Three Sci-Fi/ Fantasy Writers that are Challenging the Narrative

A Nigerian, a Muslim, and a queer woman walk into a bar… and then proceed to read the entire sci-fi and fantasy genre for filth. (Don’t believe me? Check out the quotables on twitter) I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at KGB’s Red Room on Thursday night for Pen Live: Black Panther, Katniss Everdeen, and the Changing Faces of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, but whatever expectations I may have secretly had were exceeded. The even started with a brief reading by each of the three participants.

Maria Dahvana Headley, author of the New York Times-bestselling young adult Sky Kingdom novels Aerie and Magonia, started the evening by reading an excerpt from her forthcoming work, The Combustible, a queer superhero and supervillain story. Let me not be coy: I’m going to buy this book. In her short reading the voice was quirky and funny and strong – one I’d like to spend some time with.

Next, Haris A. Durrani, author Technologies of the Self and co-founder of The Muslim Protagonist at Columbia University, read from his debut book. Haris’ work blended experiences grounded in his youth and family with elements of the fantastic to great affect. That he also weaves hugely important questions of religious identity into this narrative that force his audience to grapple with questions they may not want to is compelling. The reading portion of the evening was rounded out by Deji Bryce Olukotun, author of Nigerians in Space, whose work questioned the filtering of information in our daily lives […