Kirjahaku

Tales from writers with Latinx, Caribbean, Asian, African, Arabic, North American, East European origins, and more, challenge the reader with stories that spill out into space, parallel realms or just hidden in plain sight. The stories explore the world from the perspective of the incoming, whether necessitated through war or oppression, financial or familial need, or with hope for a better future, examining visions of displacement and relocation in future and speculative settings. New stories selected from open submissions are set alongside classic sci-fi by the likes of Otto (Eando) Binder and Zenna Henderson, modern stories by such authors as Celu Amberstone and Ken Liu, and older, realist immigrant narratives by Abraham Cahan, Sui Sin Far, Lee Yan Phou, Constantine Panunzio and more. Complemented by a foreword by author E.C. Osondu and an insightful introduction by Betsy Huang, Ph.D., this is an intriguing view of the conflict and anxiety between the settled and the unsettled. The new, contemporary and notable writers featured are: Ali Abbas, Celu Amberstone, Bebe Bayliss, Christine Bennett, Ben Blattberg, Judi Calhoun, V. Castro, P.A. Cornell, Yelena Crane, Indra Das, Deborah L. Davitt, Greg van Eekhout, Louis Evans, Illimani Ferreira, Beáta Fülöp, Elana Gomel, Eileen Gonzalez, Roy Gray, Alex Gurevich, Jennifer Hudak, Jordan Ifueko, Frances Lu-Pai Ippolito, Jas Kainth, Ken Liu, Samara Lo, Kwame M.A. McPherson, E.C. Osondu, Simon Pan, C.R. Serajeddini, Bogi Takács, Kanishk Tantia, Tehnuka, Francesco Verso (translated by Michael Colbert), M. Darusha Wehm, Kevin Martens Wong, and Eris Young. The Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Set in Nigeria and America, Voice of America moves from boys and girls in villages and refugee camps, to the disillusionment and confusion of young married couples living in America, and then back to bustling Lagos. These are stories of two countries and of the frayed bonds that connect them. In 'Waiting', two young refugees make their way through another day, fighting for meals and hoping for a miracle that will carry them out of the camp; in 'A Simple Case' the boyfriend of a prostitute gets rounded up by the local police and must charm his fellow prisoners for protection and survival; and in 'Miracle Baby' the trials of pregnancy and mother-in-laws are laid bare in a woman's return to her homeland. Written with exhilarating energy and warmth, the stories of Voice of America are full of humour, pathos and wisdom, and mark the debut of an immensely talented new voice.

“A vital voice in the short story, telling us new truths with deep humanity." –George Saunders Celebrated Nigerian-born writer E.C. Osondu delivers a short-story collection of nimble dexterity and startling originality in his BOA Short Fiction Prize-winning Alien Stories. These eighteen startling stories, each centered around an encounter with the unexpected, explore what it means to be an alien. With a nod to the dual meaning of alien as both foreigner and extraterrestrial, Osondu turns familiar science-fiction tropes and immigration narratives on their heads, blending one with the other to call forth a whirlwind of otherness. With wry observations about society and human nature, in shifting landscapes from Africa to America to outer space and back again, Alien Stories breaks down the concept of foreignness to reveal what unites us all as ‘aliens’ within a complex and interconnected universe.