My name is Jakebe. I’ve been around the fandom for a little while, but this is my first time really exploring the forums. It’s great to meet you folks!
I’ve been an aspiring writer for most of my life, and I’ve dabbled with short stories and bits of interactive fiction before. I’ve been published in Breaking the Ice: Stories from New Tibet (“Nightswimming”), HistoriMorphs and New Fables, where I’m also an associate editor. For the most part, though, I write blog entries on my site at The Writing Desk (http://www.jakebe.com) and – eventually – [adjective][species].
Recently I’ve been trying to find a voice that allows me to use my experiences within the African-American community for a different take on furry fiction. I think it’s important to use every tool in my toolbox, and that’s one that’s been neglected for a very long time. It’s a tough nut to crack, honestly – there is a lot of personal anxiety wrapped up in my background and it’s not the easiest topic to tackle to begin with. I trust that with practice, persistence and patience I’ll discover a distinct perspective.
If you’re interested in seeing what I’ve written, feel free to head on over to the blog or check me out on FurAffinity (jakebe), Weasyl (also ‘jakebe’) or SoFurry (take a guess!). A lot of the material there is devoted to kink, alas, but hopefully the submissions will diversify in short order.
I’ve had good success, both critical and financial, writing about race-related issues via furry allegory. So I can say from experience that it is indeed a valid (if on the surface unlikely) approach to a very ticklish subject. The payoff is that the subject is so ticklish that few other venues can deal with it at all in a meaningful, honest way. So consider yourself lucky-- in my opinion you’re at the right time and place to write about a subject that in my opinion at least desperately needs more philosophical exploration for the healing of Man as a whole.
Rabbit – Could I get a book or story link on one of the things you’ve written with this theme? I had no idea that other people were playing in this sort of sandbox, and I’m really curious to know how you tackled it. Thanks!
Huskyteer – Oh man, I haven’t written poetry in far too long. I do believe I have a poem or two up on my FA page, and a few scattered across LiveJournal and jakebe.com, though. What’s caused the interest in furry poetry?
It started about a year ago when I had an idea that was too short for a story, so I had a crack at a poem instead. That got me thinking about furry poetry, why poetry is or isn’t a good medium for furry writing, why there isn’t more of it, and what counts as furry poetry anyway. (Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats? Kipling?)
It’s also a bit of ‘hello, here’s something nobody else is doing much, perhaps it could be a niche for me’
I had a period of about three years where I was obsessed with the slavery/freedom/social recovery from slavery (master and slave alike) theme. Most of the stuff is on Amazon for sale now, but what I consider to be my best effort was the “David Birkenhead” series, of which the first book is free.
You’ll see in general terms how I dealt with things from just that one book, save that I’d ask you to keep in mind that this is just the very beginning of the character’s growth and maturity-- he’s still a boy and doesn’t understand clearly yet what’s being done to him. If you like it, the development of the racial theme grows even more intense in later books. Or, for something nastier and grittier, you might try
which is more about urban gang-related problems that straight race per se. But race is clearly a factor in the foundation underlying this work as well.
There’s also a novella dealing with the ethics and difficulties of a slave rebellion in the collection “Wine of Battle” at
but I don’t think it’s so much about race as about slavery and human degradation in general. I’d hate to have these particular bunnies be seen as symbols for actual people, as I made them more alien and animal-like than usual by my standards. Most of them have reduced intellects, for example. Even though in general they’re better, purer beings than the story’s humans, it’d be an insult to equate them any group of actual people and I want no part of doing so. But the slavery experience itself and the social scars it leaves? Yes, I think so.
I’m white, keep in mind, and am old enough that I attended a segregated school for my first couple years. (Whites and blacks shared a building but each race had separate classrooms and staff.) One of my most powerful memories from that time is of being scolded rather fiercely in first grade by a black teacher for repeatedly playing with a black boy my own age named Keith on the playground-- I hadn’t gotten the message the first time she warned me, as best I recall. I kept asking her why not, and she couldn’t answer-- I recall that part quite clearly. My mother couldn’t tell me why either, nor could anyone else. (For what it’s worth, my mother would’ve approved of me bringing Keith home to play any time I liked, I’m quite certain today. But at the time the teacher frightened me away from him very thoroughly indeed.) At any rate, I’ve been trying to figure out why we can’t all play together ever since, and so far those are the works of my fiction that best reflect it. They may be imperfect, but they’re the best I’ve been able to manage so far.
If you do read any of these, let me know what you think? Thanks!
Late to jump on the Welcome Wagon, but hi! I do love jackalopes (and not for snacks ) Hurray for fellow hybrids. I’m looking forward to getting to know you and hope to have time to check out your work when I get done with this pesky novel draft…
) Hurray for fellow hybrids. I’m looking forward to getting to know you and hope to have time to check out your work when I get done with this pesky novel draft… 