In recent years, there has been an uptick, if not an actual surge, of works by science fiction writers of color, a literary genre where Black voices and characters have been historically absent. For writers of color the distinction between science fiction and fantasy, two imaginative genres is often blurred. Why? Because access to the scientific knowledge from which science fiction often is derived has been denied to people of the African diaspora for much of history. And the classification of what is and is not scientific is frequently a matter of dispute and Eurocentric. This panel will explore Black writers and characters in a genre where they have not been expected to excel.

Presenters: Sheree Renée Thomas, author; Nisi Shawl, author

Moderator: Dennis Britton, Ph.D., Department of English, University of New Hampshire

The winter Tea Talk series, presented by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) and sponsored in part by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities, is a series of participatory lectures related to New Hampshire’s Black history and African American culture. These events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.blackheritagetrailnh.org/tea-talks.

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