It’s a really warm spring day and you and your friends are at a club in northern Kentucky on the Ohio River. You see a beautiful person and, because you know, you recognize they are of the Ikaki (fish folk). Use Big Boss Vette’s “Snatched” as inspiration. According to The Wagadu Chronicles, the Ikaki people are “fishers, soothsayers and sometimes pirates.”
We were supposed to close out #BlackFaeMay with our virtual program on May 21 but we decided to go for four weekend programs in a row and add this outdoor skating session at Court Street Plaza on May 29! Let’s us know if you’re coming (RSVP on Facebook)! Even if you can’t/don’t skate, it’ll be fun! Admission is $2 and skate rental is $5 (or you can bring your own skates!). Costumes welcome!
You’re a child of Mami Wata living in Cincinnati near a body of water (your choice of Mill Creek or the Little Miami). You’re a clean water rights activist trying to get city council to help clean up pollution.
Note: Mami Wata (Mammy Water), or La Sirene, is a water spirit venerated in West, Central, Southern Africa, and in the African diaspora in the Americas. Mami Wata spirits are usually female but are sometimes male.
Thanks to everyone who came out for the Black Fae Day meetup! The rain held off and we were able to frolic in Mt. Airy Arboretum without worrying about getting soaked. 🧚🏾🧚🏾♀️🧚🏾♂️ We looked around for a different place to hold this year’s meetup but ultimately decided to go back to the Arboretum – it really is the PERFECT place for this kind of event. Thanks to our amazing photographers Teddie Parker of Teddie P, Co., Salim Williams of NyteVisions Photography, Brittney Johnson of Happy Bubbles Images and Aren Hageman-Johnson! (Note: Photos will be posted here as we receive them.)
Continue reading “Black Fae Day 2022”
Let’s continue the MerMay theme by creating a story including an Inkanyamba. According to Wikipedia, “The Inkanyamba is a legendary serpent said to be living in a waterfall lake area in the northern forests near Pietermaritzburg most commonly in the base of Howick Falls, South Africa.”
Write a story based on the concept behind this tweet.
Happy Black Fae May! If you’re looking for programming around Cincinnati to celebrate magical Black folks this month, we got you! Bring your kids to listen to griot Deondra Kamau Means on May 7, wear your best fairy/cryptid costume to our #BlackFaeDay meetup on May 14 (FYI this is a safe space for Black folks), and/or join us on YouTube for a chat about Black folklore as Black speculative fiction on May 21! We look forward to seeing you!
Write a flash story based on the character that fits you best.
Come and help us kick off the magic of Black Fae May by listening to some folktales told by griot Deondra Kamau Means at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, at the Lincoln Recreation Center in Over-the-Rhine! This program is brought to you by Midwest BSFA in partnership with the Robert O’Neal Multicultural Art Center and the Afrakan Artist Alliance. RSVP on our Facebook page.
After two years, the Motor City Black Age of Comics & Manga Convention is back! If you’re in the metro Detroit area, drop by if you can. For more information, visit www.motorcityblackage.com.
Midwest Black Speculative Fiction Alliance 