melodylsimpson

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Book-to-Movie/TV Adaptations From Black Writers

Did you know that only 160+ movies/shows have been adapted from books by Black authors since 1908? 4 of these were sci-fi/fantasy. Of the 160+ adaptations, 61 are adaptations of 2 books. Meanwhile, in YA alone, 50+ adaptations have been released in the past 20 years, half of which were sci-fi/fantasy. But that's not all.

My findings can be found in the essay, "Dear Hollywood, Where Are the SFF Book-to-Movie/TV Adaptations From Black Writers?" over on Reactormag.com, previously Tor.com.

Also, be sure to check out:

My Spreadsheet of ALL Black Book-to-Movie/TV Adaptations From Black Writers

My Letterboxd List of ALL Black Book-to-Movie Adaptations From Black Writers

Happy Black History Month!

#black authors #Black Screenwriters #black directors #Black Books #Book Adaptations #book to movie #book to tv #hollywood #Black Hollywood #Black history #movies #films #tv shows #tv #books #representation #black history month #inclusion #ava duvernay #gina prince bythewood #barry jenkins #regina king #black cinema #spike lee #static shock

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Melanin in YA

Imagine a space where you can easily find the next YA book written by a Black author to add to your TBR list. Best of all, amongst that book are an endless amount of other YA books waiting to be discovered by you, all written by Black authors. In that same space, you can find out if any of these authors have a book event near you or will be attending a festival / convention near you. In that same space, you can find out their NYT bestseller stats, book to screen adaptation details, a list of Black audiobook narrators to listen to, a detailed list of Black literary agents to query, Black bookish social media influencers to follow, Black led bookish podcasts to subscribe to, Black owned bookstores to visit and so much more. 

That space is Melanin in Y.A. A database for all things Black in traditional young adult publishing. It acts as a no excuses cross-referencing tool for industry professionals, press, readers, writers, students, educators, librarians, program administrators and more. It’s available to you 24/7 for free.

I, Melody Simpson, created Melanin in YA in August 2020 and have been running it entirely by myself from day one. I really want to hire an intern to help me out because maintaining and promoting this is a lot but I’m tapped out on funds and cannot afford an intern right now. Though I am in desperate need of one and would never ask anyone to do the amount of work that I need done without paying them. If you’d like to help in that regard, you can do so here (gofundme) and no donation is too small, thank you so much. If you’d like to help out in other ways, can you please do any of the following below to help amplify this invaluable resource? 

1) Follow and/or repost/retweet Melanin in YA content on Instagram or Twitter

2) Shop merch at Shop Melanin in YA

3) Send the melanininya.com link to your English teachers / professors, librarians, favorite booksellers, colleagues, fellow book club members, anyone you know who loves books, anyone you know who values diversity, equity and inclusion, and everyone you think could use this resource.

Full transparency, when Melanin in YA first launched, there was lots of excitement around it. But it’s been quite the struggle to get people to talk about this resource and share this resource outside of moments in time, say other than Black History Month or when something tragic doesn’t happen to Black people and makes it to mainstream news. I appreciate your support 365 days a year. Especially during a time when Black YA books are being banned more than ever before. This resource is so necessary. Your support is so necessary. It means so, so much. 

Thank you.

#books #yalit #melanin #blackgirlmagic #blackcreatives #blacktumblr #reading #writing #literature #publishing #blackcommunity #fortheculture #blackisbeautiful #library

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T'Nia Miller in The Peripheral (2022)

T'Nia Miller as Cherise Nuland.

Set in the future when technology has subtly altered society, a woman discovers a secret connection to an alternate reality as well as a dark future of her own.

