Teaching Counterstorytelling with Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone
Title and/or Affiliation
Tabitha Lowery, Coastal Carolina University
Presenter Bio
Tabitha Lowery is an assistant professor in the English Department and Associate Director of the Charles Joyner Institute of Gullah and African Diaspora Studies at Coastal Carolina University. She currently teaches African American literature courses, and her research recovers alternative representations of early Black authors. She has received honors and awards for her teaching and scholarship.
Session
Panel: Teaching Black Speculative Fiction
Location
Zoom
Start Date
28-6-2024 1:15 PM
End Date
28-6-2024 2:30 PM
Abstract
The fantasy genre continues to lack cultural and racial diversity in many of its stories which can lead to problematic depictions of marginalized characters. When BIPOC characters do not appear as full and complex individuals, they often remain marginal to the story. Counterstorytelling, a tenet of Critical Race Theory (CRT), can re-center BIPOC experiences and even help teachers develop assignments that de-center Eurocentrism in writing. Counternarratives, or stories that center marginalized people’s experiences, are useful tools for engaging students in English classes. Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone (2018) serves as a great example of a Counterstory and represents one approach to helping students engage with stories that feature Black protagonists who fight for equity and justice. This presentation will highlight useful strategies, such as assignment prompts, handouts, and a rubric, to introduce students to Counterstorytelling as a theoretical concept. Additionally, it will discuss how teachers can use Children of Blood and Bone to support antiracist pedagogy in high school literature classes.
Teaching Counterstorytelling with Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone
Zoom
The fantasy genre continues to lack cultural and racial diversity in many of its stories which can lead to problematic depictions of marginalized characters. When BIPOC characters do not appear as full and complex individuals, they often remain marginal to the story. Counterstorytelling, a tenet of Critical Race Theory (CRT), can re-center BIPOC experiences and even help teachers develop assignments that de-center Eurocentrism in writing. Counternarratives, or stories that center marginalized people’s experiences, are useful tools for engaging students in English classes. Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone (2018) serves as a great example of a Counterstory and represents one approach to helping students engage with stories that feature Black protagonists who fight for equity and justice. This presentation will highlight useful strategies, such as assignment prompts, handouts, and a rubric, to introduce students to Counterstorytelling as a theoretical concept. Additionally, it will discuss how teachers can use Children of Blood and Bone to support antiracist pedagogy in high school literature classes.