These are stories that you would not likely see in mainstream specific markets. That’s their importance. That’s their value. What’s truly amazing is that such stories exist, have existed all along, yet we’re still talking about whether or not the writing of stories like them is important. It seems, sometimes, as though the “speculative” in “speculative fiction” isn’t taken seriously enough. It’s certainly not pushed hard enough. Maybe it’s time we pushed a little harder.
Title: Dark Matter: Reading the BonesEditor: Sheree R. Thomas
ISBN: 978-0446693776
Publisher: Aspect, 2005
Buy It @ Your Local Bookseller or Amazon
Title: Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and SpainEditors: Andrea L. Bell, Yolanda Molina-Gavilan
ISBN: 978-0819566348
Publisher: Wesleyan, 2003
Buy It @ Your Local Bookseller or Amazon
Two more books to add to my to read list!
Thanks for tuning me in to Cosmos Latinos it is nice to know that the first two volumes of Dark Matter aren’t the only ones out there. Though I think you should’ve added So Long Been Dreaming into the mix, which features writers from post-colonial cultures. Unless you haven’t had the chance to review it yet. No harm, no foul either way though.
I see it frequently stated that quality is more important than diversity, to the point where you would think quality and diversity couldn’t live in the same story.
Not to be picky, but I can’t see anyone in the two links you point to saying this. Who, exactly, where you thinking of?
There are comments from editors saying that they read for the quality of the story independent of the diversity of its author, yes — but while there are good arguments against that, it’s a separate issue from the one you’re setting up here.
I can’t see anyone in those discussions, nor can I remember anyone at the time, saying that they think the quality of a story is independent of the content of a story. Indeed, I would say the opposite is increasingly common — over the past few years I’ve seen plenty of praise for, say, Ian McDonald and Geoff Ryman because they have imagined non-Western futures.
I don’t know for sure, but what I assumed she meant by that are the constant cries of “I just pick the best stories, I don’t care if the author is black, white, or purple!”
Think about adding S.R. Sarai’s “The Shun-Ur: Choosing Deceit”. Awesome book!