[SuperheroesInColor linktr.ee / FB / IG / Twitter / Twitch / Support ]

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BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER CAST ━ Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Dominique Thorne and Letitia Wright for EBONY Magazine (November/December 2022)

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The Last Skittle

Skittles believed in working hard and relaxing hard. She was born in the early 90s on Colgate Road. It began in the backyard of a grandfather who had taken a liking to the strays in the neighborhood. He fed them everyday and enlisted Grandma to do the same while he was away. And so as it was, one pregnant feline took refuge in the far corner of the yard, with plenty of trees and bushes to hide away in, plenty of yard to run around in when the time came. One day her newborns, ready to see beyond the yard, made their way down Grandma and Granddad's driveway. There, a little girl stood, eyes wide, a smile on her face that no camera could force her to take. A black and white kitten walked up to her, warmed up to her, wanted her. And so, she was hers. She gave the girl just as much joy as one of her favorite things. And so she was. Skittles.

Skittles became the younger sister the little girl never had. As the little girl's sisters grew older, out of barbies and their Disney costumes, the little girl turned to Skittles to play dress up and was never turned away. Her contentment and selflessness even when she may have not been in the mood to play with the little girl made her almost the perfect playmate. Whether playing dress up or being placed in bags to head off on a wild adventure in the little girl's imagination, Skittles became familiar with the little girl’s greatest desires and leaned into her docile personality trait, never minding going along for the ride.

It wasn't long before the little girl's family heard about opportunity elsewhere, south of Prospect Street. This was the first of a handful of long rides that Skittles would take over the years. Her adjustment to Newbury Road was frightening at first. Getting to know the new lay of the land, inside was a challenge. So much so that she found herself stuck in a peculiar place in the garage which created great stress from the little girl and her sisters and parents who heard her cries but could not seem to locate her. Once found and freed, Skittles learned to explore the outdoors instead.

It was the summer of 1999 when she became a woman. As the heat grew, so did the calling to go outside, more than her usual trips. She would meow all throughout the night, howling for anyone of her kind to hear her. The little girl's parents were not ready for what would come next if Skittles went outside again, so she was grounded for a time. But not for long. Her imprisonment was lifted just as her scent was caught by another.

A curious cat strolling around the backyard trampoline and jungle gym attracted her eye. Enough times that when left to her own devices, once the sliding doors to the backyard opened, her day was spent with the only one around who understood what it meant to be like her. Almost immediately, Skittles and her Mr. Mistoffelees would spend every waking moment outside hidden away, a mystery man to the little girl and her sisters and parents.

The mystery of what the two were up to didn't last long as Skittles soon found herself in the predicament of being a single mother to a litter of babies just as loving as she. One kitten passed away during childbirth. The kitten which looked like a Snickers and thus was named such stayed with the little girl and her sisters and her parents (until a neighborhood thief whisked them away). The all-black kitten, Ramesses was sent off to the little girl's Aunt and because the little girl couldn't possibly help take care of all of these new additions to the Newbury Road household, the rest of the litter was sent to more loved ones.

Newbury Road wasn't just lacking representation in the cat community. It's inclusivity all around was quite problematic. So it was with great relief for a host of reasons that after a year and some change, the little girl and her sisters and her mom moved to Pittsburgh Ave. This move, however was accompanied by her step-cockatiel, Dale and both were greeted by a hefty orange feline already occupying Pittsburgh Ave, Sammy and an energizer dog, Eve. Adjusting to Pittsburgh Ave took some time, Sammy learning not to take Dale's life for her own pleasure and Eve learning not to play with Skittles for hers. The female energy at Pittsburgh Ave was high.

Skittles enjoyed the indoors and outdoors in the neighborhood for three and a half years before leaving Sammy, Eve, and Dale behind for sunny Saffron Drive. This adjustment was questionable at first, Skittles leaving the house at the same time as the little girl in the mornings but not arriving back at her doorstep until days later. It took awhile before the little girl and her sisters and her mom realized that Skittles also liked visiting other homes in this neighborhood. It was in this moment one would say that she was living her best life.

