Genre Blocks: Urban Fantasy

Genre Blocks brings together a librarian and an author to discuss specific genres from two deeply involved but different perspectives. Kim Harrison, author of The Hollows series, teamed up with librarian Leanne Ellis to discuss Urban Fantasy.

The conference program quotes Wikipedia's explanation of Urban Fantasy as “a subset of contemporary fantasy, consisting of magical novels and stories set in contemporary, real-world, urban settings -- as opposed to traditional fantasy set in wholly imaginary landscapes.”

Urban Fantasy comes in two flavors. In an open setting, magic or paranormal events are commonly accepted, as in Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels. In a closed setting, magical powers or creatures are concealed, as in Harry Potter or Twilight.

A common trait of Urban Fantasy is a first person female protagonist. These characters frequently, to quote Ellis, “kick ass and don't take any lip.”

As the name indicates, the stories are set in urban locales. The culture of that urban area sets the tone for the story and offers a unique way of presenting situations and conflicts. Supernatural creatures may come in many shades of good and evil and distinctions between each side may be subtle. Leanne Ellis noted that in more modern novels, the protagonist has a strong sense of good vs. evil and right vs. wrong and faces the perilous challenge of deciding between the two.

The genre comprises a cornucopia of supernatural creatures from vampires and werewolves to faeries and sprites. Different authors may have different ways of presenting the worlds they create, but any paranormal system has its own set of rules. Even when those rules don't go hand in hand with traditional rules (for example, vampires that come out in the sunshine and sparkle), a good author will provide the reader with what they need to believe that their system works.

Ellis gave readers advisory suggestions for the genre: readers who enjoy fiction that possesses a magical or mythic view of reality, like Alice Hoffman's books, might make a comfortable shift to Urban Fantasy if they can appreciate a well built fantasy story as well. Similarly, books that combine mystery, sexual tension, and humor like Janet Evanovich's series may be a good introduction to Urban Fantasy which prises those same elements.

Ellis provided a long list of recommended reading, which I will omit, but the names that seemed to come up the most were:
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull (this was essentially the first book in the genre and is essential reading for the genre)
Borderland by Terry Windling
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher

Two resources for the genre that Ellis recommends are Romantic Times, which reviews romances but has a section devoted to Urban Fantasy; and the website Urban Fantasyland : http://urbanfantasyland.com/

During the second half of the panel, Ellis interviewed Kim Harrison about her books, which I transcribed as best I could below:

Where did Rachel come from?
Desperation. It started as short story and took over. I wasn't big on urban fantasy at time and when I was writing it, I thought it should be fantasy... I had no idea Urban Fantasy would explode like it has. I just brought it together in a way that worked for me... I fell in love with the characters. It was something magical, but with the girl next door.

Did you come up with Rachel and work the world around her or did the world come first?
I used to think the world came first, but as I watched my writing style develop, I realized that it's the character that comes first. I just start with a name and an attitude, put them in a situation and see how they react. It's like when you sit down with a person for the first time, you get to know them and go from there. It's definitely the character that comes first.

As you write, do you find you go places you didn't think you'd go?
My writing style is based around the plot. I will spend two weeks writing out the plot, then write the dialog from there. But I never write out the relationships. The relationships evolve on their own... which can get me in trouble because at page 200 some of the little things don't work out and I have to re-write my plot.

Why vampires and werewolves, why did you include those beings?
A lot of that came from early reading; I loved the Sci Fi greats and things like The Blue Book of Fairy Tales, The Red Book of Fairy Tales, and The Brown Book of Fairy Tales. They were huge and I felt good when I was reading them. It was often the same fairy tale told different ways. Another influence was Ray Bradbury. He wrote about monsters in one book and they were right downtown. I read it and thought to myself, “How powerful, as a writer.” I try to bring the monsters in. I don't see them as vampires, I see them as the dark side of us.


Audience Q+A:

Do you ever get feedback from the Wiccan community?
I used to get quite a bit when the books first came out. Most were along the lines of “are you Wiccan?” and “Where do you get your research?” I'm not Wiccan, but I've learned from the Wiccan community who has contacted me that lot of my magic is organized the same way that Wicca is, which I found kind of interesting.

You're very popular in prison libraries, possibly due to six inch heels on the cover. You don't handle covers i assume?
No no. Actually, the majority of my readership is female between the ages of 19-45. Because of the cover design, male readership is growing by leaps and bounds. I get a lot of firemen and a lot of cops as well.

What started the Clint Eastwood connection?
I really like characters that CE plays, especially in his westerns. A loner coming in that can take care of town's problems but not necessarily eager to do so. But he does so in a just way, though not necessarily legally... I like that kind of character. Another reason is marketability. If a reader goes into a bookstore and asks for “that urban fantasy book with the blue cover” it's not much help, so if they tag onto the fact that it's got a Clint Eastwood title, it's easier for readers to get the book they're after.

Rebecca Krznarich, Reference and Adult Services Librarian, Whitman Public Library

Genre Block: Street Lit

From the conference program:
"Sometimes called Street Lit, sometimes Urban Lit, this genre of fiction is growing in popularity in areas beyond big cities. It is probably one of the more misunderstood genres as well."

Speakers:

Carin O’Connor, Acting Branch Librarian, Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library, began by asking participants if they had heard of:
True to the Game

Flyy Girl

Push

Coldest Winter Ever

Zane

Several people raised their hands, so Carin wondered why they were here! She went on to speak about how these books and authors were originally kept behind the circ desk when she first went to work at her branch because "they were so nasty." But these are the books that teens want to read. Now they are out in the stacks, but are seldom on the shelves for long.


She gave a brief overview of Urban Lit classics:
Down These Mean Streets/Piri Thomas, 1965
Pimp/Iceberg Slim, 1967
Dopefiend/Donald Gomes, 1971
Coldest Winter Ever/Sista Souljah, 1999
Flyy Girl/Omar Tyree, 2001
B More Careful/Shannon Holmes, 2001
Addicted/Zane, 2001


Sara Slymon, Branch Librarian, Mattapan Branch of the Boston Public Library spoke about the population her branch serves. 35% of the population of Mattapan is under 18. Urban lit is a nascent genre, literally changing from week to week and hard to keep up with, sparked by the publication of Coldest Winter Ever by Sista Souljah, who self-published the book and sold it out of the trunk of her car. The entrepreneurship of these authors is astounding; they use guerilla marketing and street teams to sell their books.

What people say, pro and con, about the effects of street lit:

• Reinforces racial stereotypes
• Helps urban youth deal with issues they encounter in their lives
• Has reinvigorated mom and pop bookstores
• Offers moral parables, showing consequences for actions
• It's entertaining

Spin offs:

• Erotica
• Christian urban fiction
• White street lit
• International translations

Tracy Brown, author of Black and Dime Piece, published by Triple Crown Publications, Criminal Minded, published by St. Martin’s Press, which was nominated for YALSA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and her most recent novel, Twisted, which comes out on May 13th.

Urban fiction gives the reader a glimpse into hard truths and harsh realities. As a mother, Tracy Brown thinks it's important that teens have something to read with which they can identify. Initially the reader is drawn in by the roughness, but a deeper look uncovers a message or lesson to be learned. Writing urban lit, for Brown, is "a chance to tell our stories." It motivates young people to read more and more. Brown feels that authors of street lit have a responsibility to depict urban life realistically without glamorizing the life-style, and that the lesson should be loud and clear. As she writes, she thinks about what would be appropriate for her own children.

"Writers are painters of words. I hope I can continue to paint clear pictures of the things my readers see."

Posted by Kathy Lowe