Black Future Month: February 2021 Book + Bottle Pairing
Here at Book + Bottle, inclusivity is one of our top values. We believe that everyone matters every day, and while we certainly love to celebrate special moments in time, we also strongly believe that we should celebrate diversity and inclusivity every day. You’ll see that value executed on our shelves and racks all year long. From authors of color, immigrant voices, works in translation, multiple angles of politics, own voices, diverse genres, lgbt perspectives, and so much more. We think it’s so important to represent the way the world looks and to expose ourselves to a breadth of perspectives.
I think that was why I was so intrigued by the title of this month’s book by N. K. Jemisin, How Long ‘Til Black Future Month. Why so frequently do we look backwards without also looking forward? Can we truly envision a world where people are finally equal or even where black people wield the same power held for so long by white men? One of the reasons that this theme is so important is because for so long people who did not fit a very specific mold of white, straight, middle-class-ness didn’t appear much at all in the literary canon. That exclusion is the problem. It’s hard to imagine a black future if so often there isn’t even a black present. So that’s why we choose to be inclusive. We’re curating the present and building the future that we want to see.
THE BOOK
I love that this book hits so many genres - it’s short stories, it’s fantasy, it’s speculative fiction. It’s also just really good. No matter what kind of stories you like, How Long ‘Til Black Future Month includes something for everyone. Some of Jemisin’s imagined worlds look awfully similar to ours, with characters that have an air about them that seem just ever so slightly un-Earth-like. Others, are fantastical worlds with swirling red skies, dragons, magical food, and cities that speak. In some of the stories, Jemisin retells historical narratives with a twist that brings redemption for the wronged black characters. In others, we enter a futuristic universe we’ve never seen before where the rules of the past don’t dictate the progress of the future. There are worlds that invite us in and those that strike fear into our hearts and make us question if they could ever become reality. This genre allows us to think about the consequences of our actions in a safer way.
Some people have commented to me in the past that while short stories can be enjoyable, the book as a whole can be hard to hold your attention because there’s nothing to make you turn the page to find out what happens next at the end of a chapter. As someone whose attention span is mere seconds these days, I can assure you I did not find that to be true with Jemisin’s writing. Most of the stories were so compelling, I couldn’t wait to find out where we were going next. It seemed like each story grew upon the back of the prior as I was sucked in to Jemison’s worlds.
Jemisin is a powerful writer. Her stories are imbued with themes of “resistance to oppression, the inseverability of the liminal, and the coolness of Stuff Blowing Up”. Jemison was the first author in the genre’s history to win three consecutive Best Novel Hugos (the top literary award for science fiction writing), for her Broken Earth trilogy and was the first black person to win a Hugo for a novel. She has also been an advocate for the long tradition of science fiction and fantasy as political resistance. (Read more from Jemison here.)
THE WINE
To pair with the magic in some of Jemisin’s more fantastical stories and her magic as an author, we thought we’d crack into a bottle of some liquid black girl magic, too. As you can tell, I love a good story and the story of this winery is pure magic. McBride Sisters Winery is owned by two sisters who only met halfway through their lives - one grew up in New Zealand and one grew up in California. Hailing from two of the top wine regions in the world, coupled with their individual yet mutual passions for wine, led them to believe that their meeting was meant to be, so they opened a winery together and named it the McBride Sisters. You can watch a heartfelt interview with them here.
The McBride sisters have a couple different brands of wine, and multiple varietals in each line, so it was hard to pick which one we wanted to feature. But alas, February is the month of love and valentines and perfect weather, so we picked a Rosé for your porch-drinking pleasure. This one is from the Black Girl Magic collection “which is Robin and Andréa’s personal ode to their culture and story, inspired by the magic and resilience of Black women, to be enjoyed by all.” The grapes grown for the Black Girl Magic range of wines come from prestigious vineyards located in the Paso Robles, Edna Valley and Monterey AVA’s of the Central Coast of California. This wine is light and fruity - with just-ripe peaches, crisp lemons, strawberries, and orange blossoms. It would pair excellently with fresh fish, herby potato salad, or an old fashioned grilled chicken sandwich.
The point of this pairing this month is to expose you to this black girl magic, and for you to see its future every where you look. I hope you enjoy!
In honor of love, Valentine’s Day, and Black History Month, please remember:
Black Lives Matter. Women’s rights are human rights. No human is illegal. Science is real. Love is love. Kindness is everything.
