Justice League of America fans who prefer tokenism

Dwayne McDuffie (co-founder and creator of Milestone media and the comics writer who co-created Static Shock and other black comic book heroes) points out some of the reader responses to his final issue of Justice League of America, featuring the JLA teaming with Icon and Hardware in battle with Starbreaker:

I don't think anyone will support an original black "mainstream" character. I know I won't.

Maybe they should establish a separate league for all the negro superheroes. I'm not saying kick them ALL off. One would be okay. (Doesn't Hollywood have some kind of law that says every movie has to have at least one black in it?) I just think they're going overboard with all this diversity stuff. I mean, how many comics do minorities read anyway?

Haikasoru: new publisher - Japanese SF in English translation

From Haikasoru editor Nick Mamatas:

Haikasoru -- that's "high castle" with a Japanese accent -- is a brand new imprint of Japanese science fiction (with plenty of fantasy and even a dash of horror) in translation, brought to you by VIZ Media.

Eileen Gunn interviews Nisi Shawl, first black winner of the James R. Tiptree Jr. award

I've been talking a little bit about this with Ted Chiang and some other people in a book discussion group I'm in, Tom Foster and Evan Cherniavsky. In light of that old "death of the author" idea. Is a story something I create to communicate ideas, or something I participate in with my readers? I'm always thrilled when someone gets out of a story what I was trying to put into it. And I'm also often thrilled when someone gets out of a story a totally other thing I didn't even know was up in there.

Verb Noire announces its first publication

New publishing venture Verb Noire has recently announced its first publication: River's Daughter, a novel by Tasha Campbell.

Abigail Richard's earliest memory is of wading with her mother in the cool waters of the creek near their home. The dark-skinned daughter of a mixed marriage in a post-Civil war pioneer town, Gail finds herself ostracized in a way her pale-skinned brothers never are--for her skill in swimming, her mother, and her color. It is only when her mother leaves her behind and she is forced to protect herself against other people's manipulations that Gail dives to the water's depths for protection--and finally learns where she truly comes from.

The mission statement of Verb Noire is To celebrate the works of talented, underrepresented authors and deliver them to a readership that demands more. What does that mean? That if you’re a talented writer with an awesome, original story about a POC girl/guy/transgendered character, there is a place for you. And that if you’re a sci-fi/fantasy fan who has grown tired of the constant whitewashing of these genres, there is a place for you, too.

To support Verb Noire, click this link.

Sheree R. Thomas on writing word by word

Sheree R. Thomas, author, teacher, and the editor of Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction From the African Diaspora, talks on her blog about being inspired by Arthur Flowers and about getting the words down:

I know some folk still think somebody is going to give them the Big Secret Key to Publishing, like published authors carry it around in their back pockets as they float through life. As if they can simply raise a well manicured hand and place you promptly in the Pantheon.