Beyond Labels: Why I Write Futurism

Science fiction has always been my favorite genre. This essay explores my appreciation for Afrofuturism, the influence of Octavia Butler, and why I ultimately think of myself as a writer of speculative fiction whose stories are grounded in the shared human experience.

Octavia Butler and the Stories That Shaped Me

I've loved science fiction for as long as I can remember.

Like many Black writers, one of the authors who shaped my imagination more than anyone else was Octavia Butler. Her stories challenged me, unsettled me, and inspired me in ways few books ever have. She didn't simply ask what the future might look like. She asked what humanity might become. Those questions have stayed with me ever since.

What has always fascinated me about Butler's work is how difficult it is to place into a single category. Race certainly appears throughout her writing because it's part of the human experience. Kindred confronts America's history of slavery directly, and it remains one of the most important novels ever written. Beyond Kindred, however, her stories explored power, evolution, community, survival, faith, identity, and what it means to be human. Race was present, but it rarely became the destination of the story.

That's had a tremendous influence on how I approach my own writing.

Why Afrofuturism Matters

I understand why the term Afrofuturism exists.

For generations, African Americans were largely excluded from visions of the future. Science fiction imagined distant planets, advanced civilizations, artificial intelligence, and humanity's next evolutionary leap, yet people who looked like us were often missing from those stories. Afrofuturism helped reclaim that space. It reminded the world that Black people belong in every vision of tomorrow and have every right to shape it.

I appreciate that history, and I appreciate the creativity that continues to come from the genre. Writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and creators across the African diaspora have expanded science fiction in remarkable ways.

Why I Don't Personally Identify as an Afrofuturist

At the same time, I've realized that I don't personally think of myself as an Afrofuturist.

When I sit down to write, I'm not thinking about writing Black science fiction. I'm thinking about writing the best speculative fiction I can. The stories I want to tell explore consciousness, technology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, belief, and humanity's relationship with the unknown.

I'm also an African American writer.

That naturally influences my work. Most of my protagonists are Black because that's the world I know best. Their conversations, families, humor, and perspectives are shaped by experiences that are familiar to me. I don't have to consciously add representation because it already exists in the stories I want to tell.

To me, that's simply authenticity.

Representation and the Freedom to Tell Human Stories

I've always wondered why our stories need an additional label once race enters the conversation. When authors from other backgrounds write speculative fiction, we call it science fiction or fantasy. Their culture enriches the work without becoming its defining category.

I've always wanted that same freedom.

Not because I want to distance myself from Black storytelling. Quite the opposite. I believe Black storytelling is part of the larger human story. Our experiences deserve to stand alongside every other perspective without being separated from them.

Our imagination isn't limited by our ethnicity.

Neither are the questions we ask.

The Divine Masquerade and My Philosophy of Storytelling

In The Divine Masquerade, my characters reflect the communities and experiences that shaped me, but the ideas driving the story reach much further. The series asks questions about consciousness, technology, belief, identity, and whether humanity is prepared for the truths it seeks to uncover.

Those are questions that belong to everyone.

I hope Black readers see themselves in my stories because representation matters. I hope readers from every background can also find something that resonates with them. The highest compliment I can receive is hearing someone say they were completely immersed in the world and forgot about everything else for a while.

Stories have always had the power to cross borders that people create.

I think that's one of the reasons science fiction has always been my favorite genre. It invites us to imagine future worlds where our differences still exist, but they no longer determine the limits of our imagination.

Looking Toward the Future

Representation will always matter.

My hope is that we continue moving toward a future where Black creators don't have to justify our place in speculative fiction because everyone already assumes we belong there. At that point, our stories won't need permission to exist. They'll simply be part of the larger conversation about what it means to be human.

That's the future I hope to help write.