Reading Our Futures: a Black Futurist Bookclub by Brooke Bosley, PhD

LOVING ROOM: diaspora books + salon is thrilled to welcome for Reading Our Futures, Healing Present & Past, a monthly Afrofuturist, africanfuturist, africanjujuist, Black speculative fiction, sci-fi & fantasy bookclub!

Black futurist literary lieux compel us to engage in generative dialogue and reflection about the substance of our living as Black folks-- to dream our futures, in light of the complexities of our pasts and present. We highlight and even venerate the ancestral, as we grieve the layers of suffering that have been inflicted-- the dystopias of Diaspora dealings-- and imagine futures unfettered. We consider the possibilities, implications and ethical considerations of modern technologies and trends in design. Literally, and literarily, what do our (liberated) Black futures comprise?

Each month we will devote our attention to a selected title from within these vast categories of Afrofuturism, africanfuturism, africanjujuism, Black-authored speculative fiction, sci-fi and fantasy, centering the works of foundational authors such as Octavia E. Butler and Samuel Delany, alongside contemporary writers including N.K. Jemisin and Tomi Adeyemi. Our texts are chosen expansively, as we will incorporate essays and other multimedia (film, music, and other visual culture) for our collective review. Together we read our futures, navigating the pulls of space and time as we heal present and past.

To kick things off, in fall/winter 2023/2024 we invite you to join us for the following reads & book club meetings:

2023

October 23 | , Octavia E. Butler

November 26 | , Nnedi Okorafor

2024

January 22 | , N.K. Jemisin

February 26 | The Comet, W.E.B. DuBois (& other short stories, to be announced)

March 25 | , Janelle Monáe

Titles for April through October 2024 have been selected by our host and will be announced as we get closer to those dates-- please stay tuned!

We will also be hosting mid-point virtual meetings every month for folks who are interested in a check-in prior to the monthly meeting. The virtual option will also be available for folks who are not located in Seattle or otherwise unable to attend the in person book club meetings month to month. Please register directly for Zoom sessions here.

Last but not least-- selected titles will be available for purchase in-store at LOVING ROOM, and also through our online shop on bookshop.org. We are in the process of partnering with local orgs to secure several copies of each title to give away each month, with at least one copy on hand in the library, and will share info for how to receive the gifted copies as soon as possible.

Please email [email protected] with any questions related to acquiring copies of reading material, or other questions about the book club.

About your host:

Brooke Bosley has a Ph.D. in Digital Media, specializing in Black Media, from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Brooke's dissertation focuses on the intersection of Human-Computer Interaction, Afrofuturism, Black Feminism, and Race & Technology.

Brooke also holds an MS in Digital Media from the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as a BA in Integrated Digital Media (a self-design interdisciplinary degree) with minors in communications and mathematics from Wesleyan College (in Macon, Georgia). Brooke has taught educational workshops on robotics and technology through the Georgia Tech’s, College of Computing. Brooke also volunteered with FIRST Robotics and the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). Most recently, Brooke has volunteered with a local architecture and design foundation, where they led educational workshops for K-5th graders on community design.

Brooke has worked as a freelance designer with a startup, as well as a web designer with the Georgia State University, College of Education. They interned with Microsoft as a design researcher for two years prior to relocating to Seattle for a permanent position extending and deepening the impact of this work.

When Brooke is not working, studying, or volunteering, they are cross-stitching or reading. They also love exploring restaurants in Atlanta, GA, and now Seattle, WA where they currently live and work.

About LOVING ROOM:

Address: 1400 20th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122. We are in the Central District on 20th Ave just past Katy's coffee shop (north of Union on the east side of the street).

Parking: Street parking only. It can be hard to find so please give yourself time if you are driving.

Accessibility: Venue is ADA accessible. Restrooms are gender neutral. The space is not scent-free, although it is a low-scent environment and we use all natural cleaning products. If you have any requests related to accessibility, please email [email protected] or text 206 380 3387.

Health & Safety: Facemasks are available here, although they are not required.

Host or Publisher LOVING ROOM: diaspora books + salon