I talked about the significance of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and it is getting a lot of attention in BookTok. In the video, I mentioned that I could share a reading list of similar content, so here we are. Instead of an alphabetized reading list, each set of items is loosely organized by time period. Each unit features a work of fiction, a news story, and a scholarly article. This list is not exhaustive. I chose these materials because I think they work well in conversation with Parable of the Sower and they challenge me to think critically about Black women’s relationship to capitalism, environmentalism, and gendered and racialized violence.
Feel free to share this reading list with someone you think might be interested in learning more about Black EcoFeminism.
Unit One: Yesterday
A Mercy by Toni Morrison
“On Black Women’s Ecologies” by Dr. Carlyn Ferrari
“Black Feminist Ecological Thought: A Manifesto” by Dr. Chelsea M. Frazier
Unit Two: Today
‘Felicia’: Space to Live and Breathe by Dr. Ash T. (Me)
“The Heavy Toll of the Black Belt’s Wastewater Crisis” by By Alexis Okeowo
“Flint, Environmental Racism, and Racial Capitalism” Dr. Laura Pulido
Unit Three: Tomorrow
"What it Means When A Man Falls From The Sky" by Leslie Nneka Arimah
“Parable Pandemics: Octavia E. Butler and Racialized Labor” by Prince Akashi
Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women's Speculative Fiction by Dr. Sami Schalk
I primarily use this newsletter to write about cults, history, and race. These recent conversations about Butler have inspired me to write about how environmental disasters inspire religious fanaticism. Subscribe now so that you don’t miss that articel when it comes out.