Call for Contributions: Afrofuturism

In light of the tragic deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the countless other Black lives lost to police brutality, Femspec seeks to honor the visionary work of Black writers and artists. Therefore, our latest call for contributions will concern Afrofuturism.

In coining the term, Mark Dery defines Afrofuturism as “speculative fiction that treats African-American themes and addresses African-American concerns in the context of 20th century technoculture-and, more generally, African-American signification that appropriates images of technology and a prosthetically enhanced future”. Ytasha Womack expands this initial definition to include “an intersection of imagination, technology, the future and liberation…. Both an artistic aesthetic and a framework for critical theory, Afrofuturism combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity, and magic realism with non-Western beliefs”.

We seek critical work on Black women SF writers such as Octavia Butler, N. K. Jemisin, Toni Morrison, and all others who, in the words of Walidah Imarisha, contribute to visionary fiction’s project of “the fantastic, with the arc always bending toward justice.” We also seek creative work exploring themes of current events, racial justice, and future worlds that center Black characters and communities. For example, one might consider a magical realist perspective on a conversation in heaven or the beyond, watching what transpires in the streets below. 

Please see submission guidelines here. Our online submissions page is here.

All submitters must subscribe.

The deadline to be considered for 20.2 is August 1, 2020.

The deadline to be considered for 21.1 is February 1, 2021.

Image: Bitch Planet #5 cover art by Valentine de Landro