“We Have Always Dreamed of (Afro)Futures:” a Lecture by Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

 

On April 14, 2021, the NCSCL was delighted to host Dr Ebony Elizabeth Thomas’ for her fantastic talk “We Have Always Dreamed of (Afro)Futures: The Brownies’ Book and the Black Fantastic Storytelling Tradition.” With over 100 people registered, we were not the only ones who were so excited to have Dr. Thomas virtually visit SDSU.

Situating her talk in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and current anti-Black violence and racism, Dr. Thomas explores the portrayal of Black characters within children’s and young adult books and how these characters indicate a future for those who are represented. Dr. Thomas introduced the concept of “storying,” the ways in which Black writers have forged their own identities and freedom within these texts. This act is especially prominent since “we are in a cultural moment where speculative storytelling reigns supreme.”

As Dr. Thomas writes in her book The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to The Hunger Games, there is a lack of positive representation of people of color in speculative fiction. Although there have been excellent fantasy novels written by authors of color as of late, Dr. Thomas focuses her research on the presence of Black characters in texts authored by the majority population for two reasons: first, because some of today’s popular texts written by Black authors were not available at the time of she wrote The Dark Fantastic and second, because the texts written by the majority population are the ones that make up the mainstream, which is read across diverse populations. For those reasons, she examines characters such as Rue from The Hunger Games in order to identify what kind of portrayals frame Black characters, concluding that “our reading and imagination are as segregated as our lives.” Black characters are trapped in the “Dark Fantastic cycle,” which Dr. Thomas defines as a pattern of “spectacle, hesitation, violence, and haunting.” Black girl characters especially are seen as “monstrous, invisible, and always dying;” their stories mirror the high rate of Black deaths outside of literature. Despite the oppression and violence they face, Dr. Thomas reminds us Black people have always dreamed of (Afro)futures. She spotlights the act of “rememory,” using the example of Toni Morrison who creates an Afrofuturistic world in Beloved wherein the protagonist, Sethe, recalls memories of the past. Like Morrison’s Sethe, imagination creates a new world, an Afrofuture. 

The above graphic demonstrates that only 10% of characters are Black while 27% of characters are non-human as of 2018 according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since that time, the diversity “renaissance” in children’s literature publishing has excited Dr. Thomas. She recognizes that she has been cautioned against too much optimism, but wants to give credit where it is due. Dr. Thomas acknowledges that quality is not guaranteed simply because representations are present. As Black storytellers forge their own identities and liberation, there is still much more to be done in the field to address the books -- and the experiences -- missing from bookshelves. These absent stories of the everyday experiences of Black readers are labeled “shadow books” for their invisibility among mainstream readership.

In light of the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic alongside the current trial of Derek Chauvin and the discussion of anti-Black violence in our country, Dr. Thomas reminds us, “the persistence of anti-Blackness in pandemic space-time cannot be overstated.” She recognizes that the rates of Black deaths in novels mirror the deaths of the COVID-19 pandemic; that is, they are disproportionately higher than majority population deaths. Future dreaming allows an escape for Black readers from this reality. Books written especially for Black audiences, like The Brownies Book, allow for a look into the life of a Black child, but these books are few and far between.

To repair for the lack of representation, Dr. Thomas offers the concept of “re-storying:” how marginalized readers can read themselves into the stories that have historically excluded them. Re-storying, Dr. Thomas says, is a way for underrepresented POC to feel seen. The rise in representation follows a period of time that has been called “The New Jim Crow.” In some of these texts, narratives of Black pain are the focus, creating a burden on young readers seeing their own identities being brutalized and murdered.

 

Some portrayals of enslavement create what Dr. Thomas calls a “sanitized view of slavery.” These books often position Black characters beside famous white figures for the comfort of white readers, like in the book Unspoken: A Story of the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole, a white author. Many of these books are written from a third person perspective, distancing the reader from slavery. Dr. Thomas labels this pattern “#slaverywithasmile” and argues that humanizing depictions of people in bondage can reshape the images that dominate Black historical fiction.

Dr. Thomas concludes with the following question: “If even Black authors of youth speculative fiction are haunted by the afterlife of slavery, what might it mean for our Afrofuturistic Dreams?”

 

We would like to turn, now, to the Question and Answer Section in which Dr. Thomas answered questions posted in the chat. Here are just a few of the thoughtful questions that were posed, as well as Dr. Thomas’s responses:

 

How do you see multicultural picture books fitting into this conversation?

