Afrofuturism & The Black Literary Phenomena That It Is - Author Kevin Macklin

Coined in 1993, the term afrofuturism refers to an aesthetic movement encompassing elements of fantasy, speculative fiction & sci-fi, and history through the eyes of the African American experience. To be clear, an aesthetic is a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. Science, technology, magical realism, mysticism, fantasy, history, and the specific experience of African Americans are the guiding principles of afrofuturism.

I was an afrofuturism author before I was even aware of the term. That’s right. Afrofuturism author Kevin Macklin was writing an afrofuturism novel before I had ever heard of afrofuturism. Science fiction and fantasy have always been favorite reads of mine, from Tolkien to Weir, from Abercrombie to Crouch. But I lacked awareness of any black speculative fiction authors. That’s probably because the prisons I’ve spent my adult life in don’t really have many books by black authors in general. Those you do find are predominantly urban fiction. For someone who’s tastes are vastly eclectic and also part of the black American culture I was left wanting.

That’s why I wrote Prince of Ruins. I wanted to read the books I love with the representation I’ve seen throughout my life. It wasn’t until after I wrote it and started trying to get it out there that I ran across N. K. Jemison, Tomi Adeyemi and a variety of lesser known authors such as my good friend Chase Bolling, author of The Vanguard series, who I met in my efforts to spread awareness about Prince of Ruins. It was in this process I came upon the term Afrofuturism.

The most recognizable representation of afrofuturism is Black Panther. The technologically advanced nation of Wakanda, along with the superhuman abilities of Black Panther, form a brilliant and coherent view of afrofuturism when combined with Killmonger’s take on black and brown peoples across the diaspora. Themes containing the struggles of marginalized peoples are central to afrofuturism, even when the struggle isn’t the central plot. It can be a driving force in the way the main character sees the world and makes decisions, lending afrofuturism a realistic view of the way melanated people experience the world, despite the plot being sci-fi or fantasy centered.

Afrofuturism is broad in that it encapsulates a wide range of sci-fi and fantasy elements including, but not limited to, space opera, African mythology, alien invasion, and even zombies. So whatever your personal taste, I’m certain there’s an author or book that will suit you perfectly.

Purchasing books isn’t really something I can afford to do. Most of the time I’m simply trying to meet my needs. I’m not complaining. But the majority of my reading is done through Kindle Unlimited since it’s an affordable, subscription service that provides access to tons of books. Not every book is available through KU, especially most traditionally published works. If you’re looking to explore the wide world of afrofuturism keep reading because I’m about to list a few titles available on Kindle Unlimited. Not necessarily recommendations, the following titles are meant to offer a low cost way to explore the wide universe of afrofuturism.