See how the black rays of the black race
Have touched the immeasurable wisdom
And therefore the unknown quantity
See how they are not understood
Because as they are is not understood
And as what they know is what they are
See the unlimited freedom of the black rays
(Sun Ra)
If the Oankali from Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy came to earth with their Ooloi and took genetic material from Butler, Prince, James Brown, Sun Ra, Grace Jones, Jimi Hendrix and Betty Davis (Miles Davis' former wife), then you would probably get Janelle Monae, a.k.a. Cindi Mayweather.
After listening to her Archandroid album for the umteenth time, I realize that I need to make a decision if I want to go back to school and study world mythology with serious intensity, or continue to cut and paste my interest with my writing and screenwriting. I would love to create my own degree in Mythological Afrofuturism. I like school for purely intellectual reasons. I don't want to pay for it or waste time on academic bullshit that has nothing to do with my interests. (I should just audit classes and pretend to be a regular student) Or, I may just write my own manifesto and just share my work like some Platonic Griot. Some outlier blogging to an omniverse that may or may not be ready for some serious Afrofuturism.
As a writer of speculative fiction (everything from Sci-fi, horror, and dark fantasy)I get really frustrated with trying to create alternative ways of seeing the world, and having to deal with people in the slow lane who want the same vanilla films and TV and music. I have my peeps at The Black Science Fiction Society, and every year I flock to Michael Davis's Black Panel at the Comic Con to find my tribe of fringe dwellers. What kills me the most are black producers I meet who want to create the same silly "black" films, with the same dull black actors. They play it safe and small. No vision, no balls (or clits in some cases.) Silly comedies. Melodramas. Unoriginal thugnasty shit. Yawn.
Maybe I'll do like Janelle and create my own alter ego. Well, I actually did awhile back. Originally when I was going to do a blog, I was going to write under another name I created. I may still do it, but I won't share it here. There are some things I need to say, but I don't want folks to know it's me just yet.
I'm getting my portfolio together for the Clarion Science Fiction Workshop to apply for next year, and I'm in dire need of cosmic inspiration to help me muddle through bland ideas and concepts. My friends over at the Black Science Fiction Society have been great supporters and cheerleaders. So it's nice to know I have Fringe Fam in the world.
I'll just be like Sun Ra, do my thing for the thing's sake and nothing else. Which I do anyway.
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