The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture

Comprising elements of the avant-garde, science fiction, hip-hop, black comix, and graphic novels, Afrofuturism spans both underground and mainstream pop culture.

With a twofold aim to entertain and enlighten, Afrofuturists strive to break down racial, ethnic, and all social limitations to empower and free individuals to be themselves. This book introduces readers to contemporary artists creating Afrofuturist works, the history of innovators in the past, and the wide range of subjects they explore.

From the sci-fi literature of Samuel Delany, Octavia Butler, and NK Jemisin to the musical cosmos of Sun Ra, George Clinton, and the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, to the visual and multimedia artists inspired by African Dogon myths and Egyptian deities, topics range from the "alien" experience of blacks in America to the "wake up" cry that peppers sci-fi literature, sermons, and activism.

Interviews with rappers, composers, musicians, singers, authors, comic illustrators, painters, and DJs, as well as Afrofuturist professors, provide a firsthand look at this fascinating movement.

By Ytasha L. Womack

Cover art and design by John Jennings; layout by Jonathan Hahn

Published by Chicago Review Press, 2013

Softcover, 213 pages, b&w, 8.4 × 5.5 inches

ISBN: 978-1-61-374796-4