Favorite Things

I'm thinking of my soul's sovereignty

[bacchantebarbie]

this list has been brewing for a few weeks and now is as good a time as any to post it. although it’s by no means comprehensive and is really only the tip of the iceberg, here are (in no particular order) 30 speculative fiction (sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian) books written by women of color

Dawn by Octavia Butler

Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord

Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell

Mindscape by Andrea Hairston

Racing the Dark by Alaya Dawn Johnson

Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara

The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

Salt Fish Girl by Larissa Lai

Half World by Hiromi Goto

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

The Iron King by Julie Kawaga

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Hammer of Witches by Shana Mlawski

Ico: Castle in the Mist by Miyuki Miyabe

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

Dualed by Elsie Chapman

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Filter House (short stories) by Nisi Shawl

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Legend by Marie Lu

Signal Red by Rimi B. Chatterjee

The Conch Bearer by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Island of Eternal Love by Daína Chaviano

My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara

Ascension by Kara Dalkey

update: kate elliot is not actually a woman of color and i’m confused as to how she ended up on this list :(

[afro-dissented]

Is it christmas??? 

*0*

[wonder--boi]

books on books on books

[alinasfire-blog]

Favorite Things turned 3 today!

...i've been on tumblr for three years already?

weird lol

[pokemoneggs-deactivated20150801]

can we stop referring to all sex that could possibly result in pregnancy as “heterosexual reproduction" now

[alinasfire-blog]

there's a cat outside and they're meowing really loudly :( i miss my cat

[alinasfire-blog]

so mad/irritated/annoyed

at myself/life

[blackfemmejeanvaljean]

[captainmander]

[dealanexmachina]

Okay but can we talk for a moment about the layers of complexity regarding race that are unfolding in this scene right here?

You have:

Two black women discussing very real issues of privilege and passing regarding dark and light skin tones in society.

In which topics of identity and feelings of belonging and kinship are discussed and dissected explicitly, because one is the bi-racial child of the other, at one point actually pointing out how she didn’t feel like she didn’t belong to either group.

Which is further complicated by the fact that Lena is a lesbian, so her comments about belonging (or rather not belonging) to the minority or majority take on another layer of unspoken but very present and implied exclusion/inclusion.

All of which is sparked from Lena’s mom calling Lena out on the fact that throwing a kickass Quinceanera (without really fully understanding the ins and outs and nuances of the culture) is not the same as making sure Mariana is part of her Latina culture, and actually in fact very finely skirts the line of cultural appropriation if it’s all about you projecting your feelings of cultural isolation.

This is what happens when you make women, women of color, and lesbians the main characters of your show. We can have conversations like this on TV, and regardless on whose side of the discussion you fall on, the fact that we’re even SEEING this conversation is, in itself, revolutionary. It has been a long time since I have seen a scene like this tackle the topics of race so head on, and on a family show at that.

Major props to everyone involved in bringing this scene to life, because the writing and the acting make it so neither woman is fully in the wrong, and I am so happy to see this bring brought up, because scene like this spark dialogue about topics that are rarely addressed so openly in our own lives.

[womyneosoul]

This is exactly why enjoy this show and hope to one day write for TV in this manner. This episode said so much in a short time, making me realize it all can be done and done on television. In one episode, topics of privilege, race, gender, sexuality, identity and class can emerge in such a way that it’s authentic and not forced. I hope The Fosters sticks around for at least a second season. 

[ladernierefois-deactivated20160]

I was completely on mama’s side besides her saying her daughter didn’t have the experience of being a black woman. Oh please believe she gets treated like a black woman, but she has been afforded the privilege of much lighter skin.

[alinasfire-blog]

this^^ what the mom said about light skin privilege = completely on point

everything else, not so much. she was completely dismissive of Lena's experience of being biracial i.e. saying "oh please, you're a pretty light skinned girl" when Lena said she didn't feel like she belong to either Black or white world. being seen as pretty and light skinned can coexist with feelings of exclusion (omg multiplicity of identities and experiences!)

and then when the mother said you will never know what it's like being a black woman.... UGH! Lena's claim that her mom sees Blackness = dark skin = authenticity was proven true!

I was stoked to find out that the actress who plays Lena, Sherri Saum, is actually biracial in real life with a Black mom and a white dad. Yay for biracial identity being talked explicitly about on TV!

[global-fashions]

Lish Jecinta

photos by Heike Suhre

Hair And Make-up: Nanette Montizaan

Designer: : Monique Désar 

[dynastylnoire]

i need these framed in my home

[ancestryinprogress-deactivated2]

perfect queen. also yes to ^^^

[meyong]

[dopeboynextdoor]

um, haaaayyMadame Esther Quek, Group Fashion Director of The Rake and Revolution magazines (Middle East).

[ladernierefois-deactivated20160]

um, haaaayy.

[alinasfire-blog]

yoooooo

[alinasfire-blog]

Researchers: Newly found planets might support life

The three planets orbit a star called Gliese 667C, part of the triple-star system Gliese 667. They are between four and eight times the mass of the Earth, making them "super-Earths."

If you were standing on any of the potentially habitable planets in this system, that sun would appear as a bright red star. The other two stars in the system "would look like a very bright pair of stars providing as much illumination as the full moon on Earth," Anglada-Escude said.

The planets are likely either rocky or water worlds, meaning they're entirely covered in water. These particular planets also appear to be "tidally locked," meaning the same side of a planet is always facing a star. That means one side of the planet always gets light and the other hemisphere is always in darkness.

[getitontheground]

[kronoskingofthemonkeypeople]

They actually changed the time stamps of the official state senate documentS. This happened like 15 minutes ago.

(info from @TexasTribune)

[alinasfire-blog]

just finished watching the 4th episode of the fosters

#allthefeels

[alinasfire-blog]

this is a sherri saum appreciation blog

[gay-high-5]

I am really enjoying this series! Terri Polo is H-O-T

[fuckyeahethnicwomen]

This reblog is not for Terri Polo

[alinasfire-blog]

LMAO #church

[alinasfire-blog]

Supreme Court guts landmark civil rights law — MSNBC

The Supreme Court's ruling on a crucial part of the Voting Rights Act represents a massive setback to efforts to stop ongoing racial discrimination in elections.

i actually want to burn everything to the ground