7. Nnedi Okorafor
It’s a sad fact of science fiction history that the early and not-so-early years are practically devoid of people of color. That’s not to say that POC authors weren’t working in the genre, but that they did not receive the recognition that they deserved until shamefully late. Octavia E. Butler, who was often claimed as the first black sci-fi author to gain attention commensurate with her work, didn’t start receiving that attention until the 1970s.
Though modern science fiction still has quite a lot of work to do when it comes to recognizing POC authors, it’s a far sight better than the early days. Modern writers are now proving themselves to be formidable authors within the genre.
Take Nnedi Okorafor, for instance. After scoliosis surgery tanked her athletic career, Okorafor turned to writing and academia — as she mentioned on Twitter, she started writing in the hospital. However, she went on to graduate from the sci-fi Clarion Writers Workshop and earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Now, she’s both a successful, sci-fi author and a full-time writing professor at SUNY Buffalo.
Though she gained attention and numerous awards for her short fiction and young adult books, Okorafor’s first adult novel has brought her even more attention. Who Fears Death was published in 2011 and subsequently won that year’s World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. It follows Onyesonwu (“Who Fears Death”) a girl born in a post-apocalyptic Africa with strange powers. Onyesonwu must learn how to harness her powers in order to stop the genocide of her people and bring peace to the land.