N.K. Jemisin and the unspoken politics of speculative fiction
N.K. Jemisin’s latest book is a collection of short stories.
Fantasy writer N.K. Jemisin joins Kurt Andersen in Studio 360 to talk about her new collection of short stories, “How Long ’til Black Future Month?” and her approach to writing speculative fiction.
Asked about the book’s title, Jemisin explains: “As African Americans, we’ve done lots of processing of our history, as we should, as we must. It’s necessary that we understand where we came from.”
But she adds, “It’s also necessary that we start thinking about where we’re going, and we need to look at the ways in which science fiction renders us or doesn’t render us, or leaves unspoken apocalypses all over the place in which something clearly happened to us, but no one mentions it. So I feel like it’s a good idea to engage with that, too.”
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.