How do we critically engage with complicated, even toxic, fantasy fandoms? In our longest episode yet, we talk to Stitch, a Black fan, writer, and critic, about their history with fandom, writing & working in different spaces, and their advice

Revamping the Comics Canon

Apr 1st, 2022 39m 13s

How does reimagining the stories of marginalized superheroes reshape the canon itself? In this episode we talk to Stephanie Williams, comic historian, pop culture critic, and author of several webcomics such as Living Heroes as well as the DC C

Comics and the Power of Ordinary Blackness

Apr 1st, 2022 34m 53s

What does it mean to illustrate an extraordinary Black girl's ordinary coming-of-age? In this episode we talk to Robyn Smith, the Jamaican cartoonist & illustrator of DC Comics' Nubia: Real One, Black Josei Press' Wash Day, and her own mini-com

Reimagining Myths & Publishing Abolitionist Fantasies

Oct 1st, 2021 39m 24s

What does it mean to reimagine fantasies we grew up with & the world we want to see? In this episode we talk to bestselling author Kalynn Bayron, bestelling author of Cinderella is Dead and This Poison Heart, about fairytales, abolitionist worl

Black Futures in Academia & Public Scholarship

Sep 16th, 2021 42m 52s

How can Black scholars write & teach Black futures in the academy? In this episode we talk to Dr. Stephanie Toliver, professor of children's science fiction and fantasy and curator of the Reading Black Futures database, about public scholarship

Catching Up on All Things Messy & Magical

Sep 2nd, 2021 23m 18s

We're back! In our first episode of season 2, we share what we’ve been up to since last year, some of our favorite recent shows & books, and preview this season’s amazing guests.Episode Transcript

Visibility, Historicity, and Looking Ahead

Dec 9th, 2020 35m 20s

What have we learned about Black fantasy after our first season, and what are we looking forward to in 2021? In our season finale, we discuss lingering questions about representation and speculative historicity, and share thoughts on new and up

Navigating Academia, Fandom, and the Dark Fantastic

Nov 18th, 2020 39m 9s

How can we trace the evolution of scholarship that centers Black girls in fantasy? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, the author of The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games, about w

Claiming Legends & Legacies

Oct 28th, 2020 42m 49s

Who gets to have legacies, and where are the legends celebrating how Black girls move in the world? In this episode, we talk to Tracy Deonn, the New York Times bestselling author of Legendborn, about matrilineal legacy, Black girls’ emotional a

Publishing Dream Manuscripts

Oct 14th, 2020 34m 24s

How does a literary agent approach Black fantasy manuscripts? In this episode, we talk to Leah Pierre of Ladderbird Literary Agency about her manuscript wishlist, how she came to agenting, and what she loves about Black fantasy.Episode Transcr

The Inherent Magic of Diasporic Blackness

Sep 30th, 2020 40m

How is the fantastic built into the ways Black people move in the world? In our third episode, we talk to bestselling author Roseanne A. Brown about her formative experiences with fantasy, African storytelling, and character building in A Song

Is The Magic “Black Enough”?

Sep 16th, 2020 29m 29s

How can we define “Black girl magic”? In our second episode, we talk to award-winning filmmaker, playwright and director Micah Ariel Watson about the inspiration behind her web series “Black Enough” and the intersection of faith and the fantast

We Dream In The Dark For The Most Part

Sep 6th, 2020 38m 56s

What does it mean to dream in the dark? In our first episode, we talk about our motivation for creating this platform for Black fantasy, our different approaches to studying the fantastic, and the gap between visibility and representation in th

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