N. K. Jemisin

American Fiction: scathing and accurate portrayal of the obstacles black writers face in publishing

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 5, 2024

Despite his clear talent, Monk continuously faces rejection for his latest novel.

Key Points: 
  • Despite his clear talent, Monk continuously faces rejection for his latest novel.
  • It’s never explicitly said but it’s made pretty clear that his book is just not “black enough”.
  • Authors from historically marginalised communities, including black authors, repeatedly encounter obstacles to getting their work published, receiving post-publication support, or securing a safe platform that allows their voices to be heard.

The struggle for authentic representation

  • Monk considers the book as pandering “black poverty porn” and its success drives him to the edge.
  • In one scene, Monk asks a bookseller why his books are being stocked in the African-American Studies section as they’re “just literature”.
  • When he takes his books to sit among the general fiction, he’s confronted with a large display of We’s Lives in Da Ghetto.
  • It reflects an idea of blackness and black experience that publishers are all too happy to buy into.

Commercial success vs. authenticity

  • It’s his answer to the absurdity of the publishing industry, replete with almost every black stereotype he could think of, including gangs, absent fathers, guns and drugs.
  • To Monk (and initially his agent) this is an unsellable book that obviously calls out the racism inherent in the success of such books like Sintara Golden’s.
  • To his complete bewilderment, however, he’s offered a $750,000 advance from a publisher who had passed on his other work.
  • In the midst of all this, Monk is asked to be the diversity inclusion to judge a prestigious literary award.
  • The conversation between the two touches on the complex issues surrounding authenticity, commercialisation, “selling out” and the definition of meaningful representation.


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Ellis Walker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

MasterClass Announces Author N. K. Jemisin to Teach Fantasy and Science Fiction Writing

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 15, 2021

b'SAN FRANCISCO, April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MasterClass , the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world\'s best across a wide range of subjects, today announced that N. K. Jemisin will teach a class on fantasy and science fiction writing.

Key Points: 
  • b'SAN FRANCISCO, April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MasterClass , the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world\'s best across a wide range of subjects, today announced that N. K. Jemisin will teach a class on fantasy and science fiction writing.
  • "In her class, Nora teaches her methodology and framework for building new worlds, new magic systems, and new histories and cultures.
  • "\nIn her class, Jemisin will teach members techniques rooted in research for developing interesting and complex characters with nuanced story lines.
  • By demystifying her approach to science fiction and fantasy writing, she will encourage members to write characters who are true to their own identity and reflective of people who are marginalized or underrepresented by genre conventions.

Naropa University Celebrates 1st Black Futures Month

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 19, 2021

~ Movement For Black Lives (m4bl.org)

Key Points: 
  • ~ Movement For Black Lives (m4bl.org)
    Building on the traditionally celebrated Black History Month, Naropa University has dedicated February as Black Futures Monthseeking to inspire current and future students, graduates, and alumnx to imagine a new world where justice and equality are met with equanimity.
  • Jemisin in a 2013 essay titled, How Long 'til Black Future Month?, and brought to fruition by the Black Lives Matter movement in 2015 by the Movement For Black Lives (m4bl.org), Black Futures Month harvests pan-African and Afro-future intellectual values, philosophies of liberation, insight, arts, music, expression, discourse, and dissent that makes up the fabric of the Black diasporic experience, while centering Blackness, queer, and transfeminist perspectives.
  • The conversation centered on Blackness, Abolitionist Theory, and Buddhism in Black America, and was attended by more than fifty Naropa community members.
  • About Naropa University (Naropa.edu): Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a private liberal arts institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

N. K. Jemisin’s Short Story Emergency Skin Wins 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novelette

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, August 1, 2020

(NASDAQ: AMZN)Tonight, New York Times bestselling author N. K. Jemisins short story Emergency Skin was named the winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Short Novelette.

Key Points: 
  • (NASDAQ: AMZN)Tonight, New York Times bestselling author N. K. Jemisins short story Emergency Skin was named the winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Short Novelette.
  • Published last fall as part of the Forward collection from Amazon Original Stories, Emergency Skin is Jemisins first publication with the Amazon Publishing imprint.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200731005503/en/
    N. K. Jemisins Short Story Emergency Skin Wins 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novelette (Photo: Business Wire)
    I'm astonished and delighted that people like my little stranger-in-a-strange-land parable, said Jemisin.
  • Jemisins boundary-pushing short story, Emergency Skin, said Mikyla Bruder, Publisher of Amazon Publishing.