Yep, I agree with you. It is harder, and it’s harder still if you’re a picky reader (which I am). I have a hard time finding authors I love full-stop, let alone authors of a particular background in a particular genre. It’s a challenge! And even more it’s a challenge to get access to the books that do exist — often libraries don’t have them.

I feel like I should clarify that the work is worth it! & that I don’t strike out any more w fantasy POC authors than all of the other new-to-me authors I try: I’m fairly picky.

Also, I’ve now looked up the 4 authors that I hadn’t heard of before from the first article: 2 only have short stories published and only in anthologies, at least available at my library, rather than collections. 1 has written novels but only one has been published internationally (vs just in India) and it’s not available from my library. And 1 has lots of novels, easily available at my library, but writes scifi rather than fantasy. Of the 4 authors from the second, one’s actually white, one’s books are more middle grade than ya (I can’t think of a middle grade book I’ve read for the first time as an adult & wholeheartedly loved; they’re just not my cup of tea), one has only written one book (meaning even if I love her I won’t have anything to read once I finish it), and one actually has multiple novels available at my library although I can’t tell how many are fantasy because he writes in a lot of genres.

Sigh. The numbers are against me! 😉

I don’t know if I agree with those articles, which I haven’t read, if the idea is there is diversity in fantasy. I’ve found it damn hard to track down fantasy POC authors, and even harder to track down ones I like, much less love (Jemisin!!!). I do find it easier at the fantasy/magical realism intersection or YA fantasy or if I let sci-fi-ish/dystopian in than straight-up adult fantasy, but it’s still not easy. And I don’t usually really like sci-fi or dystopian novels, even if I can admire them.

Ok, have now read the first article. Of the 11 authors listed (which really isn’t that many) I’ve read 7 but only love 4 (Jemisin, Lord, Hopkinson, & Butler, who are all AfroCaribbean and/or African American). And I’m running out of new-to-me books by those four, lol. At least I have 4 more to try!

The 2nd article gave me two more authors to try, but once again I’ve read almost all of the names mentioned and I’m not a particularly big fantasy or YA buff (as in, that’s not where most of my reading is concentrated). Which goes to show that the list of names is not nearly long enough to support voracious readers! Compared to the insane amount of white fantasy authors that is.

I have the same problem with mysteries too though. And really any area of lit: a reader committed to seeking out POC authors has to work harder to find them.

And I found myself really liking the desert scenes, but then I look back on it and think that, for me, the eventful things in the desert wouldn’t resonate so much if not for those more dreary scenes in between. They give me more time to get to know these characters as they are now, as adults and the way everything turns out in the end just… hits harder because you can see the little things that drove them in the direction they took. (Even if it is not the most interesting thing to be reading at the time.)

I’ve just found my review (http://www.farmlanebooks.co.uk/2011/the-shadow-speaker-nnedi-okorafor-mbachu/) and re-read it, because I couldn’t really remember what happened. The two books sound very similar, but Shadow Speaker is about the release of peace bombs that eradicate differences between people in an attempt to stop groups from fighting with each other.

OH GOD WHY DOES ANYONE EVER WANT BELLA?

I have never heard of Ismael Beah before, so I’m going to have to try him. For you know how I love stories about the power of stories.

What was The Shadow Speaker about?