The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2025, pt.2: Tara Campbell

 

 2025 Pleasures 

by Tara Campbell

 

The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa translated by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain

A chilling, timely dystopian tale in the tradition of Orwell with a pinch of surreal Kafkaesque humor. In a future in which books are censored and banned, and imagination is a thought crime, our protagonist is tempted into the world of literature while reading his first novel as a fledgling censor. Unable to resist the temptations of Zorba the Greek, he finds himself following literal white rabbits down into a shadowy labyrinth of rebels who read and preserve the forbidden classics. With elements of favorites like Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, and other fairy tales, this novel is a celebration of stories that spark our sense of wonder. But textual shadows of 1984 also lurk in its pages, and the stark reality of authoritarianism is never far behind.

The House of Illusionists: and Other Stories by Vanessa Fogg

 a magical collection, mesmerizing and satisfying. Each story is a portal into a rich, fantastical new world with beautiful imagery and compelling characters. The language is polished and beautiful, inspiring one to pause and savor before diving back in for the next story. As a reader, it's a gorgeous collection to get lost in, and as a writer, it's inspiring to see such skillful writing like this out in the world.

 

Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune 2052-2072 by M.E. O'Brien and Eman Abdelhadi

A thought-provoking book in the format of oral history interviews. In this imagined future, political, economic, and environmental calamities around the world have led to the collapse of government as we know it. A series of revolutions have dethroned capitalism as humanity's organizing principle, creating opportunities to reconceptualize family, community, identity, economy, and relationships with the environment. In this world of the future, communes are the hubs of activity, and the title "Everything for Everyone" is the new mindset. 

 

The authors have taken on the identity of citizen scholars collecting oral interviews on the 20th anniversary of the revolution that established the New York Commune. Contrary to my expectation, these new communities don't eschew technology--indeed, they harness it for their own uses, imagining communes in space and algae-powered AI server farms. While I would have appreciated a little more insight on how these communes have flourished in the face of human impulses toward violence and greed, I was intrigued by the confluence of social cohesion and technological adaptation. This is one I'm going to be thinking about for a long time.

 

 

The Lost Journals of Sacagawea by Debra Magpie Earling

Not easy on the soul, but so worthwhile. Intimate and heartrending, laying bare not only individual loss, but also whole lands and Nations destroyed. And yet: resilience. What else can there be? A gorgeous and important answer to the myopic, jingoistic Great Man model of myth-making that has for too long dominated American history.

 

Your Utopia by Bora Chung

No wonder this book was a finalist for the Philip K Dick award. Simultaneously clever and haunting, these stories will make you see life from multiple perspectives. The title story and "The End of the Voyage" are particularly cinematic--I'd love to see a movie of either one.

 

Right by My Side by David Haynes

I listened to the 2023 re-release of this novel and was transfixed. Though it was originally published in 1993, it still felt fresh and relevant, a testament to Haynes’ ability to focus on the fundamental humanity of the protagonist as he struggles with upheavals in his family life. And just when things start to settle into a groove, things change again, requiring the protagonist to develop new strategies. I found myself changing my mind about how I felt about multiple characters over the course of the book, a masterful move in a slim novel such as this. A worthwhile and life-affirming read.  

 

 

 Tara Campbell is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, and fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse Magazine. She teaches flash fiction and speculative fiction, and is the author of a novel, two hybrid collections of poetry and prose, and two short story collections (Midnight at the Organporium and Cabinet of Wrath, from Aqueduct). Her sixth book, City of Dancing Gargoyles, was released by Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) in September 2024. Find out more at www.taracampbell.com

The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2024, pt.1: Tara Campbell

 

The Pleasures of 2024

by Tara Campbell

 

 

 

My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

Lyrical, engrossing, sobering, and mesmerizing. I started this in written format, but switched to audiobook (read by Aja Naomi King) when I had to give the book back. All of the stories are whip-smart, but the eponymous novella is a singular feat. Written from the perspective of a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings, Johnson has put her own singular spin on the apocalypse novel. A masterpiece.

