Thanks so much for this. ♥ I'm an unpublished writer currently shopping my urban fantasy story to agents, and if there's one thing I learned, it's that on an agent's submission guidelines, they'll say they're looking for "urban fantasy" and they actually mean "paranormal romance between two self-absorbed Abercrombie and Fitch models."

But your post reminded me of what great potential the genre has, and as you said, how fascinating stories are when they explore "how sometimes, in the midsts of the worst places, people find and create something spectacular." Here's hoping for a different, wildly popular book that will open the floodgates for all the other voices we've been craving.