Ytasha L. Womack's Blog, page 8

AstroBlackness Conference, Feb. 12-13th in LA

Do you want to learn more about Afrofuturism? On Feb. 12 and 13 Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles hosts the AstroBlackness Conference. The  two-day event will discuss black identity  through the lens of Afrofuturism.

Award-winning SF writers Nalo Hopskinson, Tananarive Due and Nnedi Okorafor are panelists for the The Black Imagination and Afrofuturism: Issues and Ideas of an Aesthetic workshop. John Jennings, professor/artist at SUNY Buffalo moderates. Ytasha L. Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture will moderate the Spaceships, Motherships, and Black Arts as Metaphor and Motif: Janelle Monae, Sun Ra, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Flying Lotus and Alice Coltrane workshop.

Other special guests include Milestone Comics founders, Mike Davis and Denys Cowan; LaShawn Thomas- animation director of the Boondocks and Black Dynamite, Reynaldo Anderson, editor of Afrofuturism 2.0 and D. Scott Miller, creator of the Afrosurrealism Manifesto. The event will be held at LMU’s University Hall on the 3rd Floor/Macintosh Center. The event was coordinated by Professor Adilifu Nama and Jennings. Hope to see you there!

AstroBlackness Conference, Feb. 12-13th

Do you want to learn more about Afrofuturism? On Feb. 12 and 13 at Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA hosts the AstroBlackness Conference. The  two-day event will discuss various aspects of  the black identity viewed through the lens of Afrofuturism. Some of the major attendees will include  John Jennings, professor at SUNY Buffalo and Nnedi Okorafor, author and professor at Chicago State University. Jennings, will be speaking  at The Black Imagination and Afrofuturism: Issues and Ideas of an Aesthetic workshop. He will also be moderating The Black Imagination and Science Fiction: A Conversation on Gender, Race and Ideas workshop. While  Okorafor, will be speaking at the Science Fiction and Race workshop and The Black Imagination  and Science Fiction: A Conversation on Gender, Race and Ideas workshop. Ytasha L. Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture will be moderating the Spaceships, Motherships, and Black Arts as Metaphor and Motif: Janelle Monae, Sun Ra, Lee “Scratch” Perry, flying Lotus and Alice Coltrane workshop. The event will be held at LMU’s University Hall on the 3rd Floor/Macintosh Center. Hope to see you there!

Afrofuturism Panel at Northwestern University Spawns New Discussions

Panelist Reynaldo Anderson, student designer Alex Hutchiwood and author Ytasha L. Womack

Northwestern University hosted a stellar panel on Afrofuturism . Sponsored by the school’s African American Studies Department at Harris Hall on January 9, the panel explored a cross section of Afrofuturist cutting edge topics. Alex Weheliye, noted Afrofuturists and Northwestern professor moderated. Panelists included Afrofuturism author Ytasha L. Womack, artist Krista Franklin,  Northwestern student Jarad Richardson, and Harris Stowe professor Reynaldo Anderson.

The night’s topics engaged a plethora of Afrofuturist interests. Womack spoke at length about her introduction to Afrofuturism while studying at Clark Atlanta University and her discovery of Afrofuturist communities that were unfamiliar with the term. “Naming power is important,” said Womack. “When people discover the term, they no longer feel isolated in their interests. They feel that their thoughts are validated and are encouraged that there’s a larger movement with a history, an active present and a vibrant future.”

Weheliye asked panelists to discuss the purpose of Afrosurrealism, a new aesthetic championed by California poet D. Scott Miller who penned the Afrosurrealism Manifesto in 2010. Franklin has used Afrosurrealism to inform her work prior to Miller’s manifesto and emphasized that the focus on the surreal nature of the present was different form Afrofuturism. In describing Afrofuturism’s relationship to time, Womack stated that the aesthetic was “where the future meets the past” whereas Afrosurrealism is clearly squared in the present. The approaches are different,” Womack added.

Richardson discussed his interest in what he describes as black temporality, a variation of time travel and fluidity in work out of the African diaspora, some of which may not be described as Afrofuturist. He also shared his interest in black queer futurism. “What does queerness look like in the future?” he asked. Richardson also shared his interest in water myths in black pop culture, noting rapper Azaelia Banks and “the sea as a lost archive.”

Anderson purports Afrofuturism’s possible political interest, arguing that theories of Afrofuturism could likely be used as the basis of policy in some African nations. “I’ve never thought about Afrofuturism and politics,” said Franklin, who noted that the juxtoposition of the two is a sensitive issue. However, the explosion of Afrofuturism is creating a shift says Anderson.  ”I look at Afrofuturism as reinvigorating black studies.”

