Mary Anne Mohanraj is guest-blogging on John Scalzi’s blog, Whatever:
That’s a starting assumption for me — the world is racist, the culture I grew up in is racist, I’ve internalized and carry around a hell of a lot of racist baggage, and on some deep level, many of my basic assumptions are racist. So are yours.
Via racalicious:
For many years, Beacon Press, a nonprofit book publisher since 1854, has had the privilege of publishing Octavia Butler’s Kindred, the story of a modern black woman transported through time to the antebellum South. Octavia Butler died tragically in 2006; those familiar with her life and work know how singular and important her legacy remains. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the novel, and Beacon is deeply honored to announce a collaboration with the Butler estate to produce a graphic adaptation of Kindred. The press is currently inviting proposals from cartoonists who appreciate Octavia Butler’s legacy, and reflect her commitment to social justice in their own work.
Those interested in discussing a proposal should email the editor of the Graphic Books list, Allison Trzop, at atrzop AT beacon DOT org. The deadline is March 16.
The National Black Writers Conference Bi-Annual Symposium celebrates the life and work of renowned speculative fiction author Octavia E. Butler in a daylong symposium to be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Medgar Evers College, 1650 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225.
“Octavia Butler was the first black woman to come to international prominence as a science fiction writer and she has influenced a generation of authors as well as a diverse general public who still eagerly look for her work,” said Dr. Brenda Greene, Conference Coordinator and Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature. “Our celebration of her work and life is a testament to her impact on literature and a fulfillment of our mission to expanding the literary canon.”
