“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.” -Maya Angelou (The Heart of a Woman)

Words make and shape minds. Black fantasy is entertaining and yet can serve as a segway to a progressive informed reality.

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen shares this idea. We are what we think. These questions come to mind. Can we fantasize our way into a growth (versus fixed mindset)?

Is counteracting the effects of systematic racism through fantasy-based literature possible? Will mind over matter propel us into an alternate reality that would help us dream big and do big things? It can and it has.

Great ideas begin with “Pure Imagination,” the title of a song written for the film Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I like these lines…

“Come with me and you’ll be
In a world of pure imagination.
Take a look and you’ll see
Into your imagination.
We’ll begin with a spin
Traveling in the world of my creation.
What we’ll see will defy explanation.
If you want to view paradise,
Simply look around and view it.
Anything you want to, do it.
Want to change the world?
There’s nothing to it.”

Validating one’s roots with a “back to the future” attitude is a popular trend. Publishing houses and self-published authors are releasing books at a dazzling speed. A second Black Renaissance in the arts is fueling a ton of talent.

“Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.” -Toni Morrison (Song of Solomon)

“Reach for the moon, and even if you miss, you will still be among the stars”, is a mantra driving Black fantasy and today’s readers can’t get enough of it. Remarkable stories interweave where we’ve been and fuse it to where we’re going. The saying, “words make people,” plants a seed of revisionist reality through the alternate fantasy route.

The black artist is dangerous. Black art controls the ‘Negro’s’ reality, negates negative influences, and creates positive images. Sonia Sanchez

“To fantasize is to imagine, and great things have come from those who are smart, talented, and courageous enough to imagine that which is not yet real. Advances …or breakthroughs in human rights may not have occurred if someone hadn’t dreamt them first. We encourage people to dream big and to use their imaginations to create a better life or better world,” says clinical psychologist Art Frenz artfrenzphd.com.2

Black writers of this genre have unique intentions, one of which is to seize the opportunity to exercise freedom of expression. Their stories thrust us into worlds beyond worlds and worlds within worlds. Fantasy provides readers with an alternative cache of emotional weaponry. Counteracting the stark realities plaguing race relations and inequality requires all advantages be on deck. Blacks have turned pain into distinctive multi-sensory art forms before. The literary road is paved with timeless inspiration, including African folklore, ancient myths, and traditional legends.

One writer, Jared Alexander, (Portalist) says, “fantastical worlds and enchanting characters offer respite and rejuvenation.” He explains, “I’ve been leaning into fantasy to help me escape. Featuring fantastical worlds and far-off adventures, these books have given me the beautiful gift of helping block out the constant anxiety and lift me up at a time when I need it most.”3

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” — Dr. Mae Jemison, first African-American female astronaut

Book reviewer Casira Copes (Afrofantasy and the Need for Black Escapism) frames the growing popularity perfectly. “Afrofantasy describes a sub-genre of speculative fiction in which the myth, lore, and magic that make up the world are based on, or inspired by, African cultures and the Black experience. ”4

A slew of high-quality fantasy novels has sold exceptionally well, and movie producers are grabbing the screen rights. Check out these MetaStellar.com picks and stay tuned for future highlights.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019), a fantasy novel by Jamaican writer Marlon James is the first book of a trilogy. Inspired by African history and mythology. Centers on the political conflicts between two powerful states. A film adaptation is in the works featuring Michael B. Jordan.

Children of Blood and Bone (2018) — a New York Times best-seller. Young adult novel by Nigerian-American novelist Tomi Adeyemi. Magic restoration to the kingdom of Orisha. A formidable female lead and a fierce class struggle to captivate readers. A film is in the works.

The City We Became (2020) is an urban fantasy novel by N. K. Jemisin. He developed this “Great Cities” series from a short story, “The City Born Great.” “After the avatar of N.Y. falls into a supernatural coma and vanishes, a group of five new avatars representing the five boroughs” unite and fight a common enemy. Wikipedia

The Deep (2020) by Hugo Award finalist Rivers Solomon “follows an underwater society inhabited by the descendants of African women who were thrown overboard during the slave trade.”5

The Water Dancer (2019) by bestselling author Tah-Nehisi Coates “most poignant and painful gift is the temporary fantasy that all the people who leaped off slave ships and into the Atlantic were not drowning themselves in terror and anguish but going home.” NPR 6

Menzuo: An Epic Superhero Fantasy Adventure Series (2015 to Present) by author, activist, actor, and motivational speaker Keyshawn Dodds. An epic Superhero fantasy series. Contains eight spine-tingling books. The Menzuo series has spurred a fresh wave of super-heroes that readers of all ages can relate to. https://www.newageofheroes.com.

Song “Pure Imagination” Soulful Version
Hideaki Hori — Pure Imagination — YouTube