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!
