richardmurray

MY THOUGHTS

new forms of magic generated by black joy during the harlem renaissance:) The first thing in my mind is, AZLouise has turned magic into a mortal technology, a technology that changes over time. In contrast to how magic is commonly treated. When you look at high john, his magical ability to avoid massah doesn't even have language. High john simply knows it. MAgic is a technology to high john but it is something intrinsic. It isn't new it is ancient. When you think of legends from candomble preist or preisteses, the orisha can take you over today with stellites or drones or cell phones no different than when the whipping post was the center of salvador bahia. Magic is a tool but ti is timeless. Even in harry potter. Hermione's parents are dentist and yet she is mastering ancient spells let wyndgaridum leviosa<bad spelling> which hasn't evolved or changed since first constructrusted. Magic is a tool but it has a primordial essence. 
But in AZ Louise's book, without reading it, based on the premise in this video, magic has new forms, magic has new sources of energy. That is an uncommon take. A winter's tale from helprin had a little of what you are doing more robustly. I just got the wishing pool from tananarive due in the mail so I can't ompare the magic in that books tales. but if I recall I will comment back here.

nice , good work Thistle , it's kickstarter is already set, by the time  I saw this.  You will be proud of me, I think I will do a reading series on tumblr live.

The cover is clearly romare bearden inspired:) ala the new negro movement often called the harlem renaissance.  With people on the roof of the tenements that is a place I can't recall anyone else writing was the foundry of new magic.  

LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H98pR4Bx0-0