 The Angel of Rome by Jess Walter

Audiobook: stories full of Walter's signature wry, winningly sad humor and nostalgia, set in the Pacific Northwest. The title story is enchanting, featuring a larger-than-life actor and an ensemble cast of unlikely fans who wind up working on a Hollywood script.

 Blue Skies by TC Boyle

A sobering look ahead in terms of climate change, but with enough humor and human connection to get you through the hard parts. It’s set in (present? near future?) Florida succumbing to flooding, but the focus is on human relationships, denial, and folly. No spoilers, but there's a persistent sense of foreboding about a certain pet, and Boyle teases the tension out expertly.

 Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

What a delightful journey! Seattle-based Buxton fully inhabits her main character, a feisty and delightfully foul-mouthed crow named S.T. (short for Shit Turd), making us cheer for him and his trusty hound-dog sidekick Dennis. She sends them on incredible adventures through a wonderfully detailed Seattle as only a Cheeto-addicted crow could see it. A love letter to both the grunge and the natural splendor of our fair city.
 

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

Another one I read in a matter of days. A slim novel that still feels full, like a meal that looks small on the plate but is satisfying because of the richness of its ingredients and the care of its preparation. There’s disturbing magic in the juxtaposition of decadence against the disintegration of the world, and tension in the relationships where the main character continually has to question who she can truly trust beyond herself. This is a perfect example of how closed settings can ramp up tension.


The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac by Sharma Shields

This book is mesmerizing and wonderfully weird. No wonder it won the Washington Book Award! Sasquatch lore expertly interwoven with a multi-generational family drama--truly unique.



And I'm currently re-reading (audio book) Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam Trilogy. Love, betrayal, gene-splicing, and pandemic. What can I say, the woman is a genius, prescient and incisive. She's what I want to be when I grow up.

 

 Tara Campbell is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, and fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse Magazine. She teaches flash fiction and speculative fiction, and is the author of a novel, two hybrid collections of poetry and prose, and two short story collections (Midnight at the Organporium and Cabinet of Wrath, from Aqueduct). Her sixth book, City of Dancing Gargoyles, was released by Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) in September 2024. Find out more at www.taracampbell.com

The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2023, pt. 1: Tara Campbell

 

Pleasures of Reading 2023

 by Tara Campbell

 

 

They say reading is breathing in, writing is breathing out. I’ve been doing a lot of breathing in in 2023, and here are just a few of my favorite inhalations:

The Guest by Emma Cline

If you like to read (or write) protagonists who are both fascinating and reprehensible, this is the book for you. The main character Alex is clearly only out for herself, but demonstrates just enough vulnerability and occasional helpfulness to make her not a complete a monster. Her impulsive and just plain bad decisions have gotten her into a bind, and her hopes for extracting herself clash with the reality she’s heading toward. The book reminded me of John Cheever’s story “The Swimmer” in a couple of ways: (1) how Cline subtly signals the disparities between how Alex sees herself and how other people perceive her, and (2) the fluidity with which Alex oscillates between self-awareness and magical thinking, with the balance between those two states shifting toward the end. Then I happened to find a video clip of Cline talking about how that story was indeed one of her inspirations.

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

 

Propulsive and nerve-wracking in the best way. Finished it the day after I picked it up from the library, which is saying something because I’m a slow reader. I was swept away by the escalation of one bad decision after another. 

 

 

 

Jewel Box: Stories by E Lily Yu

I was lucky enough to meet this author at an event in Seattle this fall. The breadth of times, locations, and subjects of the stories in this collection is impressive, and the precision of her language is consistent throughout. Truly inspiring craft!

 

What We Fed to the Manticore by Talia Lakshmi Kolluri

These are nothing like the “cute animal story” trope that many an author has fallen into when trying to imagine the experience of a non-human narrator. Soulful and tender, sad and gentle, these stories contain a rich mixture of pathos and hope. ]

Cascadia Field Guide edited by Elizabeth Bradfield, CMarie Fuhrman, and Derek Sheffield

This was a delightful (re)introduction to the Cascadia area, a bioregion that extends from Southeast Alaska down to Northern California and as far east as Idaho and Montana. Rather than focusing on dry taxonomy, however, the editors fully embraced the STEAM method, giving equal weight to field notes, poetry, and artistic renditions of the flora and fauna. It was a truly engaging way to educate myself about a place I’d left for decades before moving back this summer. 

