Octavia E. Butler, who died in 2006, is a NYT Bestselling author. This was one of her life goals. Thank you all for making it happen! pic.twitter.com/0QNRfcQQ21
— Merrilee Heifetz (@MerrileeHeifetz) September 2, 2020
Somehow I missed this yesterday. Fantastic list, and not just 'cause I'm on it! ?? Honored to be in such good company. https://t.co/5G7fGXQIss
— N. K. Jemisin (@nkjemisin) August 21, 2020
Why this black drive-in cinema has become a hit https://t.co/SaAi2gS9ju pic.twitter.com/7QxHKysDdM
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 1, 2020
Black-owned bookstores have seen an increase in sales in their businesses. Owners say they not only want to educate their communities, but also encourage people to use what they learn to take action against systemic racism. https://t.co/A6TSFOjNfG
— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) August 23, 2020
Nigerian drummer Babatunde Olatunji was part of a generation of Africans who fought for racial justice in the US – and continue to do so https://t.co/mh19hhzZDy
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 2, 2020
One boldly painted body at a time, a Black D.C. artist is helping women and girls tell their stories https://t.co/QqYfiDewHc
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 6, 2020
Open Thread: Joe Biden Live, Expected to Address Woodward Info
HumboldtBlue
Well if anyone wants to write a novel set in an apocalyptic environment California is the place for you.
Deeply orange smoky skies, horrible air quality conditions and a half dozen burning fires and now the evacuations have been ordered for folks in SoHum.
Falling Diphthong
I highly recommend N.K. Jemisin’s work. Her short story collection How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? is a good entry point.
prostratedragon
A dance of thanksgiving:
According to the comments, this was recorded at a New Year’s Eve concert in which the other performers were the Neville Brothers and the Grateful Dead.
Citizen_X
Good to see Parable of the Sower on the NYT bestseller list, but why is selling all of a sudden?
And seconding the recommendation of N. K. Jemison. Any N. K. Jemison.
Scout211
@HumboldtBlue:
We’ve been on edge for weeks here in California. Now Oregon is burning and they don’t have enough firefighters for the apocalypse that has just hit them over the last few days. They never thought it could be this bad.
The little town that Mr. Scout211 grew up in on the McKenzie River in Oregon is next in line for the Holiday Farm Fire, on its march toward Springfield. 0% containment, 105,000 acres.
germy
I recently read the novel “A Different Drummer” by William Melvin Kelley. It was published in 1962.
I’d never heard of the guy. I was browsing in a bookstore and it looked interesting. He wrote it when he was about 23 years old. I couldn’t put it down
I want to read his short story collection next. “Dancers On The Shore”
featheredsprite
@HumboldtBlue: Air quality on the Olympic Peninsula is crappy. Fires to the north, the east, and the south. Windows are closed. Fans are going. Most people here don’t have air conditioning.
Elizabelle
@germy: What an interesting guy. Never heard of him. Thank you.
Martin
Oroville is in trouble. Evacuations on the east/south-east and north part of the city. Looks like they’re getting surrounded on 3 sides. I don’t think they have a lot of firefighting equipment there given how quickly that fire blew up.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Falling Diphthong: Discovered that one in the library, back when this country had public libraries you could walk into and borrow books. Fantastic collection.
She won three Hugo’s in a row for each of the books of a trilogy, an unprecedented achievement. When I clear some of my backlog of reading, I’m going to search out that trilogy.
prostratedragon
Something for those tense neck and shoulder muscles:
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Been looking for a thread to drop this one in. Since this is a culture thread, close enough.
Looking for a nice long relaxing concert to listen to? This one in Halberstadt, Germany is 19 years into what is supposed to be 639 years. The chord changed a few days ago. The last chord change was in 2013.
The explanation? John Cage. I don’t think I need to add anything more, but read the article to see Cage’s justification.
As an amateur musician I try to be supportive of classical music, musicians and composers and listen to “new music” on occasion. But John Cage, man. (Heavy sigh, shakes head sadly, walks away).
The concert actually has an audience. Well, for the chord change ceremony anyway.
NotMax
@Ceci n est pas mon nym
In the year 2640, as the last notes fade some schmuck will shout “Encore! Encore!”
:)
J R in WV
Isn’t Cage the guy who had the gall to print and publish a song that consisted of a 4:42 silent rest?
And then to go for anyone else who published a piece with a long rest?
Fuck that guy!
gwangung
Since diversity includes folks other than Black folks, let me plug a live-streamed replay of the third of a trilogy of Steampunk plays, A Hand of Talons.
(Easily one of the most GORGEOUS casts I ever assembled, male and female. Totally distracted at rehearsal).
Felanius Kootea
@HumboldtBlue: Octavia Butler already did that in Parable of the Sower. It even has a nativist President whose slogan is “Make America Great Again” but I’m 100% sure no one on Trump’s team has heard of Octavia Butler. I mean I hope they haven’t because if they have, it’s clear that they are definitely using her novel as a blueprint for this administration.
BruceFromOhio
N.K. Jemisin is a treasure. The Stone Sky Trilogy was an adventure in reading for her style, with a splendid twist of detail in the final chapters. I hope she lives and writes for many, many years.
ETA: fire peeps, this relates to Kulcha, Racial Justice, Something Good Open Thread how?
Xenos
@Felanius Kootea: if they are reading Butler for inspiration, the next step is to create millions of refugees and then reintroduce slavery for those rescued. As proposed by evangelicals who recycle the religious justification for slavery from the 19th century.
seemed outrageous and unrealistic when I read the book 20 years ago.