How has the Other evolved in fantasy? Amon Warmann, Corey Brotherson, Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson and Symoné explore representation in fantasy, and why it matters. 

The Other in fantasy has worn many faces, from alien sandworms to warring orcs, embodying fears of the unknown and the exotic, traditionally from a Western perspective.

Corey Brotherson's writing delves into the struggles of forging an identity within hostile spaces. From comic books and games to his forthcoming novel, his characters range from a modern Black warrior battling traditional Western fantasy tropes to prove herself (Magic of Myths), to a grieving fae-born MI5 secret agent attempting to claw back her history in a world all too ready to deny it (The Flower Girl).

Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson writes about marginalised people saving the world; her debut novel The Principle of Moments centres BIPOC protagonists across time and space. The work moves from a Regency Era love affair to a rescue mission in the 60th century, where a girl desperately races against time as she searches for the sister the emperor stole.

Symoné, a multidisciplinary artist and video game developer, explores and creates fantasy through a multitude of media, through a queer and Black lens. They are co-creating A Dream Within A Dream, a sound, movement and light installation piece, using an interactive narrative structure to guide audiences through experience about dreaming, fusing circus, video games, interactive technology and theatre.

In the chair is leading film and TV  critic Amon Warmann, Contributing Editor and monthly columnist for Empire Magazine and co-host of the Fade to Black podcast.

Join Brotherson, Jikiemi-Pearson and Symone? and Warmann as they explore what happens when the Other is the subject of fantasy rather than the object. Examining their own work, and examples in books, comics, films and games, they’ll discuss intersectional narratives, the reinvention of fantasy in genres such as Ken Liu’s silkpunk and solarpunk, as exemplified by Black Panther; and the importance of dismantling stereotypes in fantasy.

Black To The Future is an Afro-Futurist celebration of outstanding Black artists, a space for visionary imaginings to thrive.  A festival founded and directed by Irenosen Okojie MBE in collaboration with the Royal Society of Literature and the British Library, with a focus on invigorating dialogues and genres within which Black literature and art is flourishing.

Amon Warmann has been a film and TV critic in the UK since 2011, and became a Contributing Editor and monthly columnist at Empire Magazine in 2020. He is talkSPORT Radio's weekly film reviewer, and has written for Variety, British GQ, The Daily Mirror, and Heat Magazine. He has numerous television appearances to his name including Sky Cinema, BBC News, and Channel 4, and he is the co-host of the Fade To Black podcast.

Corey Brotherson is an award-winning Freelance Writer, Editor and Creative Consultant who has built a 22-year career in the videogames industry writing for over a dozen companies, including PlayStation, King and Apple. He is the Narrative Designer/Writer for the in-development adventure game Windrush Tales, and became a BAFTA member in 2022 after two years as a BAFTA Game Awards judge. His comic book career includes co-creating the urban fantasy series Magic of Myths, and writing/editing Yomi Ayeni’s award-winning steampunk transmedia series, Clockwork Watch.

Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson is a science-fantasy author and co-founder of the organisation Impact of Omission. Winner of the inaugural Gollancz and Rivers of London BAME SFF Award in 2020, now known as the Future Worlds Prize, her writing is invariably about Black people dismantling space empires, travelling through time, and saving the world - often simultaneously.

Symoné is a Guinness World Record-holding interdisciplinary performer, working between alternative circus skills, drag performance, theatre making, and visionary videogame design. She has created theatre productions such as "UTOPIAN (t&cs apply), a live art circus show questioning abuse of power roles and "Euphorica", a queer ensemble about queerness within nature. Symoné is currently working on a mixed-reality installation piece, "A Dream Within A Dream," in collaboration with Sammy Metcalfe. 

If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event.  

Doors and Bar open at 18.00. Half-price tickets available for Members, students, under 26s and other concession groups.  

This event accompanies the British Library exhibition Fantasy: Realms of Imagination (27 October – 25 February) supported by Wayland Games and Unwin Charitable Trust: 


 

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