Category: Short Story Sessions
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Black Girl Magic in Watercolors by Ravynn Stringfield
“Casta Davis could fly, and no one believed her.” It hooked my attention immediately. The line is concise, resigned, and beautiful—a callback to “The People Could Fly” by Virginia Hamilton. I loved the relatability of no one believing in Casta’s magic, or even the flawed perception of no one believing in her power. I read…
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‘Southern Hospitality’: A Graphic Representation of Racism and Revenge in Comics
Months later, the movie Sinners still sits with me, so I felt obligated to write about a comic short that reminded me of the film. Specifically Smoke’s last stand with the Ku Klux Klan. In “Southern Hospitality,” written by Mikhail Hardy with art and colors by Eli John and Robin L. Davis, the main character,…
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Short Story Sessions: Empathy and Identity in ‘Presence’ by Ken Liu
I chose this short story after a recent conversation about the author, Ken Liu. While sharing book recommendations and current reads, I said, “Dandelion Dynasty is the greatest series I never finished.” In fact, The Wall of Storms is easily one of the top five books I have ever read. I wanted to convince myself…
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Exploring Short Stories: A Journey Through Diverse Narratives
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,…