Dreaming In The Dark

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Dreaming in the Dark is a podcast created by Black fantasy scholars Bezi Yohannes and Ravynn K. Stringfield that brings the stories we wished we had as children to the forefront. Named after Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark, our podcast celebrates the creations that center those usually written in the margins of the fantastic.

Bezi Yohannes & Ravynn K. Stringfield


    • Apr 1, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 37m AVG DURATION
    • 13 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Dreaming In The Dark

    Critiquing & Celebrating Fantasy Fandom

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 48:52


    How do we critically engage with complicated, even toxic, fantasy fandoms? In our longest episode yet, we talk to Stitch, a Black fan, writer, and critic, about their history with fandom, writing & working in different spaces, and their advice for those who are new to fandom.

    Revamping the Comics Canon

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 39:13


    How does reimagining the stories of marginalized superheroes reshape the canon itself? In this episode we talk to Stephanie Williams, comic historian, pop culture critic, and author of several webcomics such as Living Heroes as well as the DC Comics Nubia & the Amazons and the upcoming Nubia: Queen of the Amazons series, about the critical process of choosing a creative medium, playing with longstanding comic characters, and the visibility of Black characters in adaptation. [NOTE: This episode was recorded in 2021 before the launch of the first issue of Nubia & the Amazons.]

    Comics and the Power of Ordinary Blackness

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 34:53


    What does it mean to illustrate an extraordinary Black girl's ordinary coming-of-age? In this episode we talk to Robyn Smith, the Jamaican cartoonist & illustrator of DC Comics' Nubia: Real One, Black Josei Press' Wash Day, and her own mini-comic The Saddest Angriest Black Girl in Town, about her journey to working on comics and the power of showing the everyday moments of growing up Black.

    Reimagining Myths & Publishing Abolitionist Fantasies

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2021 39:24


    What does it mean to reimagine fantasies we grew up with & the world we want to see? In this episode we talk to bestselling author Kalynn Bayron, bestelling author of Cinderella is Dead and This Poison Heart, about fairytales, abolitionist worldbuilding, and the stories publishing needs. Episode Transcript

    Black Futures in Academia & Public Scholarship

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2021 42:52


    How can Black scholars write & teach Black futures in the academy? In this episode we talk to Dr. Stephanie Toliver, professor of children's science fiction and fantasy and curator of the Reading Black Futures database, about public scholarship, endarkened storywork, and her journey into academia. Episode Transcript

    Catching Up on All Things Messy & Magical

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2021 23:18


    We're back! In our first episode of season 2, we share what we've been up to since last year, some of our favorite recent shows & books, and preview this season's amazing guests. Episode Transcript

    Visibility, Historicity, and Looking Ahead

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2020 35:20


    What have we learned about Black fantasy after our first season, and what are we looking forward to in 2021? In our season finale, we discuss lingering questions about representation and speculative historicity, and share thoughts on new and upcoming Black fantasy media.

    Navigating Academia, Fandom, and the Dark Fantastic

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2020 39:09


    How can we trace the evolution of scholarship that centers Black girls in fantasy? In this episode, we talk to Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, the author of The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games, about writing and publishing a book that helped build our emerging field, as well as about her formative experiences in academic and fandom spaces. Episode Transcript

    Claiming Legends & Legacies

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2020 42:49


    Who gets to have legacies, and where are the legends celebrating how Black girls move in the world? In this episode, we talk to Tracy Deonn, the New York Times bestselling author of Legendborn, about matrilineal legacy, Black girls’ emotional agency, and the specificity of worldbuilding Blackness in contemporary fantasy. Episode Transcript

    Publishing Dream Manuscripts

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2020 34:24


    How does a literary agent approach Black fantasy manuscripts? In this episode, we talk to Leah Pierre of Ladderbird Literary Agency about her manuscript wishlist, how she came to agenting, and what she loves about Black fantasy. Episode Transcript

    The Inherent Magic of Diasporic Blackness

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2020 40:00


    How is the fantastic built into the ways Black people move in the world? In our third episode, we talk to bestselling author Roseanne A. Brown about her formative experiences with fantasy, African storytelling, and character building in A Song of Wraiths & Ruin. Episode Transcript

    Is The Magic “Black Enough”?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2020 29:29


    How can we define “Black girl magic”? In our second episode, we talk to award-winning filmmaker, playwright and director Micah Ariel Watson about the inspiration behind her web series “Black Enough” and the intersection of faith and the fantastic in depicting Black Girl Magic through the visual arts. Episode Transcript

    We Dream In The Dark For The Most Part

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2020 38:56


    What does it mean to dream in the dark? In our first episode, we talk about our motivation for creating this platform for Black fantasy, our different approaches to studying the fantastic, and the gap between visibility and representation in the fantasy we grew up with. Episode Transcript

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