Preface:

Humans read and listen to stories not only to be informed but also as a way to enter worlds that are not like our own. When people of color seek passageways into the fantastic, however, they often discover that the doors are barred. Even the act of dreaming of worlds-that-never-were can be challenging when the known world does not provide many liberatory spaces. The success of new narratives such as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic universe, Black Light-ning on DC TV, and the blossoming of Afrofuturistic and Black fantastic tales, proves that all people need new my-thologies. This seminar examined multiple theoretical and pedagogical aspects of the fantastic, focusing on illustrated materials—including picture books, comics, and graphic novels. It cultivated a keen understanding of how such ma-terials can be used in 21st century elemen-tary/middle/secondary literacy curricula. Students complet-ed course projects that focus on illustrated texts in specific classroom, research, critical, theoretical, home, community, and/or professional contexts.