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A guide of books to gift the people in your life and yourself!
For the people looking to put a different kind of magic into their holidays…
The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab
For the genre connoisseur with a love for high concepts in short form…
Africa Risen edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, & Zelda Knight (now in paperback!)
For the treasured party member who’s saved your character’s life many times on TTRPG night…
Bookshops & Bonedust by @travisbaldree
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For those who love (or possibly are 👀) gay werewolves
Wolfsong by TJ Klune
For the mutual who devoured the epic highs and lows of Riverdale and craves more…
The Luminaries by Susan Dennard, now in paperback!)
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For your brave and luckless friend, constantly trapped in transit purgatory and upset about it…
The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey
For the true buckaroos trotting beside you…
Camp Damascus by @drchucktingle
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Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
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For the friend who has a hot date on Friday night (with their book)...
Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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Starter Villain by @jscalzi
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#short story collection#short story collections#africa risen: a new speculative fiction#sheree renée thomas#oghenechovwe donald ekpeki#zelda knight#various authors#21st century literature#english language literature#black literature#have you read this short fiction?#book polls#completed polls
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Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, a Nigerian SF writer and editor, has once again found out that Writing While Black is sufficient grounds for the US to fuck up your life.
It took a campaign from fellow-writers to reverse the Nigerian US embassy's 10-minute rejection of his visa application to attend Worldcon last year, and now this.
No, I don't believe he was trying to get in as an illegal immigrant. He was up for the Outstanding Literary Work at the NAACP Image Awards. But hey, I'm sure the CBP thought it was the white thing to do.
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Title: Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction
Editors: Sheree Renée Thomas, Zelda Knight, and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
Publication Year: 2022
Publisher: Tordotcom
Genre: fiction, fantasy, science fiction, short stories
Africa Risen is an ambitious anthology of short stories by authors from Africa and the African diaspora that really showcased where science fiction and fantasy can go as genres, and I really appreciated the incredible diversity that was found in this chunky book. Unfortunately, out of thirty-two (!) short stories, I only found a small number of them especially engaging, another small handful being so-so, while others were a miss/let me unsatisfied. I'm inclined to say that the main reason I felt meh about this anthology is because I just didn't have time to sit with each story due to the fact that this was a library book that had a wait list. However, anthologies often tend to be a mixed bag for me (and many others, I imagine).
Some favorites: “March Magic” by WC Dunlap, “Mami Wataworks” by Russell Nichols, “The Soul Would Have No Rainbow” by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, “The Sugar Mill” by Tobias S. Buckell, and “Exiles of Witchery” by Ivana Akotowaa Ofori
Content Warning: death, violence, rape, racism, war, slavery, colonization mentions
#Sheree Renée Thomas#Zelda Knight#Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki#Africa Risen#book review#fiction#sci fi#fantasy#2023 reads#booklr
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Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction
Edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight.
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Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki wins at World Fantasy Awards 2022.
Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki wins at World Fantasy Awards 2022.
Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki’s The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction (2021) won at the World Fantasy Awards 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA on November 7, 2022.
The World Fantasy Awards have been awarded annually for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year since 1975. It is organised and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention. Kacen Callender, Rivers…
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Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, a collection of African and African Diaspora science fiction and fantasy edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight—forthcoming on November 8, 2022 from Tordotcom Publishing.
From an award-winning team of editors comes an anthology of thirty-two original stories showcasing the breadth of fantasy and science fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora.
A group of cabinet ministers query a supercomputer containing the minds of the country’s ancestors. A child robot on a dying planet uncovers signs of fragile new life. A descendent of a rain goddess inherits her grandmother’s ability to change her appearance—and perhaps the world.
Created in the legacy of the seminal, award-winning anthology series Dark Matter, Africa Risen celebrates the vibrancy, diversity, and reach of African and Afro-Diasporic SFF and reaffirms that Africa is not rising—it’s already here.
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UPDATE: He's home and tweeting.
UPDATE: Ekpeki is on his way back to Nigeria.
This tweet says that he was denied entry to the US and was sent back yesterday. I don't think he's yet in Nigeria, which is why no one has heard from him so far.
Original Post
SFF Community, some of you may be aware of the situation regarding author and editor Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki. If not, the short version is that he flew into LAX on Thursday to attend the NAACP Image Awards Friday and has not been heard from since landing.
Obviously, people are concerned about this. Ekpeki is Nigerian, here on a famously fraught to acquire visa, and US CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) doesn't have the best reputation for treating brown people like humans.
CPB took his phone and that's probably why no one has been able to communicate with him. And some friends of his claim they contacted CPB and got confirmation he was detained by them, but no updates since. I've seen lots of people calling for action and contacting US electeds.