Dr. Thomas responded that the territory is vast. She turns to friends doing work on multicultural texts, recognizing that there is much to be read and written on the works produced by members of the African diaspora, such as Black British, Caribbean, and African authors. She powerfully claims that “the Afrofuture should be an inclusive future” and advocates for cultivating scholars with deep insider knowledge and direct experience with the communities who are producing those books.

 

Are there any texts that are encouraging, enriching, and empowering Afrofuturist narratives out there at the moment?

Dr. Thomas points to resources compiled by colleagues such as ReadingBlackFutures.com and the work done by Dr. Rukmini Pande (in fan studies from India).

 

Do you think that the obstacles to honesty in children’s literature about black life in America (or abroad) is on both sides—the dangers of all books being about slavery and horror and trauma of racism, Jim Crow, etc., thus fetishizing pain and trauma, and leaving out more positive, nuanced tales. And the problem of too much utopianism without the realities of racism, trauma, and pain being there to treat black American (or African) life honestly? If so, how do the best works treat pain and hope both?

Dr, Thomas candidly admitted that she had “been wrestling with this.” She was frustrated by growing up being told the same Black history by authors, but now it is “what I breathe.” After studying such a complex issue for so long, she acknowledges that “it takes a genius to break the Dark Fantasy cycle, and that’s why so few of us publish.” She also made reference to texts such as NK Jemison’s The Broken Earth trilogy and Ty Frank’s The Expanse. Ultimately, there is a knife edge between Black pain and Black joy -- not just joy or pain. Black people have a range of emotions which should likewise be depicted in the texts that portray them.

 

We would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas for making the time to present such a fascinating and thought-provoking lecture, and to all who were able to attend. Please follow the National Center for the Study of Children’s Literature on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to hear about the events to come!

 

Review of The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore

 

The Mirror Season is my second book by Anna-Marie McLemore even though I own all of their previous releases. This book made it very clear that McLemore’s writing is simply one of my favorites. Their writing is just pure magic! The Mirror Season had me hooked from its very first line: “When my bisabuela first came to this country, the most valuable thing she carried with her was something only she could see” (1). This is a story of survivors and learning to live in a body that doesn’t feel like yours anymore. The main character, Graciela Cristales, loses her confidence as a result of the assault and her journey centers around redefining who she is and living with the guilt of what happened.

The book follows Ciela’s perspective and the reader learns about the night of the assault through her. The unraveling of the narrative was amazing. We got bits and pieces which Ciela felt comfortable sharing with the reader. She was in control of the narrative, as a sexual assault survivor Ciela felt a loss of control over herself. Through the information she gives the reader she takes control of her story, signaling how SA survivors’ stories are theirs to share how they see fit. I enjoyed how information was revealed to us and so many things caught me by surprise. 

Moreover, the layers of her story interweave with Lock’s story. Lock was at the same party as Ciela and their assaults happened simultaneously. They meet once school begins and form a friendship. The dynamic between Ciela and Lock was great and filled with humor. One of the most memorable moments was when Ciela brought a puppet named “Valentina” to cheer up Lock during their time in detention (73-74). Humor is used as another way of taking control of their story. The jokes between the characters is what moves forward their relationship. In an interview with the Write or Die podcast, AM McLemore mentioned how The Mirror Season has the most humor out of all their books because it is something SA survivors do. They do so to contrast the traumatic experiences they’ve survived and again as a way to show their autonomy. McLemore’s use of humor shows that even with traumatic experiences there are ways to rediscover the self and that is done with expressions of joy like humor. 

 

Another aspect of Ciela’s journey means becoming La Bruja de los Pasteles once more. Ciela has a gift, inherited from her great-grandmother, which tells her what type of pan dulce someone needs or what pan dulce will soothe them. Losing herself causes Ciela to lose her ability to know about the needs of others. Her healing journey and the way back to her gift means finding herself. McLemore makes it clear with Ciela’s gift that caring for others and being there for them requires the ability to take care of the self first. Furthermore, Ciela’s gift is truly fascinating, and I’m looking to explore it more in an upcoming paper. Here’s an example of her magic in action as customers approach her bakery booth at a town festival: 

Las magdalenas de maíz to a woman finishing chemotherapy, because she needs something mild to keep but with enough flavor to remind her she can still taste. Cuernitos de crema to a couple who found each other again forty years after meeting in high school (269). 

Ciela’s magic has a healing quality to it which is reminiscent of curanderos. These are healers in Latin American who practice traditional medicine to treat various ailments, they can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual ailments. In the passage above Ciela aims to cure ailments with her abilities. She is attuned with whomever visits her booth and knows exactly what will soothe their being. Throughout the book the reader experiences her ability and how it is an essential part of her. Ciela’s magic is part of a familial tradition but it is but a small part of the connection she has with her family.

