kvetch kvetch kvetch

Letter of Thanks from the Lodz rabbis for heating the mikveh waters. Ginzach Kiddush Hashem, Farbstein Hidden in Thunder p. 334

Spears, Sorcery, and Double Consciousness (Part 2) (Part 3) - a series about African-inspired fantasy and the Western vs Non-Western writer.

Sexy Loki, Queer Tricksters, and the Problem with LGBT Villains - an opinion piece on how lgbt+ villains are written and used in fiction.

Postcolonial Fantasy and African Against the Word “Tribe” - a discussion on the use of the word “tribe” in fiction, especially fantasy.

The “Other” Histories of Fantasy - about (the lack of) non-European settings in fantasy and drawing from history.

Fantasy’s “Othering” Fetish - about the portrayal of POC in fantasy, particularly how they are “othered”.

Green-Eyed Asian - about giving POC traits that are more common in white people in an attempt to “beatify” or “exotify” them.

Respective Portrayals of Asians in the Media and How to Balance Them - a primer on stereotypes and portrayals of Asians and Asian-Americans in American media.

No Queens in Afrika: Women Rulers in Sword & Soul and Other African-Inspired Fantasy - about the use of the word “queen” in relation to non Western European (mostly African) female rulers.

Tropes of Women of Color in Sci-FI - an eight-part series looking at five tropes that surround women of color in sci-fi.

Why Sci-Fi Keeps Imagining the Subjugation of White People - an article about the popular topic of colonialism and anti-colonialism in sci-fi.

On Black Women, Teen TV, and Fantasy Space - a short article about the desirability of black women in fiction and its relationship with women being validated “through heteronormative romantic success”.

On the Erasure of People of Color from Dystopian Fiction - about the absence of POC in speculative fiction, particularly futuristic settings.

Mary Anne Mohanraj Gets You Up to Speed Part I (Part II) - a two-part essay about race and racism in fiction and about writing a race other than your own.

You’re Hurting My Head Again SF/F - a rant on erasing an entire race for the sake of an alternate history.

Diversity and Disability - about the lack of representation for disabled people in YA fiction and the two tropes that often surround disability in fiction.

No, Really, Stop Raping Your Women! - disputing arguments that favor rape and sexual assault against women in fantasy.

Monstrous Females and Female Monsters - on the difference between the portrayal of male monsters and female monsters, and on what makes a female character a monster.

How White Writers Should Address Racism - a short post on how characters address racial and ethnic prejudice in fiction.

Vampire policemen who can easily walk into danger and rescue others, wearing bullet and stab wounds as badges of honor. Some kid they saved started giving them corks to “plug” the holes, and it’s become a trend, kids decorating plugs to give to their local policemen for the vampire department.

Vampire scientists who can work 24/7 when a new epidemic shows up, or when working in forensics, and then just take a few years off. 

Vampire scientists who can research radiation and just get a laptop with internet and wait the few hundred years until they’re safe to be around again, watching tv shows and reading all the books they want to, because yeah, it gets lonely, but they’ll have centuries after to make up for it.

Or maybe they’d be doing it in groups so they don’t end up lonely. Earning their money for the downtime by making it a realityshow. Who needs Big Brother? We got a pile of vampires who have to live together for decades, that’s gonna be drama! If you donate blood this month, you get to choose a challenge for them! 

The actress that plays the hijabi hacker Trenton in Mr. Robot…

Is the same woman that danced her butt off in the “Turn down for what“ video. Her name is Sunita Mani