I don't think that will work. Unlike when Ekpeki got the visa, putting pressure on Congressbeings isn't likely to have an affect here because it may be that he technically broke the rules or at least ended up on the wrong side of not very well spelled out rules.
The "best" scenario is that CPB sent him back to Nigeria, though why he's been out of communication so long is a mystery to me. (If anyone has insight, please share.) Here's what may have happened, pieced together with what I'm seeing on Twitter.
Ekpeki initially got his visa to attend WorldCon in September. The B1/B2 visa is for business purposes and tourism and is valid for 2 years(?) but it doesn't mean you can stay in the US for those whole two years. It means you can come in and out for that time.
When you enter, you get a stamp telling you the date you must leave by, though you can leave before then. And as this article explains, sometimes the entry stamper will default to 6 months, as that's the longest, or specify a shorter timeframe.
After WorldCon, Ekpeki wanted to stay in the US to attend World Fantasy a few months after. Not a problem. At the time he indicated that he planned to stay the full 6 months, go back to Nigeria, then come back for ICFA. The timing of all this likely changed when he got the Image Award nomination.
Regardless, he went back to Nigeria for a week, I believe (this is fuzzy and my sources aren't good, so I welcome corrections) before coming back to the US. And this is where I think he made a mistake. Again I point to the article I linked above.
Twitter user DuertoD pointed out something called Visa Carouseling, where a person leaves the US for a short time to then come back and get another 6 month stamp. It's apparently not really allowed to do that. (He goes into a bit more detail here.)
The thing I don't know is whether this is stated anywhere in the documentation. As in, do they say you have to be gone for a certain period before coming back explicitly? Or is it one of those fuzzy things that are up to whoever is working the desk you get to that day?
At any rate, DuertoD also pointed out that Ekpeki said publicly he intended to stay the whole 6 months and also that he had to buy a return ticket he "wouldn’t need", meaning that when he entered the US the first time the US thought he was leaving on a certain date, yet he didn't.
I do not know the details of when that return flight was supposed to have been. From what I gather talking to folks, open-ended stays on this visa are not to the US gov't's liking.
Complicating this whole thing is that a group of trolls have been stalking and harassing Ekpeki for a while now and I know they were aware of him going out then coming back into the country. It's entirely possible they maliciously reported him.
It's entirely possible that CBP wouldn't have noticed or cared on a normal day, but did once they'd been alerted. Also entirely possible they wouldn't have cared if they'd been alerted if Ekpeki wasn't Black, or Nigerian. There's a whole constellation of annoying possibilities.
The reason I said that I don't think getting Congressbeings involved will help is that, in the end, CBP may be entirely within the law to have detained him over concerns of Visa Carouseling. And his rights, such as they are, are very limited from what I understand.
I've heard that there are some efforts by a lawyer to help out, and that may be why Ekpeki isn't already tweeting that he's been sent back to Nigeria (which would be a "best" case at this point… cuz being in CBP custody as a Black person is cause for concern).
In this case, it may end up being a sad but not tragic outcome for Ekpeki. Others who've been flagged for this have been barred from the US for a time, and maybe that will be the case for him.
Thinking to the future, I'd like to see SFF community entities do some work around this whole US visa process and how we can help writers and editors from marginalized groups and countries navigate this better. For now, I hope we find out soon that Oghenechovwe is okay.
If I have any of the details or legal stuff wrong, please let me know! I want to spread good information and will update this post accordingly.
ALSO NOTE: The trolls I mentioned have been all up in the twitter replies and may come here as well. Do Not Engage With Them. They find harassing and provoking people fun and exciting. Block or ignore.
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Books Received, November 11 — November 17
Two novels new to me, a reprint of a classic, an upcoming anthology, and a tabletop roleplaying game.
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Bridging Worlds: Global Conversations on Creating Pan-African Speculative Literature in a Pandemic, 2022. Edited by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki.
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Currently Reading ~~~ updated: 1/17/24
How to Survive by John Hudson
Africa Risen (anthology) edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight
Out Lady of Mysterious Aliments By T.L. Huchu
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang
Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz
Should I stop reading so many books at ounce?
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The winners of this year's BSFA Awards will be announced at Conversation 2023. The BSFA Awards ceremony is free to attend by all members of Eastercon. See you there!
