You know what? You know how everyone is like where's the black sci fi? I say it's right under our noses. However, there will be spoilers for Tumbling, Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do and maybe some of Toni Morrison's work. I have noticed bits of magical realism and outright fantasy in these works. For example, Tumbling has a clairvoyant child as a plot point. This is seen as part of the scenery, much as segregation and gentrification. Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do has an alternative history, and visions in it. I wonder why no one really recognizes those elements there. I think maybe we are taught to not think of something as sci fi unless it's strictly sci fi, with a total fantasy world, and not to think of stories set in the real world, even if the implausibility of the 'coincidences' in these stories amaze and confuse. I mean seriously, in Tumbling a girl eats an entire wall. I simply don't think that is possible. Or maybe it's because people think that if it's not about white people, it can't possibly be interesting, because you know, black folks might talk about RACE OMG!!!! Or maybe we haven't been able to see fantasy and sci fi as anything but a geek thing, and we haven't been taught that normal mass market fiction can also be sci fi/fantasy. Man, I need essays from people who actually can write. What has everyone read?