Black History Month: N.K. Jemisin
I’m a visual artist, but books have always been my first love. So I feel like this last day of Black History Month should feature a literary artist. Let’s talk about:
You might have heard people call N.K. Jemisin “the new Octavia Butler,” but to me they’re more like (Wonder) twins separated at birth. Both authors write profoundly deep, detailed books which make their versions of the future seem almost inevitable.
I wasn’t always a fan, though. I found Jemisin’s first novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, a little too dense in content to read: some parts I was able to follow, but I kept losing sight of the overall story. On the other hand, the pacing of Jemisin’s more recent Broken Earth trilogy is much smoother. I feel like she lets the characters and narrative breathe a lot more. Maybe it’s just the difference between a new writer and a seasoned one.
Either way, most everything Jemisin writes is worth your time. A few reasons I like her work:
Like Octavia Butler, she creates whole new worlds with a deceptively simple writing style
Her characters’ dialogue is so authentic that I sometimes get a little (welcome) deja vu
Even in her more post-apocalyptic works, there’s a sense of pragmatic optimism, a need for persistence that overpowers the worst circumstances.
If you prefer a narrative a little closer to our reality, I’d highly recommend the Great Cities duo; Jemisin shows you a living New York City that’s funny, grim, and vulnerable. Or you could try her short story collection, “How Long Till Black Futures Month”; it seems appropriate after a month of concentrating on the 20th and early 21st centuries.
Thank you for staying with me until the end! I hope I’ve introduced you to a few inspiring artists you’re unfamiliar with, and gotten you a little nostalgic for the greats. And if you’d like to see some of my work — in person — please join me at PublicDisplay.Art gallery for “Icosahedron.” I’m showing my collage work in this group show alongside several Puget Sound-area artists I admire, including Liz Tran, Aisha Harrison, Mary Coss, and Humaira Abid. The exhibition officially opens on Thursday, March 2nd. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Black History Month: Luvvie Ajayi-Jones
How do you make Friday even better? Make it a Black History Month Friday! Let’s talk about:
Luvvie Ajayi-Jones, also known as Awesomely Luvvie. Photo credit: Kesha Lambert Photography
I like to think of Luvvie Ajayi-Jones as the Empress of You-Know-You-Ain’t-Right observations of pop culture. She gives fair warning, though: her first best-selling book was titled I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual. I like her refusal to suffer fools. It’s fair to say she had an indirect influence on my “St. Felicia, Patron Saint of Farewells” assemblage sculptures. (Read some of the backstory here.)
“St. Felicia” assemblage sculptures in my solo exhibit at Northwest African American Museum, 2017
Some of the many reasons to read Ajayi-Jones’ work:
Her writing is concise, vivid and gasping-for-air hilarious
She celebrates Black joy, ingenuity, and critical thought
She regularly reminds her readers that she had to grow into becoming a “Professional Troublemaker,” and her life isn’t all stylish badassery all the time.
Ajayi-Jones is the only writer I know whose blog provokes comments I recommend you read. The back-and-forth between her and her readers is priceless. Hope you don’t mind cackling out loud.
Have a good weekend, and I’ll see you Monday with a new inspirational artist!