Black Worldbuilding: Telling our own Stories
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Creating from one’s reality, one’s culture, one’s community, is vital for writers -- particularly those of us from marginalized groups. For example, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Octavia Butler all place their existence and their blackness at the center of their works. In doing so, they demand that we listen, that we hear them, and understand them on their own terms. Nnedi Okorafor joins the ranks of these and other great writers in creating from her lived experience. In a compelling TED Talk, Okorafor outlines the importance of writing her truth--her vision of the world. This creates a space where not only do Black people exist in the future, but we thrive even amidst the stars. In this way, art contributes to a collective reimagining of our pasts, presents, and futures. In this way, art is radical.
