I have a new reading goal and want to share it with the world to find like-minded readers. For the foreseeable future, I want to read one speculative fiction short story, written by Black, Indigenous, and other Authors of Color every week and analyze them here!
I have always loved short stories. As a reader, I naturally gravitate to shorter sotries (under 450 pages) because of my attention span and memory (If I’m not annotating, how am I supposed to remember the whole story!!). Short stories are typically made to be read in one sitting (15-30 minutes). This is great for those who want to read but don’t want to commit to longer stories while they are busy with life. I know this is the case for me, especially during the summer, spring, and fall, as I am usually knee deep in dirt, compost, and chicken excrement. Going back to the same book after a few weeks has the potential of creating a reading slump.
As an educator, I loved using short stories in the classroom. Because they are read in one sitting, they are great for teaching literary devices. In short stories, many writers use them to experiment, like in NK Jemisin’s How Long Till Black Future Month. Every story in the collection is an exercise of sorts, seeing how far Jemisin can stretch her imagination and establish her voice. In these short stories, the reader can focus on one or two literary devices. Also, I love teaching students how to annotate with short stories. I think I just like how it’s contained in these brief experiences with the text and can be proofed multiple times over the year.
Also, because of the number of short stories we can read in a calendar year, we can explore various genres and find a kid’s favorite author or genre! Readers (of all ages) can get a snapshot of the writer’s style and decide if they wish to read their work rather than committing to an entire novel. I did this with P. Djeli Clark. “The Haunting of Tram Car 015” made me fall in love with Clark’s writing, and I have since read nearly all of his traditionally published works! This is a very long winded way to say, we need to add short stories to our repitoire!!!
On a personal/writer’s level, I want to complete a short story this year. It just so happens that the short story idea I have is on theme for FIYAH’s upcoming Gods and Monsters issue so maybe I’ll have the courage to submit it. If not, I’ll post it here for accountability.
Last week’s short story was “Tasting Songs” (2000) by Leone Ross. This short story was published in Dark Matter: A Century of Black Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, edited by Dr. Sheree R. Thomas. As stated on Instagram:
Set in Jamaica, this story follows a married photographer named Jerry who has an affair with a woman who has hyperhydrosis. And her diagnosis is far more than excessive sweating. This woman can create waterfalls in her hands. I spent the better part of the story irritated with Jerry’s actions because he centered himself in so much, including helping women of color explore their beauty in his photos. What I did enjoy was the imagery. The title “Tasting Song” did the imagery justice, enveloping me in a story I genuinely hated but still saw beauty. But I guess that was the point, right?
Also, it HEAVILY reminded me of another short story by Zora Neale Hurston called “Sweat”. It’s one of my favorite short stories of all time that also deals with infidelity, but the wife GETS HER LICK BACK!!!!!! I loved teaching with this short story! Hurston creates a complex portrayal of the Black community, specifically the fictionalized version of her hometown, Eatonville, Florida. The messiness in that short story is top tier and it was really easy getting students to engage with the text, creating prediicitons and making connections😍 And of course, the vindication of the main character, is the cherry on top.
If you want to join in on this reading goal, this week’s short story will be Presence by Ken Liu, which can be read here. I’m just trying hype myself up to finish reading the Dandelion Dynasty ya’ll. I told you, I’m intimidated by thicc book but I was shamed in to reading them by Phillip B. Williams. Don’t worry, Ours is getting read by July 1!
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