October is Black Speculative Fiction Month, a celebration of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror by Black creators in a variety of mediums, from novels to film to music and more. I have celebrated Black Speculative Fiction Month for many years and have written a plethora of essays and articles on Black speculative fiction creators.

This month feels particularly special because I have decided to return as a freelance contributor to the website Black Sci-fi, a website dedicated to covering Black sci-fi, fantasy, and horror media. It’s one of my favorite websites that I’ve written in the past, and I look forward to sharing the new content that I will have there. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite Black speculative articles I’ve written there and elsewhere.

Black Sci-fi.com

Trendsetters: Janelle Monáe’s The Archandroid– Written in 2019, this article discusses the music album The Archandroid by Janelle Monáe, which uses eclectic musical influences to tell a cinematic story of the android Cindi Mayweather as she goes on the run for falling in love with a human.

Aurion: Kajuta Gem Fighters Review– In 2021, I had the pleasure of playing and reviewing the mobile game Aurion Kajuta Gem Fighters, a match 4 action RPG game that is set after the PC game Aurion: Legacy of The Kori-Odan (which I also reviewed). Both games feature characters and abilities inspired by African culture and mythology.

Review: The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden– In 2017, I read and reviewed Nicky Drayden’s debut novel The Prey of Gods, an entertaining blend of sci-fi and fantasy with a compelling cast of characters. This ended up being one of my favorite standalone books.

Review: Adorned by Chi issue 1 & 2– In 2018, I reviewed the first two issues of Jacque Aye’s and Magnus Alto’s Nigerian magical girl comic Adorned By Chi, which were delightful. In fact, Jacque Aye herself was so impressed by my review that she would put it as a blurb on the back of the paperback version of the comic book.

Solarad

Review: Niobe She Is Life– In 2020, I was given the opportunity to review Stranger Comics’ graphic novel Niobe She Is Life, a powerful fantasy novel with a Black elven-human heroine.

Comics XF

Captain Zero: Into The Abyss Peers Into Black Mental Health Issues– In 2022, I delved into Lamard Cher-Aimé’s animated short film Captain Zero Into The Abyss, which features a Black teenage superhero grappling with depression. It gave a glimpse of a gritty yet exciting world and it made me look forward to what will hopefully be a full animated series.