10 Responses so far

1. 1. Rick Novy on Jun 8th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

   I am glad that I gave you the chance to voice your side of it, and I don’t think you stuck your foot in anything. I think that image comes across because on the few occasions you do address the subject, word of it goes viral and everyone ends up reading only those few posts. That’s why I asked you the question–to give you the chance to have your say in another venue.

2. 2. moondancer drake on Jun 8th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

   I think most of the issues I’ve seen you address here in this interview and on your blog as far as race in specfic are pretty “duh ya’ll should know this” sort of things but then I’m also coming from the perspective of a bi racial author as well. Maybe it seems to some folk you talk about those things more because when you say something so many people listen and respect what you have to say those few posts are crossposted all over for weeks after sometimes longer.

3. 3. David P. Bellamy on Jun 8th, 2009 at 7:28 pm

   I was interested in sf as a child and young adult because, I now suspect, I was dissatisfied with my own native culture (Southern Appalachian, all white.) It definitely served the purpose of giving me windows into other cultures, vastly different from the one I grew up in. I have found in recent years that reading fiction by black sf writers has broadened the scope of this beyone what I could have imagined, and I have become an avid fan of sf by black authors. I have not read any of your fiction, but after this interview, I definitely will. I have found the Carl Brandon Society to be a wonderful setting to learn about what people are thinking about in the whole area of sf involving writers of color, etc. I am surprised that there are not more white fen on the yahoo group, at the very least.

   I really liked this interview; thanks!

4. 4. Nnedi Okorafor on Jun 8th, 2009 at 7:41 pm

   Well said, Tobias! I thought you addressed the issue of race wonderfully. And kudos to you for refusing to “pick sides”. People so often want to simplify things…I guess because simple means easy to understand. But simple also means… simple, and there is nothing simple about race and culture.

   And yes, there does need to be diversity in sf and fantasy fiction. This change needs to and must come about organically. Again, the solution is not a simple one. But I, of course, believe it will happen…correction, it IS happening. .

   Nnedi

5. 5. moz on Jun 8th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

   OK, count me asleep at the wheel, I hadn’t noticed your obsession with race. I’m not sure I’ve even found all your race-based posts using the search function right now. But four rants about egregious racism 8 years is hardly obsession. Your thing about sports cars, yes, and that woman who distracts you from writing, yes, but race?

   And US racism.. I’m iggorant. What’s special about “biracial”? … {searches} Wholly sheet! Even wikipedia is scary-interesting on this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiracial – features anglonesia, links to the US. According to that the US is terrifying low on mixed-race people. Sheesh! NZ is 30%+ obviously mixed people (counting white as one race {cough}). Even pasty-looking types like me look back a couple of generations and go “pure racial type… riiiight”.

   Oh dear. Have to say the “sheet-heads” post is just a head-shaker for me. The fact that someone would write something like that just leaves me literally shaking my head. Wow. Rant away. Be my guest. I’ll just cheer you on quietly from my corner over here.

6. 6. Wyman Cooke on Jun 9th, 2009 at 4:48 am

   I cannot imagine that anyone would consider you a “race blogger”. You bring up important points; you don’t beat us over the head. In fact, your illness and the twins sidelined you from the “Race Fail” discussion a month or so back.

   I have sampled a race blogger or two in my time. I would call them Agendaists, to use a word a friend coined to describe them and others with similar hobbyhorses. I’ve got to say that they are boring, and you are not.

   It is risky sometimes to talk about race. One can be goodhearted and set off controversy with an ill-considered word or phrase. Except maybe for that time that woman visited who had an idiosyncratic view about what Political Correctness was, I have never felt uncomfortable here. And I hope to remain.

7. 7. Veronica on Jun 9th, 2009 at 8:34 am

   Tobias, I hope that you know that the people who want to label you are dealing with a problem they have – it isn’t your problem. When faced with a set of circumstances that makes one uncomfortable, the initial reaction is to either defend or lash out. Be comfortable knowing that you raised, as Moon said, “a duh” issue, no soap box, no rant. Until the situation changes or at least shows signs of change it is a subject that will continue to garner discussion and sometimes – debate.

8. 8. Suzan on Jun 10th, 2009 at 2:37 pm

   What!? I’m reading the work of racial crusader!? *shakes head* The PC movement has gone too far.

   Seriously, man, I read your stuff because it’s NOT everything else on the bookshelves and it’s a heck of a lot of fun. That’s my only requirements of any author.

9. 9. Rick Novy on Jun 11th, 2009 at 11:03 am

   Thought you might be interested to know that as of this moment (3-1/2 days after posting) this episode of Novy Mirror has 102 views with 52 of them originating from this site.

10. 10. Wyman Cooke on Jun 12th, 2009 at 12:39 am

    We are nothing if not loyal.