If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoferry

Nominated for just about every award under the sun, and I completely get why. It’s worth every bit of the hype. Not many authors can are so adept at easing light touches of humor into the midst of hardship. The fluidity of Escoferry’s prose and his unforgettable characters are a winning combination.

You Don’t Belong Here by Jonathan Harper

Devoured it in one day. One of the blurbs says it "reads like a Cheever fever dream," which I think is a great way to describe it! Amazing descriptions of food/consumption/self-destructive spirals. An extended queer Twilight Zone where the world around the main character constricts slowly to haunting effect. 

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu

I picked this book up in a display of Pacific NW authors, and was not disappointed! Fu’s ingenious ideas + well-developed characters = a pleasure to read. Loved the rising tension and unease in “#ClimbingNation” and the formal experimentation of “Pre-simulation and In This Fantasy.” “June Bugs” and “Bridezilla” also employed rising tension plus avenging monsters, “Sandman” and “Scissors” were notable for erotic tension, and “Do You Remember Candy” was remarkable in its full exploration of sensory information.

 

I’d Really Prefer Not to Be Here with You and Other Stories by Julianna Baggott

Her deadpan wit and the bizarre situations that arose in her stories kept me reading sections aloud to my husband.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

As in Kite Runner, Hosseini proves once again to be masterful with stories that stretch over decades and long absences, capturing longing and grace in horrific circumstances. 

Tara Campbell is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse Magazine, and graduate of American University's MFA. Prior publication credits include work in Masters Review, Wigleaf, Electric Literature, CRAFT Literary, Daily Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons. She's the author of a novel, two hybrid collections of poetry and prose, and two short story collections from feminist sci-fi publisher Aqueduct Press. Her sixth book, City of Dancing Gargoyles, is forthcoming from SFWP in September 2024. Find her at www.taracampbell.com

The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2022, pt. 5: Tara Campbell

 

Reading Pleasures in 2022

by Tara Campbell

 

Book of the Unnamed Midwife – Meg Elison

 

Dystopia that doesn't merely wallow in suffering

 

I typically don't read dystopian novels because I find it difficult to spend that much time in darkness and violence, but I love Elison's work, so I decided to give it a try. I couldn't put this book down. Yes, there is darkness and violence, but Elison's protagonist is compelling, and her approach to the violence it is more factual than gratuitous. Yes, rape happens, but offstage and reported, rather than graphically fetishized. Even when the protagonist isn't being actively pursued, the tension of being a woman in a vicious world is palpable--and relatable. This book presents an opportunity to contemplate a challenging future without coming out just feeling abused.

 

 

Nettle & Bone – T Kingfisher

 

Kingfisher never disappoints!

 

What can I say, it's a page-turner with engaging characters and Kingfisher's characteristic strong, witty female characters. Yes, it's a quest set in a traditional medieval-pseudo-European world with kings and queens, but Kingfisher puts her own fresh, feminist spin on things. It's the language and characterization that draws you in; no one can tell a story quite like her.

 

 

The Rock Eaters – Brenda Peynado

 

This is exactly the kind of thing I think about when I hear the phrase "literary speculative fiction"--even when the premises are fantastical, the communities in which they happen are complex and immersive. The author's ability to tunnel through improbable occurrences to the emotional core is what elevates these stories. They are engaging, engrossing, and immensely satisfying.

 

 

The Monsters We Defy – Leslye Penelope

 

The characters were engaging, the pacing was brisk, and as a DC resident, it was fun to read a story set in the past of the city where I live. I liked the collaborative problem-solving approach to defeating supernatural forces--it was like a lighter, more optimistic version of Lovecraft Chronicles. Clara was an appealing protagonist, but I think my favorite character was Mama Octavia, Clara's guardian on the other side--we all need a steady protector like her. Of course, the spunky Zelda was a lot of fun too. I appreciated the author's stylistic approach toward the supernatural, evocative without being overheated. Some authors would flood the page with hyperbole to evoke a sense of urgency, but Penelope doesn't need to do that. This book was an immersive adventure into 1920s Washington, DC.

