“H.P. Lovecraft and Racism: Moving Past the Howies.” A Special Presentation of the Panel at NecronomiCon Providence, Sat. Aug. 22, 2015.
Moderator: Niels Hobbs. Panelists: C. Morgan Grefe, Andrew Leman, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, David Nickle, Faye Ringel.
Panel Description: Lovecraft was a racist. Whether you believe that his racism was only privately expressed in letters (and somehow ignore the racist aspects of his stories) and that his views softened later in life, his racism is now an undeniable aspect of his known personality. So how can we respond to this in a productive manner, and create a weird fiction community that is welcoming of diverse voices? Within this discussion, panelists will explore how Lovecraft’s racism shaped his work, and how contemporary fans can still love the craft without necessarily loving the views.
This archival episode will be available again at This Is Horror soon. In the meantime, subscribe at iTunes or Blubrry to make sure you don’t miss an episode.
More Links:
https://davidnickle.blogspot.com/2014/08/dont-mention-war-some-thoughts-on-hp.html
https://www.silviamoreno-garcia.com/blog/necronomicon/
https://www.rifuture.org/lovecrafts-racism-a-tough-issue-at-necronomicon-providence.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/08/hp-lovecraft-125/401471/
https://www.salon.com/2014/09/11/its_ok_to_admit_that_h_p_lovecraft_was_racist/
Photo credit: Todd Chicoine
NEXT WEEK’S GUESTS: s.j. bagley and Simon Strantzas discuss new critical journal Thinking Horror.
