Shawnelle and Shawneé Gibbs, also known as The Gibb Sisters, are both writers and producers for the television, film, and publishing industries. In this conversation, they talk about their upbringing in Oakland, California, where there was a significant sense of pride in being African American, as well as a big movement in Black arts and entertainment, that allowed them to feel seen and represented. Also encouraged to explore the arts by their mother, The Gibb Sisters found a sense of empowerment through creative writing, which further influenced their artistic endeavors throughout their careers. They define Afrofuturism as the"African experience unlimited by time and space," in which Black stories are unbound. The Gibb Sisters also note how they found inspiration and mentor figures in Black women writers like Octavia Butler and Tananarive Due. Moreover, they talk about how they crafted their comic book series, "The invention of E.J. Whitaker," through a mixing of illustration, history, and sci-fi aesthetics like Afrofuturism and steampunk. This conversation was recorded during a class visit with Dr. Julian Chambliss 478B: Literature and Visual Culture course in the Department of English at Michigan State University.
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