AFROFUTURISM SHORT STORIES

Exploring new black literature, following the success of Black Sci-Fi and First Peoples Shared Stories.

With a Foreword by Nisi Shawl, an Introduction by Dr. Sandra M. Grayson (also acting as Associate Editor), and Isis Asare as Contributing Editor.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture characterises Afrofuturism (as distinct from Africanfuturism) as expressing "notions of Black identity, agency and freedom through art, creative works and activism that envision liberated futures for Black life." This new book offers new stories from open submissions and by invitation, as well as classic stories, and a new introduction, all exploring the many angles of this theme. It follows the success of Black Sci-Fi (2021) of which Scientific American said "contains a thrilling group of memorable, moving tales that often examine the intersections of race, gender, grief, tech and the fantastical." and Publishers Weekly, in a Starred Review "With topics ranging from slavery to space travel, the impressive breadth of this anthology makes for a well-rounded survey. Readers, writers, and scholars alike will find great value here."

The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Dr. Sandra M. Grayson (Introduction and Associate Editor) is a tenured Full Professor in the English Department at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her numerous publications include the books Visions of the Third Millennium: Black Science Fiction Novelists Write the Future; Symbolizing the Past: Reading Sankofa, Daughters of the Dust, and Eve’s Bayou as Histories; A Literary Revolution: In the Spirit of the Harlem Renaissance; and Sparks of Resistance, Flames of Change: Black Communities and Activism.

Isis Asare (Contributing Editor) is the CEO/Founder of Sistah Scifi, the first Black-owned US bookstore focused on science fiction and fantasy in the US as validated by the American Booksellers Association. Concurrently, Asare serves as the Executive Director of Aunt Lute Books, an intersectional, non-profit feminist press. Asare holds degrees from Stanford, Harvard, and Columbia. Asare's hometown is Harlem, New York, she resides in Oakland, CA, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has an extensive community in Seattle, WA, Washington DC, and Atlanta, GA.

Nisi Shawl (Foreword) (they/them) is the multiple award-winning author and editor of over a dozen books of speculative fiction and related nonfiction. They co-wrote Writing the Other: A Practical Approach, a basis for classes taught with K. Tempest Bradford. Shawl’s best-known fiction is the Nebula Award finalist Everfair. Recent books include Middle Grade historical fantasy Speculation (2023), Everfair sequel Kinning, Beat-era fantasy novella The Day and Night Books of Mardou Fox, and space opera novel-in-stories Making Amends. Editing credits include the acclaimed anthologies New Suns and New Suns 2. They’ve spoken at Duke University, Spelman College, and many other institutions.