Equal Opportunity Reader

Equal Opportunity Reader Slow writer, fast reader, here to encourage everyone to be their . I read diversely and hope you do the same.

09/11/2026

- This is my regular face with a little lip gloss in good lighting.

Now that that's out of the way, I had too much to say about Dr. Kismet and Angel's Island to cram into one video. Only covered Kismet, here.

The Temple Folk story this linked to for me was Who's Down.

Also, I said before that this is a companion to Butler's Parables. Part of my reason for thinking that is they often arrive at similar future predictions and conclusions, but explore them in different ways. Mosley's future in the stars at the end of Dr Kismet is very different to Butler's Earthseed, but they exist for similar reasons.

For next week, get into Voices, The Electric Eye and Little Brother, but I'll hit you with a video on Angel's Island before then.

09/05/2026

- As usual, there's a few things that didn't make it into the final cut or need to be noted or corrected.

1) Her name is Kai Lin, not Hai Lin. Still not a Vietnamese name, I think.
2) I realize I didn't talk at all about What Ptolemy Did at the end of his story and it's because every time I read it, I feel a different way about it. What did y'all think?
3) The ultra-weird, morally sketchy relationship between Fera's parents is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about when I say this book feels old. That sort of depiction was startingly common in spec-fic at the time, which is actually a key bit of context I think current critics of Octavia E. Butler's Fledgling are missing.
4) So much current tech and econ is predicted in this book. In these two stories we get cloud storage, passkeys, gender-critical sports(ugh), and late stage dystopian NEETs.

See you next week everyone!

-- Fellow readers! I've been at Los Angeles Worldcon all weekend(last minute decision, 10/10 highly recommend, more on...
08/30/2026

-- Fellow readers! I've been at Los Angeles Worldcon all weekend(last minute decision, 10/10 highly recommend, more on that later), so instead of making a video about the book we're reading together in September, here's a post instead.

We're reading Futureland, by Walter Mosely, a collection of 9 dystopian, post-cyberpunk short stories originally published in 2001. Yes, THAT Walter Mosley, the Easy Rawlins guy who just published a best-selling literary romance novel. This is one of my favorite books, so I'm excited to re-read it. I've always thought of it as a companion volume to Octavia E. Butler's Parables, but that's all I'll say about it before Thursday, which is when I'll post my first yap video about it.

If you'd like to read along, start with the 1st two stories, Whispers In the Dark and The Greatest, for Thursday.

Two more things: for a host of reasons, this book seems to be a little tricky to get. If you're having a hard time finding it, I have one print copy and one ebook to give away--just DM me. First come, first served as always.

Also, do check out the music on the post. Boko Yout is an Afro-Swedish artist making really interesting albums and videos that compliment some of the themes in this book.

See you Thursday(and probs before with a well-overdue writing update), fellow readers!

08/28/2026

- Everything about this book was so unexpected--especially the ending! Guess there's always a bigger monster than the monster.

The song I mentioned is When Napi Roasted Gophers, by Jack Gladstone. Find it on Youtube.

Most of the references and terms in this book I was able to pick up, but the Rabbit Men utterly confused me. I looked it up and they're Cree people, in search of a meteor with spiritual importance.

Weasel Plume! Noooooooo!

And finally--is Amos Short Ribs an aged, depleted Happy? Did y'all catch that?

Next up is Walter Mosley's Futureland, y'all. See you then.

- *puts on necessary promotional hat* Fellow readers! Just popping up with a last-minute reminder about my upcoming cl...
08/24/2026

- *puts on necessary promotional hat*
Fellow readers! Just popping up with a last-minute reminder about my upcoming class via midnight&indigo, Exploring Black Women's Hope Narratives In Fantasy and Sci-Fi. I know many of us are varying levels of pi**ed off, scared, despondent, apathetic or all of the above right now, which is why it is more important than ever for Black women to study and recognize hope and positive imagination in the work of others so that we can create it in our own. This will be the 4th cohort, and I'm already excited about the worlds and futures that will be dreamed up this September.

I've copied the course description below -- please like and share this post if you can. LInk in my bio!

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This is the class to take if you believe in , space-traveling futures, and alien utopias and want to put all of those things in your own writing like the pros do.

Exploring Black Women's Hope Narratives in Fantasy & Sci-Fi is a four-week course providing an overview of Black women writers and characters in speculative fiction, specifically focusing on narratives of hope, love, and power that empower our individual writing practice.

Taught by Melissa A. Watkins, a Kimbilio Fellow and Volcanista whose short fiction has been published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, khōréō, Fantasy Magazine, Lightspeed, Nightmare, and other publications.

Students will ideally be experienced readers and beginning writers of fantasy, science and speculative fiction looking to broaden their knowledge of Black women in those genres, focusing on understanding work in ways that are trauma-informed, not trauma-focused. We’ll generate short pieces in each class to work with the concepts we learn and kickstart our creativity. No open critique! Only open encouragement!

We'll be looking at work by Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemisin, Nalo Hopkinson, and Nisi Shawl, as well as newer writers like Jordan Ifueko, Kimberly Lemming, and Tracey Deonn, taking the time to give a few under-appreciated writers their overdue flowers as well.

08/23/2026

- What in the undead meat grinder?!? I don't think I've ever read anything that went from zero to sixty quite as fast as THAT scene in a while. *whew*.

Pour one out for Peasy, tho.

08/21/2026

- I accidentally deleted a chunk of footage chatting about the importance of the buffalo and also Good Stab's sense of loneliness and alienation from everything. If you've never seen the 1892 photo Man Standing With Pile Of Buffalo Skulls, do look it up. It gives enormous visceral context to Good Stab's horror, outrage, and vindication.

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- So nice to spend this afternoon at Reparations Club celebrating the release of Black Women in Bloom. The book is abs...
08/19/2026

- So nice to spend this afternoon at Reparations Club celebrating the release of Black Women in Bloom. The book is absolutely beautiful, ans I'm happy to see my essay beautifully rendered and in such good company. Editor Anayo Awuzie thoughtfully spoke on the curation and publishing process, zines were made, books were bought, and myself and another contributor read from our work.

A few things--thank you to Anayo, Rep Club and fhe attendees for making this so interesting!

Also, the pics, in order:

1)The book. The venue. My hand.

2)Reparations Club is one of the cutest indie bookstores I've known(and you'll have noticed I knowa lot). Bonus points for being Black woman-owned, expertly run, and diversely curated.

3)It's me! My essay, anyway. Have I mentioned this book is beautiful?

4) Editor Anayo Awuzie and event faciliator Jessica from Literature Noir.

5)Me, Anayo, and Shonette Reed, the other contributor who read today. Am I actually that short?

6) 'Zine things

7) The entry display, featuring a giant book cover!

8)Collecting the text from Anayo before my reading.

9)Feeling myself as I read.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday. Thanks to (untagged) reader Alana, who took the reading pics(and a video I might share a little of in stories) too--the kindness is appreciated!

08/18/2026

- Listen. We finished reading this MONTHS ago and I'm still thinking it through. Got me feeling like Dorcas talking to Joe.

I joke, but this is the good thing about dense literary fiction--it sticks to your mental ribs. I'm sure that months down the line, I'll remember something from this book because it helps me understand something or somebody a little better. Reading is for fun, reading is for learning, but it's also for developing all of the ways in which we understand the world and each other.

This is still my next-to-least favorite book Mercedes, though. Ugh.

Any books sticking to your ribs lately, fellow readers?

08/15/2026

- I have a LOT to say about Good Stab's cultural lens and the reliability of each of our narrators and eating animals but I'll save it for next week.

How are you liking this so far, fellow readers?

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