We recently talked to Broooklynite Noa M., the creator of #BIPOCWitchDay, which takes place on Oct. 23 & 24!
Midwest BSFA: How did you come up with the idea for BIPOC Witch Day?
NM: Since I’ve seen Black Fae Day and BIPOC Vamp Day take off so well, I thought to myself, why not make my own day? I thought about it one day and asked my friends if I should do it. When they immediately said yes, BOOM, BIPOC Witch Day was born.
SAVE THE DATE: We’re hosting a futuristic write-in session over on our Discord from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Nov. 17! We’ll be writing around a doozy of a premise that our co-founder came up with so if you’re interested in participating email midwestbsfa@gmail.com for the link to our Discord server!
We recently talked to Virginia native Alexandra H., the creator of #BIPOCWerewolf Day, which takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 20!
Midwest BSFA: How did you come up with the idea for #BIPOCWerewolfDay?
AH: After seeing the reception for Black fae, BIPOC vamp, and Black mermaid days, I wanted to have the werewolves have their own, too. I debated about it a lot about actually doing it…not sure how people will take it. Werewolf media hasn’t always been the best and many werewolf fans have to fall back on creating their own stories and works to make up for it.
In honor of Black Speculative Fiction Month, we’re hosting a live tweet of Black indie short films with the folks over at #SaturdayNightSciFi on Saturday, Oct. 23,! Just log on to Twitter and use the hashtag to follow along. The fun begins at 10 p.m. EST so don’t miss it!
We talked to Jasmine La Fleur (aka Halcyon Crowe), the creator of Black Fae Day! This weekend, she and her fae following are celebrating the Sankofa Solstice, the virtual wrap-up event for the 2021 Black Fae Day season.
Midwest BSFA: How did you come up with the idea for #BlackFaeDay and the Sankofa Solstice?
La Fleur: I was scrolling through all the cosplays from #28DaysOfBlackCosplay in February and didn’t want the magic to end. For the last couple of birthdays, I’ve done something special for myself. Over quarantine lockdown I had a “costzoom” party with my family and wanted to replicate that fun. I knew Twitter had the potential to send my dream to many different people, but I had little social media presence. I only knew that the best case scenario would be social media flooding with positive images of Black people in fantasy and fairytale cosplay.
Meet your Black faekin at the Ohio Renaissance Festival from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11! DM the #BlackFaeDay account on Facebook or Instagram for a special discount code before you buy your ticket!
#BIPOCVampDay is Sept. 17-19 and we talked to the creator of the event, Jamila C. of Black Bettie Cosplay.
Midwest BSFA: How’d you get into cosplay?
J.C.: I have been doing costuming for a long time. I studied it in college and sewed from a young age. I learned that people were dressing up to conventions after I graduated and wanted to continue making costumes as a hobby.
Midwest BSFA: How did you come up with the idea for #BIPOCBVampDay?
J.C.: I was inspired by the Black Fae Day event this year. As someone absolutely obsessed with vampires since childhood, I’ve always noticed a lack of Black and POC vampires in the media despite the diverse lore that actually exists around the world. Also, I know many BIPOC friends that have experienced backlash for being Black and cosplaying as a vampire. This day is to encourage more representation and showcase all the amazing vampire mythology and characters that do exist but aren’t at the forefront.
We had a great convo over for Queen City Black Comix Day, part 2, last weekend! Thanks to Victor, Ricky, and Juice for hanging out with us! 
If you missed the panel, you can watch on YouTube: https://t.co/U9QI7iUBsm
Ricky Pleasant of Breakaway Comics will discuss his comic book Princess Ziya and the Golden Orchid during our Queen City Black Comix Day virtual comics creators panel at 2:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 31, on the Midwest BSFA YouTube channel!
Midwest BSFA: How did you come up with this concept and why?
Pleasant: During the height of the pandemic, my wife and I were babysitting our niece and nephew, and the activities they really enjoy doing with us is drawing and storytelling. They were coming up with all of these super imaginative characters and backstories, that’s when the concept came to me: tell half of the story and let the kids finish it how they want. So I came up with my own characters and asked them what they thought would happen to them. I hope that the comics from Breakaway Comics not only encourage kids to read more, but spark their imagination and think about how they want the story to end. It’s a great way for families to come together and get their creative juices flowing!