Several panelists noted that professor Alondra Nelson’s creation of the Afrofuturist listserve  in the late 90s was a major tool for those dissecting Afrofuturist ideas and played a significant role in many of today’s Afrofuturist educators and collaborations.

Ultimately, the idea of Afrofuturism as a tool for the imagination and its use to visualize the future while embracing nonlinear strategies was identified as a benefit for change agents and one adopted by leaders of the past. “I think Afrofuturism is important for imagining a future but also [to imagining] alternatives,” said Weheliye.  ”For black cultures to inhabit alternatives is very powerful.”

Birth of a Planet on Media Diversified

Media Diversified featured an excerpt from the story Ytasha L. Womack wrote as a prequel to her Rayla 2212 series. The author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture, recaps  the early years on Planet Hope, the first Earth colony beyond the solar system.  Birth of a Planet is  a part of the Race in Space Conference initiative that was held at Duke University by Womack and William Darity to support  equality in space settlements. The story critically examines some of the issues that a growing  civilization would face when trying to usher in a new way living  for a generation growing up beyond the stars. Check out the rest of  the story on Media Diversified here: http://mediadiversified.org/2014/01/09/birth-of-a-planet/

Blue 1647 Loves Afrofuturism

The Afrofuturism book chat at Blue 1647 was  amazing. The chat  took place  at 1647 S. Blue Island in Chicago. The audience was teaming with  animators, comic book creators, music producers,  techies, and SF fans who gathered at the Pilsen based tech incubator, on Friday Dec. 27.

The purpose of  the event was to allow more people to learn about Afrofuturism and have the opportunity to share their thoughts on the subject. Many of the attendees were long  time Afrofuturists but had just discovered  the term. “They were excited to learn that they were part of a larger cultural paradigm,” said Ytasha L. Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture.  ’They aren’t alone in their work and interest.”

James Quake , DJ/animator and owner of Quake Studios  hosted the event.  ”I was hoping to try and support  people that support us, ” said Quake.  He hosted the event to share the ideas of Afrofuturism with the incubator.

Participants  were also looking at other ways to use the Afrofuturist lens, exploring how it could enhance health and used to create events. “They were also excited to learn that Chicago’s influence on Afrofuturism was recognized and they are part of that rich legacy,” said Womack.

Dear Teen Me – Advice to a budding Afrofuturist

Dear Teen Me featured a letter Ytasha L. Womack wrote to her teenage self.  The author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture  recaps her teenage years and offers insight and reassurance to her younger self and young women around the world.  She even hints that “not fitting in” and having eclectic interest shaped her to be an Afrofuturist today. Dear Teen Me is a blog featuring authors who write letters of advice to themselves as teens. Check out the rest of the Dear Teen Me letter here:

http://dearteenme.com/?p=6633

Debauchery Ball Extravaganza

Debauchery Ball Madness

More pics from The Debauchery Ball on Dec. 13 in Chicago hosted by Afrofuturist & Discopoet Khari B. #Afrofuturism #ChicagoHouse

Afrofuturism at Northwestern University, Jan 9th

Do you have any questions about  Afrofuturism? On Thursday Jan.9, Northwestern University hosts an Afrofuturism Panel Discussion and book chat with Ytasha L. Womack. The event will be held at Northwestern’s Harris Hall in rm 108, 1881  Sheridan Road, Evanston IL. Hosted by Northwestern professor Alexander Weheliye, the panel will include several artists and academics featured in the book Afrofuturism. Panelists include John Jennings, SUNY Buffalo professor and Afrofuturism cover artist; Reynaldo Anderson, Harris Stowe University professor and editor of the upcoming anthology Afrofuturism 2.0,  D. Denenge Akpem, ritual artist and Afrofuturism professor at Columbia College; artist Krista Franklin of the University of Chicago, and Jared Richardson, art historian at Northwestern University. Hope to see you there!

2013 Debauchery Ball in Chicago

Ytasha L. Womack and Discopoet Khari B at his annual Debauchery Ball held Saturday, Dec. 13, 2013. This event celebrates Chicago’s Deep House Culture and Afrofuturism. Khari B helms a poetry rock band and s the new president of the AACM. He is featured in the book Afrofuturism.

Rain Taxi reviews Afrofuturism

Rain Taxi reviews Afrofuturism

RainTaxi.com reviewed Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture in their Winter 2013/14 issue. Back in October, Rain Taxi held  The Twin Cities Book Festival, in St. Paul Minnesota. Ytasha Womack, the author of Afrofuturism, was among the featured presenters who participated in the event as well.

“Certainly this effort, and the proliferation of other analyses of this underreported

trend, will serve to bring the promise and prophecy of Afrofuturism closer to reality,” writes Niels Strandskov in Rain Taxi.

Purchase a copy of Rain Taxi today!

http://www.raintaxi.com/online/2013winter/print.php.