Abolition, Race, Science Fiction: Reading Octavia Butler's Kindred and Terry Bisson's Fire on the Mountain

Class time to be determined - sadly, the time interface isn't working so it's showing up wrong!

How does science fiction write American history? How does science fiction write racism, slavery, insurrection, rebellion? What is it to be a writer of color writing slavery? What is it to be a white writer writing slavery?

In Butler's Kindred, a working class African-American writer is pulled back through time to a Maryland plantation because of her connection to her white, slave-owning ancestor. In Bisson's Fire On The Mountain, the raid on Harper's Ferry succeeds and an anti-slavery guerilla war begins, rewriting American history (for the better, obviously). These novels talk about community under racism, individual responsibilities, group struggles and the personal costs of fighting slavery. Both have a lot to say about how and why people engage in struggle.

In this class, we'll read a section from each book for every class session. We'll do a lot in pairs and small groups, with some big-group work. Discussion structure will use Training for Change methods as much as possible. I'll also have some material and do a couple of short presentations about the history of radical science fiction and science fiction writers of color. We'll talk about what the books have to say and how they say it. Our first meeting will be to talk about class goals, discuss what we like to read and talk a little bit about science fiction writers of color and science fiction that talks about race.

I have a couple of reading copies of the books available for loan. Books will be available at a 20% discount through Boneshaker.

We'll meet as often as the class wants - if everyone wants to read 1/2 a book each time, we can have two discussion sessions; if everyone wants to read more slowly, we'll adjust. We'll establish this at the first meeting.

The class will meet on a weekday evening, to be determined by class preference. We may meet at Boneshaker, assuming a non-huge enrollment.