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Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction
A necessary and relevant addition to the Black LGBTQ literary canon, which oftentimes overlooks Black lesbian writing, Lez Talk is a collection of short stories that embraces the fullness of Black lesbian experiences. The contributors operate under the assumption that “lesbian” is not a dirty word, and have written stories that amplify the diversity of Black lesbian lives.
At once provocative, emotional, adventurous, and celebratory, Lez Talk crosses a range of fictional genres, including romance, speculative, and humor. The writers explore new subjects and aspects of their experiences, and affirm their gifts as writers and lesbian women. Beginning with Sheree L. Greer's "I Can't Turn it Off,” a short, powerful tale imbued with socio-political undercurrents, the collection also includes work from Claudia Moss, LaToya Hankins, Lauren Cherelle, K.A. Smith, S. Andrea Allen, Faith Mosley, and Eternity Philops.
A necessary and relevant addition to the Black LGBTQ literary canon, which oftentimes overlooks Black lesbian writing, Lez Talk is a collection of short stories that embraces the fullness of Black lesbian experiences. The contributors operate under the assumption that “lesbian” is not a dirty word, and have written stories that amplify the diversity of Black lesbian lives.
At once provocative, emotional, adventurous, and celebratory, Lez Talk crosses a range of fictional genres, including romance, speculative, and humor. The writers explore new subjects and aspects of their experiences, and affirm their gifts as writers and lesbian women. Beginning with Sheree L. Greer's "I Can't Turn it Off,” a short, powerful tale imbued with socio-political undercurrents, the collection also includes work from Claudia Moss, LaToya Hankins, Lauren Cherelle, K.A. Smith, S. Andrea Allen, Faith Mosley, and Eternity Philops.
First Bloom
First Bloom, a collection of stories about blossoming Black lesbian love, takes a look at the beginnings—and sometimes the middle and end—of the love that flourishes between same-gender-loving women of African descent.
From the sensual to the lyrical, the thirteen tales in First Bloom are as varied as Black lesbians themselves, and the collection introduces women as dynamic and bold as their stories. Readers will feel the excitement of love’s potential in “The List,” and the ache of love’s fragility in “Days Gone By.” While no single anthology could possibly tell all of the countless Black lesbian stories, this compilation is a powerful sample of the lives we live, the experiences we’ve been through, and the love we’ve been privileged to be a part of.
A Return to Arms
When Toya meets Folami and joins the activist collective RiseUP!, she thinks she’s found her life’s purpose. Folami’s sensuality and her passion for social justice leave Toya feeling that, at last, she’s met someone she can share all parts of her life with. But when a controversial police shooting blurs the lines between the personal and the political, Toya is forced to examine her identity, her passions, and her allegiances.
Folami, a mature and dedicated activist, challenges Toya’s commitment to the struggle while threatening to pull her back into the closet to maintain the intense connection they share. However, Nina, a young, free-spirited artist, invites Toya to explore the intersections between sexual and political freedom.
With the mounting tensions and social unrest threatening to tear the community apart, can Toya find a safe place to live and love while working to uplift her people?
Read reviews here:
Goodreads
Author K.A. Smith's Blog
Authentically Adrien Blog
Ebony Magazine (August 2016 Muhammad Ali Commemorative Issue)
Let the Lover Be
Functional alcoholic Kiana Lewis is looking for a way out. Running away from the
memories of her mother’s horrific death and her own dead-end existence, she
decides to crash her ex-lover’s New Orleans wedding and put a stop to the whole
thing. She arrives in the Big Easy to reclaim her old love, and hopefully,
reclaim her own life.
Her plans are disrupted when she meets Genevieve Durand, a seductive and spiritual
New Orleans native who challenges Kiana’s skewed sense of resolve and control.
Spending time with Genevieve, just like drinking, offers Kiana moments of escape.
But unlike the numbing effect of alcohol, the intoxicating Genevieve makes Kiana
feel and think about things she’d rather not, like the death of her mother
and the destructive ways she uses to cope.
On the brink of losing it all, Kiana must decide if she will reach for the next drink
or if she’ll reach beyond herself to finally slay the demons driving her since childhood.
Read reviews here:
Author K.A. Smith's Blog
AfterEllen.Com "Summer of Love"
Goodreads
Functional alcoholic Kiana Lewis is looking for a way out. Running away from the
memories of her mother’s horrific death and her own dead-end existence, she
decides to crash her ex-lover’s New Orleans wedding and put a stop to the whole
thing. She arrives in the Big Easy to reclaim her old love, and hopefully,
reclaim her own life.
