CFB: “Black Women & Speculative Fiction” @theTable Series

The FSR Blog is issuing an Open Call for a new @theTable series on Black Women & Religion in Speculative Fiction. We are looking for blogs that explore themes of Black womanhood, religion/spirituality, and feminism in fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, time travel, etc. Blogs on Black women authors and characters are welcome.

Some guiding questions that we hope shape the series are: How do Black fantasy/sci fi authors engage themes of religion and spirituality? How do Black female characters in speculative fiction engage with religion and feminism? Are there any marked differences in the stories created by Black women that highlight how religion/spirituality/transcendence is incorporated into worldbuilding? What do these characters/authors teach us about the human condition? And how might these works be used in theological education? 

If you love reading Octavia Butler, NK Jemisin, Toni Adeyemi, Halo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okoafor, and Tananarive Due or have something to say about Susannah Dean (in Steven King’s Gunslinger series), Storm or Ironheart (Marvel), or Martha Jones (Doctor Who), this call is for you.

All blog submissions should include a title, be around 800-1000 words, use hyperlinks for citations, and when possible and relevant, incorporate photo, video, etc. We do not review proposals, so please send a full blog if you would like to be considered for the @theTable series. All visual media must have a reference and/or hyperlink to the original source. All blog posts appropriate for the FSR Blog will be sent out anonymously to at least two reviewers, upon whose judgment the editors heavily rely. Feel free to review previous blogs and @theTable series for style and email [email protected] with any questions. Submissions for this series are due March 7, 2024. Please email your submission to [email protected].