Nine Black women writers from across the U.S., the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe share unforgettable short stories and essays that span four continents and nearly a century of Black women’s lives.
A sixteen-year-old navigates a birthday party, crazy Jamaican family, and a road trip. A dinner party with friends reveals a secret. A woman at a village burial and remembers every version of herself. Another is days away from a new life in San Francisco when the world closes. A Black American student discovers that the mirror Africa holds up is not the one she packed.
From 1940s South Carolina to 2020 Lagos, a Nigerian village to a Cape Town classroom, a Parisian market to a Toronto bungalow, this is a collection about characters with somewhere to be.
Contributors include:
Chantelle Chiwetalu, Alisha Jana Dundy, Shinelle L. Espaillat, Christian Herald, Nihal Mubarak, C.S. Odili, Sabrina Stuart Smith, Chisomaga Umenyi, and Marie Winfield.
ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
IN THIS ISSUE:
Short stories
“Drive” by Sabrina Stuart Smith
Sixteen-year-old Desiree Wright has just gotten her license and has plans: a road trip to Niagara Falls with her boyfriend. First she has to get through her father’s surprise birthday party, crammed inside their Toronto bungalow with her big Jamaican family and all the provocations that come with them.
“Gone, But Not” by Alisha Jana Dundy
Set in rural Chesterfield, South Carolina in the 1940s, the story follows a young girl at play, chasing the memory of her recently lost younger brother while her pregnant mother watches. Moving between childhood games, the weight of mourning, and brief, involuntary joy, it examines how love persists.
“Expectations” by Nihal Mubarak
Sudanese-American couple navigates the distance between what was expected and what is real. The story moves from past to present as Salma struggles to love her husband after a life changing event. It is loosely inspired by Jhumpa Lahiri’s short story, “A Temporary Matter.”
“The Republic is Still Under Construction” by Chisomaga Umenyi
A woman returns to her village for her mother-in-law’s burial, navigating the ache of children grown and dispersed across continents. Through memories of motherhood, first love, and marriage, she confronts a life lived.
“You Must Leave Me at Home” by C.S. Odili
It’s 2020. Pamela is days away from San Francisco, an exciting career shift, and meeting with her long-distance boyfriend. As she navigates a world reshaped by the pandemic, she is forced to confront her present and the ghosts of her past.
“I Don’t Know How to Wink” by Chantelle Chiwetalu
A jaded collection officer transports a recovering mental health patient to a rehabilitation center. A story about two women defined by institutions that thought they understood them.
“Onyx” by Shinelle L. Espaillat
Opens during a dinner party with friends who have known each other long enough to stop paying close attention. A secret surfaces, but arriving does not mean the room is ready for it.
Essays
The World, My Oyster” by Marie Winfield
From Paris to New York City’s history, a Black American woman traces the oyster as inheritance: from her great-grandmother’s Maryland kitchen to a Parisian wine bar where something familiar finds her when she least expects it.
Being a Black American in South Africa: So Far From Home, Yet So Close by Christian Herald
A young Black American woman studies at the University of Cape Town and discovers that the mirror Africa holds up to her is not the one she packed. An essay about identity, privilege, and what it means to be a foreigner in your place of origin.
