Dr. M. Giulia Fabi

Dr. Fabi came all the way from Italy to be interviewed by me. Just kidding, but I was lucky enough to catch her while she was passing through the States to talk to her about her book, Passing and the Rise of the African American novel. In one chapter she talks about pre 20th century African American utopian fiction. She covers authors like Sutton E. Griggs, Frances E. W. Harper and Charles W. Chesnutt. The book is an excellent analysis of the novels in the context of the utopian literature of the day. She is also working on a new work on African American utopian fiction where she will be digging up alot of lost texts.

Maryland Trip, Dr. Gregory Hampton

Just came back from Maryland where my crew and I interviewed Dr. Gregory Hampton, the professor from Howard University who put together the first event that I videotaped for the documentary in 2003. A New Frontier: Blacks in Science Fiction brought in Octavia Butler, Steven Barnes, Tananarive Due and Nalo Hopkinson. There were also a number of papers read from different academics during the two-day event where the focus was on Blacks, Literature and Science/Speculative Fiction. Dr. Hampton is currently publishing two works, one on Octavia Butler and the other a review of his 2003 conference. Good Interview, nice long drive.

Philadephia Trip, L. A. Banks

Philly seems to be the spot for me and this project. We interviewed L. A. Banks today and I have to say that this woman is not only a prolific writer but a really good person. Her story is amazing, her writing the result of desire, necessity and creativity. She has not only written a number of romance novels but is as of this writing up to her 6th vampire huntress novel with 3 more in the works. Her fan base is dedicated and amazing too. I've had the opportunity to be present at several events where she has spoke on panels and the room is always filled with laughter. Check this woman's work out and don't be surprised if you see the vampire huntress in the theatres in the future!

L. A. Banks

Gaylaxicon 2005

Gaylaxicon 2005 takes place in Boston, Massachusetts this year from 1 - 4 July 2005. It's an annual and national Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Friends Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Gaming Convention.I won't be able to go this year because of prior engagements but I'm interested in the invisibility that GLBT people have played in SF and how it is similar to the invisibility of Black representations. Maybe next year I can incorporate IU into the programming with my discussion of Jewelle Gomez's The Guilda Stories. Next year its in Toronto.

Gaylaxicon 2005

Connecticutt Trip, Prof. William Foster

Prof. Foster is amazing! He is just another example of these wonderfully intelligent people I have had the honor to meet along the way to making this documentary a reality. He is a comic book historian. I had never heard of such a title previous to my encounter with him at ECBACC 3 last year. Well this past ECBACC 4 he gave a wonderful talk about the history of Blacks in Comics. I have to say he took me back to my youth when I received X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, etc. comic books from my grandmother. The interview with him was just as energetic and informative. The only crazy part was that we took the train up, then halfway there, due to track construction we ended up on a small, stinky and crowded city bus with all our equipment, sitting next to a few over partied men still hung over from the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City from the day before... ;0) -) Oh well.

ECBACC 4 in Philadelphia

Okay this is my second attendance to the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention. This year was most definitely bigger and better than the previous event. This two day event takes place every year at Temple University in Philly and showcases the growing world of Blacks in comics. Last year I documented the event. This year I had the opportunity to participate on a panel and have a table where I showed the trailer and sold Invisible Universe tee shirts as part of my fundraising end. It was a great event and I got to meet and talk with a variety of Black folk who participate in the world of comics as creators, historians, academics and fans. Check them out!

East Coast Black Age of Comics

TV Interview on The New Yorkers

So after a few of my artist friends suddenly appeared on this local tv interview program in New York City entitled the New Yorkers, hosted by Jim Chladek, I found myself on the show too… I was convinced that not only would it make for a good segment for my press kit, but also it would be a hilarious experience. I don't know about the press kit part yet but it most definitely was truly funny. So it seems that the host, Jim Chladek is this millionaire who owns numerous local tv stations around the country. So much for a second career. Anyway I call the show and a couple of days later I get a call back from a guy who acts as producer, talent wrangler, PA and all around nice guy. The station is located inside this building on the 23rd street on the east side. Apparently on the lower floor is a fireman's union? The studios there are really makeshift but somehow it seems to work really well. Kinda funny after years of studying film and working in film departments and low budget projects, I can so see myself in a place like this, running the video playback or something. I have to say mostly everybody who works there was really really nice. It was very professional. Now the green room, where the talent waits their turn to go on, was quite an eccletic place. Besides myself and my girlfriend, there was a fashion designer and store owner. Her store, Gaelyn and Cianfarani is also on the east side of town. We mostly had some small chit chat about my documentary and her designs. Btw, the producer/talent wrangler/etc. apparently thought she was a man because of her very short haircut, slightly deep voice and unusual first name and it was interesting how he tried to tip toe around gender identity conversation with her. Also that night was a guy who wrote and self-published a "a black man and why he loves white women" type of book. His black girlfriend was with him, I think. Lol. There was also some independent exercise and erotic dance instructor. Thats all I'll say about that. Coincidently next door to our studio is another studio where a porn show is shot by a "slightly" older woman with quite a few fetish interests...

The World, the Flesh and the Devil

Just found a bootleg dvd of the 1959 film, "The World, the Flesh and the Devil" directed by Ranald MacDougall and starring Harry Belafonte. This is a "last man on earth" genre film and it seems this film was "inspired" by a story by M.P. Shiel called "The Purple Cloud." M.P. Shiel is interesting because he was the son of an Irish Methodist minister and formerly enslaved "Mulatta" from the Caribbean. From things I've been able to find thus far, he was never perceived as a person of mixed heritage and passed as a "white" man. Will get to the book soon and do a comparison of the two stories...

Speculative Race Film???

Chloe, early black speculative film, starring Molly Day, a Race film about a "Black Voodoo Mistress."

It's been 2 years since officially began the Invisible Universe documentary... and so far, I've read alot of books, watched alot of films, and have met and interviewed alot of people.

Radio Interview for W.U.R.D. 900 AM Philly

Philly is a really interesting place. It kind of reminds me of where I grew up in Newark, New Jersey. Its a place with a large African American population and this is no statistic I've looked up. I can see it. Its a mix of struggle and progress like my homecity. Black folk who are caught up in the mess of poverty and racism and Black folk who are very progressive. Its like one time I was there documenting a Black SF panel one minute and the next minute there a police car chase going on between Temple University and the railroad station. (Compliments to Sheree Renee Thomas for that bit of info) Anyway another way its like Newark is that it has access to a local radio station which has an element of progressive Black programming. I remember growing up listening to Gary Imhotep Byrd first on a local station in Jersey and then at the old WLIB. So its a few days before I am to participate in a Blacks in SF writing panel at Temple and I get an email from Maurice Waters of Black SCI FI.COM about being on a radio show to promote the panel. So here I sat one night, sweaty and dirty (I was in the middle of my capoeira class) sitting in the hall of the new Alvin Ailey Studios in NYC on my cell phone being interviewed by the host Jeffrey Hart.