  

By the end of The Mirror Season, Ciela became one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. One of the things I loved most about her was the bond she had with her family. Family interactions in YA is something that I pay close attention to. A lack of family interaction makes the teenage character seem more adult and independent. This fictional emancipation rids the narrative of interactions with family members. Relations with families is an important aspect of identity formation since the family is part of people’s first social interactions. Ciela’s love for her family is found all over this narrative. They are in the stories she tells, her experiences, and as mentioned before in her magic. Throughout the novel, Ciela gives the reader many tidbits on her family and she seems to have a story fitting for many occasions. This is how her love for them comes through and it shows how a teen can have meaningful relationships with her family and be part of a novel. These relationships let the reader know of who Ciela is before the start of the narrative, it gives her a background story, and makes her a more well-rounded character. The Mirror Season depicts how these bonds have a place within YA. Ciela has not been emancipated, yet the journey is still hers.

  

Another topic McLemore explores is the way society sees and treats brown bodies. The author touches upon how brown bodies are so over-sexualized and seen as an open invitation when they are not. I found this extremely relatable, reminding me of my own experiences and how from a young age my body has been seen like that. Despite the over-sexualization Ciela is taught to love her body from a young age by the women in her family. She describes this experience in the following: “my mother is the one who told me my curvas were worth celebrating. Every day growing up, I came home to a family where hips and thighs meant health and beauty, and it saved me from thinking there was something immodest and shameful about my body” (105). Ciela’s experience with her body is something I also found relatable because it mirrored (I had to do it!) my own experience and journey with loving my body. I think it’s really important to encourage body acceptance from a young age. McLemore shows how we should celebrate bodies like Ciela’s and how doing so may have a big impact on self-esteem.

 

 In The Mirror Season the reader is taken on Ciela’s journey of regaining her confidence, finding love, and living as a survivor. The novel uses magical realism and elements of “The Snow Queen” fairytale to present the reader with a raw exploration of being a sexual assault survivor. Her friendship with Lock showed how survivors are not alone and that humor can be a useful tool for finding joy. The story has so many aspects to it that I loved: the fairy tale elements, Ciela’s character, self-love/body acceptance, and the magic are just a few of them. The Mirror Season is going to be one of my top recommendations for a while!

-NA

Sources:

McLemore, Anna-Marie. The Mirror Season. Feiwel & Friends, 2021. 

Valladolid, Fabian. “Who Is a Curandero?” Curanderismo, www.asu.edu/courses/css335/page3.htm.  

"Unhappy Ever After: When fairytales end badly" a lecture by Neil Philip

 

On Thursday, March 18th, the NCSCL was delighted to virtually host Neil Philip for his talk, “Unhappy Ever After: When fairytales end badly.” Well over a hundred listeners joined us through Zoom from both sides of the pond.

The topic that drew so many people to join us was tragic endings. Although most people have come to associate fairytales with the lighter iterations found in Disney adaptations, many of these tales originally end in grief and disappointment. For example, Philip describes how the “greatest of wish fulfillment tale type, Cinderella,” has evolved into a version that ends sadly: in a Brazilian version, Maria’s sister-turned-snake Labismina helps her to escape marriage to her own father but is forgotten when Maria marries a prince. Philip claims that “it is the lonely fate of Labismina that sticks in the mind, not the happy one of Princess Maria,” and goes on to reference Zuni and Eastern Indian versions of this tale with their own tragic endings. He acknowledges that there are also tales that purposefully twist listeners’ expectations of a happy ending via comedy, such as the “English gypsy variant of The Water of Life” told by Taimi Boswell.

He then transitions into a text that is much more familiar to the audience -- that of Little Red Riding Hood. Perrault’s 1697 version is the one with the question-and-answer dialogue that we recall, but in the Brothers Grimm iteration, Red Riding Hood is eaten along with her grandmother and a woodsman cuts them free from the wolf’s belly. Even more gruesome, however, are the French versions, one of which can be found in Catherine Orenstein’s Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked. In this tale, the wolf serves the girl her own grandmother’s flesh, but the young girl manages to escape by claiming she needed to relieve herself. Philip adds a factual tidbit here about the standard three-volume book wherein one can find over 2,000 folktale types across cultures -- Little Red Riding Hood is listed at ATU-333. 

