White People Really Need to Stop Writing About White People

White people really need to stop writing about white people.

There’s this crazy movement in fantasy literature right now, and it’s about exploring the diverse populace that make up each and every world writers create. And for some reason, white people keep writing only about white people. Oh, there may be a token character, or an offset of society (usually not fully-fleshed out and left a bit vague) that supports the notion of racial equality in the world, but the larger portion of writers are wearing some frost covered snow goggles.

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Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Weird at last, weird at last, God almighty, weird at last.

Everything about the bestseller Welcome to Night Vale is unsettling. The very texture of the gorgeous twilight-colored hardback cover is too smooth. The raised letters of the title are almost slimy against the ridges of my fingers, as if written with the white tentacles of Night Vale’s Librarians themselves. Frankly, this first introduction, this simple act of touching is enough to prepare you for the exceptionally weird experience you’re about to embark on.

The Shadow Throne by Django Wexler

The Country of Vordan is sitting on a precipice, ready to descend into a state of panic at any moment. The king is on his deathbed, leaving his daughter Raesinia Orboan to succeed. The malignant Duke Orlanko, who has gained a reputation as the most feared and powerful man in the kingdom as minister of information and master of the secret police,  believes the princess weak-willed and therefore seeks to manipulate her from behind the scenes. Finding herself trapped within  Orlanko’s grasp, she seeks allies in the form of recent war hero Janus bet Vhalnich and his company who are returning from the colony of Khandar. Winter Ihernglass, now answering directly to Vhalnich who is the only person who knows she is actually a woman, finds herself returning to the home she ran away from years ago. Marcus d’Ivoire also has his own reasons to dread his return to the city, with a fresh memory of a burning estate and the end of life as he knew it so many years ago. Together, under orders from Vhalnich, they seek to free the Princess from under Orlanko’s grip, and give the nation the leader it so desperately needs. Doing this, however, might cause more short term  damage to the kingdom than  anything else.

The 16th Annual Escondido Renaissance Fair: A Menagerie of the Medieval…and Pirates?

“Don’t mind the dragons. Our knights keep them away.” – A woman dressed as a bard referenced the roar of an engine from a passing car. It was then I began to question why I had come here. Was it the returning heat wave, the overjoyed people in medieval attire, or the media’s subliminal message that “Renaissance fairs are too weird and overly nerdy”? Upon entering the Renaissance Fair, music from what looked like a giant recorder greeted guests. Almost everyone else I saw arrived in a Renaissance costume of some kind; thankfully, the medieval attire was optional.

Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase

Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase, a follow-up to the original Alice In Wonderland children’s book, provided an adventurous and comical story weaved together with teen romance. As someone who knew little about Alice in Wonderland, the novel felt welcoming. In Chase’s queer fantasy novel, the Mad Hatter is tasked with the duty to escort Henry, Alice’s younger brother, across Wonderland on a journey to the Red Queen’s castle to return Henry home. At least that’s what Henry was told.

Inequality in Video Games

Earlier this year Square Enix unveiled their next game in the Final Fantasy series, Mobius Final Fantasy. To their dismay many fans disliked the sexual appearance of Wal, the game’s male protagonist.

Why English, Creative Writing and the Fantasy Genre are all good things

When people ask me what I’m currently doing, or what I’m majoring in, I tell them the truth. I tell them that I am currently working towards a BA in English, with an interest in creative writing. Normally, there are only two kinds of responses to my revelation. The first is usually just “Oh, that’s good.” or  “How interesting”  with the kind of tone that belies what they just said. The second case is when people ask “Oh, well what can you do with that?”. I can’t tell you how many times this happens to me and it gets old relatively quickly.

Matthew Laube: Professional Demon Slayer

Matthew Laube is the self-published author of the Ancient Trilogy, a captivating fantasy series involving demons and a fight for survival. We jumped at the chance to interview Laube and he definitely had a few things to say about his experience in diversity in the fantasy genre.

The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley

It’s a regular habit of mine to find my foot in my mouth with the taste of a rubber sole leaving a grimace on my face. Let’s be clear; I never intend the wrong thing, and I try very hard to scrub my language of any offensive terms or terminology that I am unclear of, trying to correct any wrongdoing before it can occur. That said, no one is perfect, and often my ignorance leads me through a few dark tunnels before I find the light.

Living Writer Series, Carolyn Finney: Fighting Racism in Environmentalist Spaces

Each semester, San Diego State University’s Hugh C. Hyde Living Writer Series features readings and discussion with incredible authors. As one of the longest running Living Writing Series in the nation, SDSU doesn’t shy away from bringing in some heavy hitters doing cool work in the world. Wednesday, December 2nd saw the force of nature that is Carolyn Finney for their final reading of the semester, the Laurie Okuma Memorial Reading.