Here are the shortlists, including works by two of our wonderful Guests of Honour - Adrian Tchaikovsky and @tkingfisher
Best Artwork
Alyssa Winans, Cover of The Red Scholar’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard, Gollancz
Manzi Jackson, Cover of Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, Macmillan
Chris Baker, Cover of Shoreline of Infinity 32, Shoreline of Infinity
Vincent Sammy, Cover of Parsec 4, PS Publishing
Miguel Co, Cover of Song of the Mango and Other New Myths, Ateneo De Manila UP
Jay Johnstone, Cover of The Way the Light Bends, Luna Press Publishing
Best Fiction for Younger Readers
T. Kingfisher, Illuminations, Argyll Productions
Frances Hardinge, Unraveller, MacMillan Children's Books
Kate Dylan, Mindwalker, Hodder and Stoughton
Gina Chen, Violet Made of Thorns, Hodder and Stoughton
Juno Dawson, Her Majesty's Royal Coven, Harper Voyager
Vanessa Len, Only A Monster, Hodder and Stoughton
Xiran Jay Zhao, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, Margaret K. McElderry Books
Best Short Fiction
Or Luca, ‘Luca’, Luna Press Publishing
Aliette de Bodard, ‘Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances’, JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc
Rick Danforth, ‘Seller's Remorse’, Hexagon Magazine, Issue 11
Adrian Tchaikovsky, ‘Ogres’, Rebellion
Neil Williiamson, ‘A Moment of Zugzwang’, ParSec #4
Best Novel
Adrian Tchaikovsky, City of Last Chances, Head of Zeus
Aliette de Bodard, The Red Scholar's Wake, Gollancz
Adam Roberts, The This, Gollancz
Gareth Powell, Stars and Bones, Titan Books
EJ Swift, The Coral Bones, Unsung Stories
Best Non-Fiction,
Rob Wilkins, Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes, Doubleday
Maureen Kincaid Speller, The Critic and the Clue: Tracking Alan Garner's Treacle Walker http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/the-critic-and-the-clue-tracking-alan-garners-treacle-walker/
Fiona Moore, Management Lessons from Game of Thrones: Organization Theory and Strategy in Westeros, Edward Elgar Publishing
Wole Talabi and the ‘ASFS, Preliminary Observations from an Incomplete History of African SFF’ , https://www.sfwa.org/2022/06/01/preliminary-observations-incomplete-history-african-science-fiction-fantasy/
Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki , ‘Too Dystopian For Whom? A Continental Nigerian Writer's Perspective’, https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/too-dystopian-for-whom-a-continental-nigerian-writers-perspective/
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We Only Have Now
December took us by surprise. It snuck up so fast both Candice and Steph feel like they missed November. But with the long nights and darker days, everything is getting a bit more gothic and introspective.
Books
Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture by Zeba Blay
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
Mind The Gap, Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh
Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker by Alice Walker
A Celtic Temperament: Roberston Davies as Diarist by Robertson Davies
Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction by Sheree Renee Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and Zelda Knight - Movies
Movies and TV
My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix on Prime - Youtube Trailer
Midnight Club by Christopher Pike and Mike Flanagan - Youtube Trailer
Links
The Home For Good Campaign and The Bookshelf’s $20,000 donation - https://bookshelf.ca/article/view/1172
Dolly Parton’s America - https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america
Grammar Girl Podcast - https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl/
The Allusionist - https://www.theallusionist.org/
Timestamps
0:00 Intro and Catchup Up
8:00 - The time for giving
13:00 - Slipping into the winter mood
18:30 - Winter reading plans
22:00 - Dolly Parton and Feminism
29:00 - Journals of authors and hosts
38:00 - Self Care
44:00 - Reading genre fiction & Grady Hendrix
49:00 - Midnight Club review
52:00 - Reading YA as an adult vs as a Young Adult
---
Find all of our past episodes at Stories From The Village
Please leave us a review on iTunes and subscribe using your podcatcher of choice.
Follow the Bookshelf on Twitter and Facebook and now Tumblr!! Stay up to date on what's happening around the store at http://bookshelf.ca and join the weekly newsletter.
Send us an email at [email protected]
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New episode from The Village at the Bookshelf
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Publishing in Africa: Safety is Subject with Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
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In this Episode of Publishing in Africa, Oghenechovwe and Alan discuss how…
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We at Calendar of Fools have not been idle, but have been thinking about writers, and how often we get rejected. So a new anthology is in the works, intending to give back to the reader and writer community.
Intergalactic Rejects is a collection of incredible stories that were rejected. It already has stories from well-known authors like Samuel R. Delany, Robert J. Sawyer, Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Jean Marie Ward, Greg Bossert, William Joseph Roberts, David Boop, and even an essay from Robert Silverberg.
These stories are outstanding, and if we can get the project funded, we'll have an open call for new submissions… and one of your stories could find a home here as well.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/innerworkings/intergalactic-rejects-a-calendar-of-fools-anthology
Edited by Storm Michael Humbert. Cover design by me.
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