The day Skittles discovered that she was no longer a cool mom cost the little girl's mom $2,000. It was the next move to Bloomfield Drive, a handful of years later that did it. Purr-haps adjusting to this new neighborhood was not going to be as easy as before. No longer as young and quick and mighty as she once was, Skittles soon found herself chased back home by a gang of cats. If Skittles came home too late at night, the little girl and her sisters and her mom would often be woken up by a scuffle outside their bedroom windows, only to turn on the light, open the door, and have poor Skittles rushing inside.

The little girl may never know if it was a scuffle or an imperfect balancing act on a fence that did it but whatever the cause, a torn ACL and cone of shame were the effects. And so, Skittles, clearly no longer able to keep up with the Joneses, became an inside cat overnight. It was during this stage in which she became the most vocal. Skittles was quiet and let her kindness speak for itself. But everyone has their limits and she needed the world to know that she had reached hers and the cone was unacceptable.

Once healed from the traumatic events of Fight Club, Skittles, content, kept up with a more open line of communication with the little girl and her sisters and her mom. This backfired however when it came time to move to her final address at Lincoln Square. The home was nice but the new resident inside was not her cup of milk. You see, Skittles was all about making friends on Pittsburgh Ave but that had been years ago. Now Skittles was only interested in spending her golden years lounging in bliss. This plan was put on paws indefinitely when a water bowl and food bowl were set beside hers for a shih tzu by the name of Cotton Ball von BJ.

Skittles spent most all of her days as a patient, tolerant, and the most popular adjective by all who were in her presence, sweet cat. She also enjoyed presenting her kills in her hay day but at present, she wanted to kill her time in front of the television in peace. All of this went out the window with the latest addition to the family. It took a long time for the two to strike a peace deal but as it turns out, there was indeed enough room for the two of them amongst the rays of sunlight. Skittles met her final family member in the summer of 2018 when the little girl’s oldest sister, Kira brought home her first born child, Zaire. She leaves behind a world of curiosity for the boy.

Skittles enjoyed spending her days and nights in the sun, feeling the sun, even though in her old age, she began to litter-ally not be able to see it as well. Her days of chasing strings and lights, leaping onto high beds and calculating the right angle to jump onto window sills were over. She liked wet food and action movies and companionship and enjoyed all three until the ailments of old age led her to her ninth life. Skittles. She was hers, Taylor’s, for 17 years, until the little girl was 24 years old.

Goodbye, Skittles. 

(Note: This was inspired by the essay, "The Last Photograph of Cat" by Choire Sicha)

#Cat #cats #pets #family

[melodylsimpson]

Me 30 mins after taking Benadryl: I don’t feel it yet.

Me 31 mins after taking Benadryl: MASH TATERS MASH TATERS IN MY BRAIN. I AM GALADRIEL REBORN AS MASH TATERS.

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perfect

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Sarah Paulson this whole season of American Horror Story

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I wonder if, in superhero universes, the villains ever get contacted by those “Make a Wish Foundation” and similar people.

I mean, the heroes do, of course they do, kids who want to meet Spiderman or Superman or get to be carried by the Flash as he runs through Central City for just thirty seconds.

But surely there are also the kids, who - because they are kids and sometimes kids are just weird - decide that what they really, really want is to meet a supervillain. Because he’s scary or she’s awesome or that freeze ray is just really, really cool, you know?

[melodylsimpson]

I love the guy who’s clearly a teacher who came over with the intent to tear two fucking idiot teenagers apart from each other only to find these fucking nerds it probably made his entire month

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technically we’re ALL, always LARPing, because the Self is only a construct,

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Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation 

Winner of the 2014 Will Eisner Award for Best Scholarly/Academic Work.

“Bringing together contributors from a wide-range of critical perspectives, Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation is an analytic history of the diverse contributions of Black artists to the medium of comics. 

Covering comic books, superhero comics, graphic novels and cartoon strips from the early 20th century to the present, the book explores the ways in which Black comic artists have grappled with such themes as the Black experience, gender identity, politics and social media.”

by Dr. Sheena C. Howard (Editor), Dr. Ronald L. Jackson II (Editor)

Get it now here

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