Calling all Afrofuturists, steampunks and dieselpunks…get yo @ss to the past that never was at the Cocoa Cabaret! DJ Apryl Reign, 2010 Red Bull Thre3Style regional winner, will spin a set of electroswing/house music and there will be a costume contest for the best-dressed attendees. Tarot card reader, jewelry vendors and more. Don’t forget to dress in steampunk/dieselpunk/Roaring ’20s attire! Admission: $5. 8-11 p.m., The Greenwich. 2442 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills (Cincinnati, Ohio 45206)
For the uninitiated, steampunk is “a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery and is often set in an alternative history of the 19th century’s British Victorian era or American ‘Wild West’ in which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power” (think movies like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Steamboy, Howl’s Moving Castle and Hugo). In recent years, more people of color who are interested in steampunk – African-Americans, Hispanics, Indians, Asians and the indigenous people of what is now known as the Americas, etc. – have been forging their own way in the genre in an attempt to include other parts of the world in this universe. From literature to fashion to music, minorities are putting their own spin on what has traditionally been a populated by mostly white authors and creators.
The Cocoa Cabaret is an attempt to draw more POCs into steampunk and should be a healthy mix of veterans steampunks and newbies. Don’t know what to wear? If you’re in the Cincinnati area, Ofeibea Loveless is doing “Steampunk Your Closet” consultations. Email her at captainloveless@gmail.com to schedule one today!
Midwest Black Speculative Fiction Alliance 