"Ori" by Granville Carroll, 2019

October is Black Speculative Fiction Month. Founded in 2013 by authors Balogun Ojetade and Milton Davis, this observance honors the role that Black authors and creators have played in shaping the culture of speculative fiction, expanding our sense of what is possible, and charting the course toward vibrant and equitable futures.

Together with collaborators across multiple mediums, we've celebrated by exploring how artists, writers, and creators of all kinds use the tools of imagination to engage with diverse perspectives and possibilities for a better world. You can see and hear what we've been learning by following the links below.

This work is far from over, and cannot be limited to only a few weeks per year. We encourage you to watch, listen, and learn more about these topics and support the creators, community leaders, and visionaries who invite us to imagine futures that are inspiring, inclusive, and truly just.

In Solidarity,
Your Imaginary Friends at CSI

In partnership with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, we recently hosted an event with award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor. In dialogue with ASU's Matt Bell, Nnedi discussed the premodern influences on her work and the importance of creating science fiction and fantasy narratives that center non-Western visions of the world.
Watch the Replay

Season 2 of our podcast kicked off with two interviews with Black Speculative Fiction luminaries.

Ytasha Womack is Chicago-based filmmaker, dancer, fiction writer, scholar, and the author of the 2013 book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture. We sat down with Ytasha to discuss how culture, art, and storytelling help us to understand the complexity of Black life in the present, as well as transformative prospects for the future.

Troy L. Wiggins is a speculative fiction author and editor, and a co-founder of FIYAH Literary Magazine. In this conversation, we talked with Troy about the power and potential of Black speculative fiction, and the growth of the genre beyond mainstream hits like Black Panther and Get Out.
Listen Here
In the latest episode of our YouTube series on worldbuilding and storytelling in video games, we invited science fiction author Deji Bryce Olukotun to talk about representations of Africa and Africans in games, through the lens of 80 Days, an alternate-history adaptation of Jules Verne’s 1872 novel Around the World in Eighty Days.
Watch Here
We're thrilled to celebrate the launch of Breathe FIYAH, a new flash-fiction anthology collaboration from Tor.com and our friends at FIYAH Literary Magazine.

This free collection features stories "honoring forebearers and memories of the past, fighting the legacies that underpin the brutalities of the present, and demanding a future that’s freer than today."
Read the Collection

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