Tag: books
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Not in Mixed Company 😭: The Role of Audience in Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane
This isn’t a review of Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane, a historical fiction novel, published by Penguin Random House in January 2026. The story itself is fine. This is a post that questions the novel’s position as a neoslave narrative when the novel centers the white gaze, something the genre rejects in both…
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My Journal Ecosystem: 6 Months Later
It’s been 6 months of my journaling to rewire my brain and fight oppression. So let’s review how my journal ecosystem has changed: what’s new, what’s been abandoned, and how I use this journal ecosystem to move forward.
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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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28 Black Speculative Fiction Books For Black History Month
What is Black Speculative Fiction, anyway? For me, speculative fiction has two definitions. One overarching definition includes texts that use unreal elements in a story. This includes fantasy, alternative histories, magical realism, science fiction, some mysteries, and some horror. The second definition is more genre-specific and involves texts that propose a “what-if” scenario. I typically…
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Review: On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
I finally have the words to describe one of my most anticipated and favorite reads of 2025. Yes, the literary horror novel On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield (they/ them) was traditionally published by Saga Press on January 27, 2026, but a version of the book had been circulating for some time.…
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No, White Booktok, I Don’t Want To See Your BBC (Black Book Collection)
I don’t want to see white folks with a stack of books by Black authors for Black History Month. Every year, it’s the annual showcase of all the Black stories the white reading community plans to read in February. They morphed into a version of Vanna White, parading their Black Book Collection to the interwebs,…
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The Dead Withheld by L.D. Lewis: A Sapphic Paranormal Neo-Noir Review
Neon Hemlock has another hit on its hands with The Dead Withheld by L.D. Lewis. Published in 2025, the sapphic paranormal neo-noir novella follows Desdemona “Dizzy” Carter in her quest to find the murderer of her wife, Lonnie, the Fallen Angels serial killer. Dizzy is a Private investigator and a deadwalker witch, one who can…
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Author Conversations in The Blerd Library: M.H. Ayinde and A Song of Legends Lost
Now that a few months have passed, I interviewed Ayinde again, after the well-deserved international praise to see how things have changed and possibly get a sneak peek into Book 2!!
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I’d rather be an Eldritch Horror: Early Morning Musings
“If given the choice, what legendary monster would you choose to become? A vampire, werewolf, dragon? As he’s listing more and more monsters, I cut him off and I say, “an eldritch horror.” Hubby pauses his actions, looks thoughtfully into the ceiling, and then looks down at me, asking, “Like a Cthulhu?”
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Next Stop: Grad School- Thoughts After the Black Book Bash
At the end of the Black Book Bash, a group of creators sat and ate one last meal together. Each of them ordered some variation of meals they enjoyed throughout the weekend, hoping to maintain the good vibes now imbued in their lemon pepper wings, mimosas, cheesecakes, and burgers. They talked about the event and…
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A Trip Around the Sun Requires Reflections of Growth and Failures
“Heeeeeeyy…How ya’ll doing???” she says nervously as she plays with her hair, hoping her beloved community didn’t take offense to her unscheduled absence. It’s been a while, but as I reflect on my 37th trip around the sun today, I wanted to give some updates (and I finally found inspiration to write while doing my…
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Your Bookshelves Tell Us Your Truth: Personal Ethics in Literature
Because who are we if not the art we consume? Literature is art. Art is political; therefore, literature is political.
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Hello God, Are You There?: The Intersection of Religion and Subversion in Godpunk
My parents weren’t particularly religious until it was time to place judgment on others. But that didn’t stop my aunt from trying to convince me otherwise. I remember one of the few times she took me to her church. We woke up before sunrise to make a trek from Brooklyn to the Bronx to an…
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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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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,…