“Black Futures Matter”- Afrofuturism 101 Reading & Movie List

So recently I have had many people ask what would I recommend as an introduction into Afrofuturism. This is something that I am always talking about, teaching, and or even consuming for myself, so why not have a list for beginners! And voila…I compiled various books, short stories, comic books, graphic novels, children and YA fiction, and movies that offer a unique look into Afrofuturism.

Books

• Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture ~Ytasha Womack
• Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness ~Edited by Reynaldo Anderson & Charles E. Jones
• Beloved ~Toni Morrison
• Kindred ~Octavia Butler
• Wild Seed ~Octavia Butler
• Brown Girl in the Ring ~Nalo Hopkinson
• The Conductors ~Nicole Glover
• How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? ~N.K. Jemisin
• Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora ~Edited by Sheree Thomas
• Dark Matter: Reading the Bones ~Edited by Sheree Thomas
• Black No More: Being an Account of the Strange and Wonderful Working of Science in the Land of the Free ~George Schuyler
• Lion’s Blood ~Steven Barnes
• Zulu Heart ~Steven Barnes
• Black Leopard, Red Wolf ~Marlon James
• Minions: A Vampire Huntress Legend ~L.A. Banks
• Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements ~Edited by Walidah Imarisha & adrienne maree brown 
• Black Kirby: In Search of the MotherBoxx Connection ~John Jennings & Stacey Robinson 
• Mothership Tales: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond ~Edited by Bill Campbell & Edward Austin Hall

Short Stories/Lecture

• “The Princess Steel” & “The Comet” ~W.E.B. Du Bois
• “Caramelle 1864” ~Jewelle Gomez
• “I Left My Heart in Skaftafell” ~Victor LaValle
• “Don’t Go There” ~Tracy Cross
• “Ain’t I a Woman” ~Sojourner Truth

Comic Books/Graphic Novels

• Matty’s Rocket and Infinitude: An Afrofuturist Tale ~Tim Fielder
• Far Sector (DC Comics) ~N.K. Jemisin
• Eve (Boom! Studios) ~Victor LaValle
• Hardware, Blood Syndicate, Static (Milestone Media)
• Livewire (Valiant Comics)
• Ironheart (Marvel Comics)
• Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Marvel Comics)

Children/YA Fiction

• Bayou Magic ~Jewel Parker Rhodes
• Malice in Ovenland ~Micheline Hess
• Ikenga and Shuri: A Black Panther Novel ~Nnedi Okorafor
• Raybearer ~Jordan Ifueko
• Children of Blood and Bone and Children of Virtue and Vengeance ~Tomi Adeyemi
• The Gilded Ones ~Namina Forna

Movies

• Space is the Place (1974)
• The Wiz (1978)
• Black Panther (2018)
• Hidden Figures (2016)
• Get Out (2017)
• Us (2019)
• Antebellum (2020)
• Sorry to Bother You (2018)
• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
• See You Yesterday (2019)
• District 9 (2009)