lmao a few years ago Straczynski blocked me on twitter when I asked if Octavia Butler was still the only non-white writer in it, and now I don't even see her mentioned. "Keep science fiction white and male" is a dangerous vision all right, but only in the most boring way imaginable - ThreadSky

vajra.me • 338 days ago

lmao a few years ago Straczynski blocked me on twitter when I asked if Octavia Butler was still the only non-white writer in it, and now I don't even see her mentioned. "Keep science fiction white and male" is a dangerous vision all right, but only in the most boring way imaginable

Reposted from CL Hellisen

I guess the female writers were all too busy/dead.

(I am aware that there is 1, possibly 2 on the list. My point stands)

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vajra.me•338 days ago

What I actually remember best from that interaction is not even JMS himself but some rando who appeared in my mentions around then to suggest that forcing non-white authors to appear in this anthology was akin to forced labour. Please, do take a moment out of your day to marvel at this spark of joy

scumbelievable.bsky.social•337 days ago

Jesus Christ

vajra.me•337 days ago

ikr!!

aviendha69.bsky.social•337 days ago

evergreen

vajra.me•338 days ago

The Octavia Butler story in question, incidentally, was “Childfinder,” which could have been her first publication. It was collected posthumously in UNEXPECTED STORIES in 2014, as K. Tempest Bradford writes about here. Not sure if that means the estate pulled it from LDV https://www.npr.org/2014/07/10/320746103/an-unexpected-treat-for-octavia-e-butler-fans

vajra.me•338 days ago

It just kind of makes me crazy that what would have been Octavia Butler's very first publication was dropped into a hole by her own alleged mentor and she never saw it published in her lifetime. That is the sort of shit that could have ended a less determined writer's career.

kameronhurley.com•338 days ago

Has ANYONE actually been paid for those stories yet tho???

vajra.me•338 days ago

It just seems so unlikely

kameronhurley.com•337 days ago

I certainly couldn't afford to have a story just... sit for 10, 20, 30 years when I make 2k/pop for one on Patreon. I suspect "all those people!" he insisted he asked probably had similar thought. But oh boy would I love to see the complete list of who he *actually* asked.

vajra.me•337 days ago

For some reason the final TOC itself is a closely guarded secret lol, perhaps in a pointless effort to avoid getting yelled at

kameronhurley.com•337 days ago

100% 😆😆😆

clhellisen.bsky.social•338 days ago

Oh. Wow. Well that is certainly A Take.

vajra.me•338 days ago

It always amazes me when one of these asshats comes up with a fresh new angle from hell

thecorrection.bsky.social•338 days ago

thank you thank you thank you for what you said, and for introducing me to another way to say 'good grief what a terrible take'

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