Philip notes that even the Grimm brothers’ darker fairytales are a result of altering the original tales to be lighter. Grimm adds what Philip calls a “literary flourish” to the juniper tree tale, which concludes with a happy ending after “a story that is relentlessly miserable.” Dark themes and other key elements carry on through the iterations of stories. Hans Christian Andersen, the author of the original tales of many fairytales we know today, often writes with themes of grief, suffering, and disillusion. Philip explains that Andersen was rarely one to write happy endings, instead the iterations are “infused with melancholy” and he was “merciless to the characters'' in his tales. Although these happier stories are more popular, Philip quotes Oscar Wilde, “there are times when sorrow seems to me to be the only truth.” Ultimately, Philip says, storytelling can be seen as an act of reparation for the world. 

Partway through the talk, an ill-intentioned attendee unmuted himself and interrupted with inappropriate comments. Thankfully, Natalie moved quickly to kick him out and reported him immediately. The lecture resumed without incident, though we were no longer able to admit latecomers. 

After Philip concluded his lecture, the chat was opened up for questions which came pouring in. A few of them, along with Philip’s responses, are listed here:

Q: Why do you think children are associated with fairy tales?

A: It started with the Grimm's; they called their collection “Children’s and Household Tales.” The children’s section was really quite short, but as they released newer editions, they realized children were being read these stories, so they softened quite a lot of the elements. Evil mothers become evil stepmothers, for instance. By the end of the 19th century, you get really influential series of books of fairy tales which are specifically aimed at children. The stories are made more acceptable for a child audience. So that’s the beginning of our assumption that fairy tales are expected to be enjoyed by children.

Q: What do you think is the appeal, aesthetic or psychological, of tragic fairy tales?

A: It’s the same as the appeal of horror films and gothic novels; it’s just part of human nature that people like sad things as well as happy things. It is fair to say that the majority of traditional fairy tales do end up with a happy ending, but they put the poor protagonists, both male and female, through the most terrible suffering and troubles along the way. So the happy ending, what Tolkien called the eucatastrophe, is won through suffering. 

Q: Why do you think people have edited the original fairy tales to something that can now be read to children?

A: The Victorians -- well, 19th century people; let’s not say Victorians since the Grimms’ first version came out in 1812 -- they were sort of prudish about what was suitable for children. It’s interesting what they thought was suitable, like terrible retributions at the end of fairy tales like Cinderella's sisters getting their eyes being pecked out by doves and people being made to dance in red hot shoes regarded as perfectly acceptable. But they tried to weed out the sexual elements. It’s just part of the transition of these stories from an inherited oral folkloric inheritance to a literary one. People like Angela Carter have tried to put back all the things that were taken out.

Q: It’s refreshing to hear a scholar identify ways their thinking has changed as you mention with the Fens tale or your conception of authenticity’s value or otherwise. Have you experienced any other major shifts in your thinking over the years, scholarly or otherwise?

A: That’s certainly an example when my mind has been changed by someone else’s scholarship. I’m very much more aware of the individual voice of the storyteller in the story and that’s what I value in any particular story, rather than having a more generic interest in Snow White stories, let’s say. That and an interest in all the other elements in a story: the language, cadence, intonation, pauses, gesticulations. The relation between the storyteller and the audience is a very potent, dynamic thing in storytelling. My thinking about folk and fairy tales has remained much the same, but deepened and widened. There are things such as Mrs. Balfour stories where I’ve had a change of heart and thought. I’ve just written, for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, a biography of a woman called Ruth Tongue, who was a very famous storyteller in the second half of the twentieth century in England. My initial attitude was that Ruth Tongue was basically a fraud, which I thought since I heard recordings of her actual voice: very cut-glass, upper class English and her storytelling voice which is a very heavily accented Somerset dialect.  I thought that something is not right here. And learning more about Tongue, I’ve begun to think she is not correct in what she says about where she learned these stories and who she learned them from because it doesn’t stack up, but actually it makes her more interesting as a creative storyteller because she is basically making all this stuff up. Someone said she “collects from herself,” which I thought was a very polite way of putting it.

There were many other questions and answers which we were not able to fit in this blog, but it seemed that many people were able to enjoy the fruit of Philip’s scholarship! His clear expertise, thorough research, and insightful conclusions sparked ongoing conversation on this compelling topic. Even Philip’s cat had something to add! Thank you to those who attended our first virtual scholarly talk. We were delighted to have such an engaged audience.

For those who missed it, the lecture and Q&A were recorded and can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBzElceP2nE

Our next guest lecture will be in April; keep an eye out for the details! In the meantime, we hope you pick up a tale that ends unhappily ever after.