Meet the Author of The Dark Fantastic Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

Today's guest is Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (@ebonyteach) author of the new book The Dark Fantastic: Race and The Imagination From Harry Potter To The Hunger Games (@NYUpress). The Dark Fantastic is an engaging and provocative exploration of race in popular youth and young adult speculative fiction. Grounded in her experiences as YA novelist, fanfiction writer, and scholar of education, Thomas considers four black girl protagonists from some of the most popular stories of the early 21st century: Bonnie Bennett from the CWs The Vampire Diaries, Rue from Suzanne Collinss The Hunger Games, Gwen from the BBCs Merlin, and Angelina Johnson from J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter. Analyzing their narratives and audience reactions to them reveals how these characters mirror the violence against black and brown people in our own world. During our conversation, we discuss current Black fantasy authors, the need for more representation by Black authors in fantasy and science fiction, the inspiration for the book and much more.This episode is a crossover episode with my other podcast, Talking About Books For Kids.Listen to both podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play.Author bio:Ebony Elizabeth Thomasis Associate Professor in the Literacy, Culture, and International Educational Division at the University of Pennsylvanias Graduate School of Education. A former Detroit Public Schools teacher and National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, she is an expert on diversity in childrens literature, youth media, and fan studies.Books & Authors discussed during this episode:Children of Blood and Bone by Toni AdeyemiDread Nation by Justina IrelandA Blade So Black by L.L. McKinneyThe Belles by Dhonielle ClaytonThe Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn JohnsonTristan Strong Punches A Hole in the Sky by Kwame MbaliaBlack Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon JamesOther references:Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw : Discussion about intersectionality and race:Dr. Debbie Reese: American Indians in Children's LiteratureTo learn more about the books and authors discussed in this podcast, please check out your local library or bookstore.Links mentioned in the episodeTalking About Books For KidsCheck out Talking About Books For Kids! Subscribe, rate and review!Twitter: @talkingaboutbo1