A sharp, hilarious essay collection from the creators of Black Nerd Problems, this pop culture manifesto celebrates fandom and representation through a bold Black perspective that "will fill you with joy and give you hope for the future of geek culture" (Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
When William Evans and Omar Holmon launched Black Nerd Problems, they set out to create a space for thoughtful, funny conversations about comics, gaming, television, and science fiction from the point of view of people of color. What began as a small corner of the internet quickly grew into a vibrant community hungry for fresh takes on everything from Mario Kart and Game of Thrones to X-Men and superhero blockbusters.
In this energetic collection of cultural criticism and personal essays, Evans and Holmon tackle representation in media, the politics of fandom, grief and masculinity, internet culture, and the evolving landscape of geek identity. Whether breaking down blockbuster franchises or examining real-world events through a nerd lens, they blend humor, insight, and unapologetic honesty.
Smart, irreverent, and deeply thoughtful, this book offers a powerful and entertaining look at modern geek culture-and who gets to belong in it. William Evans is an author, speaker, performer, and instructor known for founding the Writing Wrongs Poetry Slam and cofounding the popular website Black Nerd Problems. He has been a national finalist in multiple poetry slam competitions and was the recipient of both the 2016 Sustainable Arts Foundation Grant and the 2018 Spirit of Columbus Foundation Grant. The Callaloo and Watering Hole fellow is the author of three poetry collections and currently lives with his family in Columbus, Ohio. He is an MFA candidate at Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Omar Holmon lives as he writes, one nerd reference at a time. Recognized by Rutgers University as a distinguished Alumnus Poet, he is the author of the poetry collection We Were All Someone Else Yesterday and cofounder of the website Black Nerd Problems. Omar's voice is one that makes a home across numerous demographics. Like A Beautiful Mind but with more comic book and movie quotes, Omar is able to find the correlation between pop culture and any body of work, using humor in his social commentary to make serious points.
