying at DePaul. The same goes for film and TV. Fantasy just rocks my socks; I'm looking at you Twilight Zone."N(ora). K. Jemisin is an author of speculative fiction short stories and novels who lives and writes in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been nominated for the Hugo (three times), the Nebula (four times), and the World Fantasy Award (twice); shortlisted for the Crawford, the Gemmell Morningstar, and the Tiptree; and she has won a Locus Award for Best First Novel as well as the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award (three times). In 2016, she became the first black person to win the Best Novel Hugo for The Fifth Season."
Throughout my lifelong consumption of these stories I have yearned for more black voices to be included in the magic. Let me tell you, Black children (people) believe in magic, in new worlds, in fantasy, but they are rarely included in this genre of Hollywood films or best selling novels as the main protagonist (if at all). If you're relying on popular opinion/buzz in particular, you won't find black voices in fantasy. Trust me, I'm 28 and the only other black Sci-Fi writer I knew before Miss Nora was Octavia Butler.
True some of that may have been my fault, I haven't been vigilant in my search for that kind of black literature. At the same time the fact that POC have such little access to the masses and must always be sought out is rooted in something bigger than me. But I digress.....
I'm here to celebrate Miss Nora for the genius she is. Her work is truly a blessing because it's something that needed, especially for women of color. She tells these amazing, highly-detailed, fantastical and engaging stories about black women. (Now she never calls them "black women" because the archetypes of our world are not necessarily present in hers, but they are always described as having dark, or tan or brown skin with thick or curly coils. That's enough for me honey).
And these women are strong! These women are magic! Literally divine, literally deities. In all of their adventures and quests they are the heroine. They are front and center. They drive the story and the people in their world are in love with them! Imagine f*cking that! How novel. There's one point in her book The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms where like, the first god of existence meets her and falls in love with her. Child whet! As a Christian, I know that there is a God of this world and he loves black women. I know this, but to see it explicitly expressed in a different medium is so refreshing! It's nourishment for my black soul, okay?
We are all starved for that kind of representation, every WOC. Having authors like Miss Nora speak to us and call us by our name (Goddess) is so profound and so empowering. That's the point isn't it? To remind you black woman, African-American woman, Native American woman, Korean woman, Latina woman, Indian woman, that you are powerful. You are significant. You are deeply loved by people and God. Lord knows we need that reminder.
Nora you are amazing and I love you, I love you, I love you. I started reading your novels in November of 2016 and I am currently on your very last one (sobs) The Obelisk Gate. Three months. I have read all 7 of your beautiful books in three months. You did that. You've awoken the bibliophile in me once again. Thank you.
Below is a list of Miss Nora's current works from oldest to newest. Find them and lavish yourselves in some great work.
The Inheritance Trilogy
Dreamblood
The Broken Earth
Who's your favorite WOC author? Enlighten a sister in the comments below!
Update: Just finished the Obelisk Gate and the story ain't over fam. There is a third Broken Earth book coming out in August of 2017! Oh joy, oh rapture!