Her plans are disrupted when she meets Genevieve Durand, a seductive and spiritual
New Orleans native who challenges Kiana’s skewed sense of resolve and control.
Spending time with Genevieve, just like drinking, offers Kiana moments of escape.
But unlike the numbing effect of alcohol, the intoxicating Genevieve makes Kiana
feel and think about things she’d rather not, like the death of her mother
and the destructive ways she uses to cope.
On the brink of losing it all, Kiana must decide if she will reach for the next drink
or if she’ll reach beyond herself to finally slay the demons driving her since childhood.
Read reviews here:
Author K.A. Smith's Blog
AfterEllen.Com "Summer of Love"
Goodreads
Stop Writing Wack Essays
Stop Writing Wack Essays, the first book in the “I Can Write That” series, is a conversational, unfiltered appeal to college-level writers to not only think critically about their approach to composition and writing, but an encouraging, no-holds-barred guide for crafting a writing process that will give them the time and space to create their best work. From goal-setting and "Avoiding the 'Oh Crap!'" to grammar tips and best practices, this book is a companion piece for any college writer who’s looking to fine-tune, or even re-design, their approach to essay writing and critical analysis.
Read reviews here:
Amazon Reviews
Once and Future Lovers: A Collection of Short Fiction
A busted bicycle mocks a broken heart, a teenage girl discovers the truth of
desire in the heft of her grandmother's breast, a spurned lover contemplates
parenthood as the daughter of a sometimes father. These are the stories hearts
tell. Once and Future Lovers illuminates these and other tales by the shining a
light on the critical moments in which men and women take the great risk that is
loving. In this provocative collection of short fiction, characters grapple with
the courage it takes to love once while discovering the inherent challenge put
to all lovers: embracing or denying the possibility of loving again, and again.
Available at:
Charis Books and More (Atlanta)
Women and Children First (Chicago),
Amazon,
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
A busted bicycle mocks a broken heart, a teenage girl discovers the truth of
desire in the heft of her grandmother's breast, a spurned lover contemplates
parenthood as the daughter of a sometimes father. These are the stories hearts
tell. Once and Future Lovers illuminates these and other tales by the shining a
light on the critical moments in which men and women take the great risk that is
loving. In this provocative collection of short fiction, characters grapple with
the courage it takes to love once while discovering the inherent challenge put
to all lovers: embracing or denying the possibility of loving again, and again.
Available at:
Charis Books and More (Atlanta)
Women and Children First (Chicago),
Amazon,
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Windy City Queer: LGBTQ Dispatches from the Third Coast
Edited by Kathie Bergquist
This anthology charts a map of queer Chicago and showcases its thriving urban arts
community, which boasts a unique history, legacy, and sensibility deeply rooted
in the urban Midwest. Here is a first-rate collection of queer voices from Chicago’s
literary landscape. Celebrated writers Edmund White, Achy Obejas, Sharon Bridgforth,
Brian Bouldrey, E. Patrick Johnson, Carol Anshaw, David Trinidad, and Mark Zubro
are joined by emerging voices from the queer literary scene. These pieces span all literary
genres, from fiction and poetry to memoir and essays, and portray a full gamut
of gay Chicago lives from the everyday to the quirky, from public spectacles to
quiet intimacies, from family life to nightlife, from dating to marriage, from
loving to mourning.
Available at:
University of Wisconsin Press
Amazon
Edited by Kathie Bergquist
This anthology charts a map of queer Chicago and showcases its thriving urban arts
community, which boasts a unique history, legacy, and sensibility deeply rooted
in the urban Midwest. Here is a first-rate collection of queer voices from Chicago’s
literary landscape. Celebrated writers Edmund White, Achy Obejas, Sharon Bridgforth,
Brian Bouldrey, E. Patrick Johnson, Carol Anshaw, David Trinidad, and Mark Zubro
are joined by emerging voices from the queer literary scene. These pieces span all literary
genres, from fiction and poetry to memoir and essays, and portray a full gamut
of gay Chicago lives from the everyday to the quirky, from public spectacles to
quiet intimacies, from family life to nightlife, from dating to marriage, from
loving to mourning.
Available at:
University of Wisconsin Press
Amazon