 

 

 The Runaway Restaurant -- Tessa Yang

 

 

I often use Yang's "Princess Shipwreck" in my flash fiction classes as an example of playful use of language, showing change through imagery, and creatively reimagining stories we think we know. This whole collection shared those strengths, making it a pleasure to explore. Yang serves up the world we think we know, but with a twist. Her stories are haunting and memorable, with real relationships at the core of the fabulist elements.

 

 

 

Tara Campbell is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse, and graduate of American University's MFA in Creative Writing. Her publication credits include SmokeLong Quarterly, Masters Review, Wigleaf, Strange Horizons, Daily Science Fiction, Uncharted Magazine, and Escape Pod/Artemis Rising. She's the author of a novel and four multi-genre collections including her newest, Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection (Aqueduct, 2021) and Midnight at the Organporium (Aqueduct, 2019). Connect with her at her website: www.taracampbell.com.

An Evening with Three Aqueduct Authors

This is a heads-up for an Aqueduct authors event I'd love to be able to attend myself. (I'm in Port Townsend for my annual sabbatical, so sad to say, I won't be there.) Over the years, I've seen many of Nisi's readings and know that she's a star performer, and so am confident she'll be brilliant. Also? This is the launch of her new collection, Our Fruiting Bodies, which Aqueduct will be releasing on November 1. Last summer, during a conference held via Zoom, I saw Tara reading from her collection, Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection, and found her performance of a delightfully creepy story enthralling. And to tell the truth, it was the memory of Holly Wade Matter's intriguing Seattle Public Library reading of an excerpt from what would become her novel Damned Pretty Things, that made me eager to read her novel ms when she offered it to Aqueduct years later. Which is to say, the evening promises to be a fun precursor to Halloween, full of feminist dark fantasy and horror. (Not to mention a chance for people in the Seattle area to see friends one hasn't seen in a while in the absolute, real-life flesh.)

Here are the details, and a little more about Nisi's, Holly's, and Tara's work to be featured at the event.

Thursday, October 27, 2022. 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM PDT
Third Place Books 5041 Wilson Ave S Seattle, WA 98118 United States

Next week, Third Place Books will welcome Nisi Shawl, Holly Wade Matter, and Tara Campbell to their Seward Park store. Our authors will be discussing their latest works of fiction: Our Fruiting Bodies, Damned Pretty Things, and Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required in advance.

Copies of Our Fruiting Bodies, Damned Pretty Things, and Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection will be available for purchase at the store. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A.

Per request of the authors, masks are required to attend. More about Third Place Books' COVID-19 policies for in-person events.
 
About Our Fruiting Bodies

Our Fruiting Bodies collects stories of old growth and fresh decay, of stubborn rebirth and the faint but nonimaginary paths connecting life and nonlife. From the sharp, sweet confessional of their Peter Pan-inspired "Awfully Big Adventure," through the melting ambitextualities of "Just Us"--from the early, dizzy-eyed quest at the heart of "Looking for Lilith" through the newly unfurling tendrils that pierce the grounds of "I Being Young and Foolish," Nisi Shawl's search for the power of fiction's truth puts pure, precious gifts right here, right in your hands, ripe and ready for reading.

About Damned Pretty Things

Fortune is an itinerant musician without a past who braids memories into her hair. Maud is a sheltered small-town girl and an unwitting heir to the notorious McBride family magic. The two young women meet when Fortune is commissioned to bring Maud to a rich man whose grandson she cursed. United by their love of music and their hunger for the road, Fortune and Maud form a friendship...one that is threatened not only by Fortune's mission but also by their mutual desire for a man called Lightning.

About Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection

Deep in the recesses of childhood memory, your old playthings await. Listen: don’t you hear them crying out for you? Come take a peek inside the Cabinet of Wrath to find out what really happens when toys go missing and the stark decision they must make if they ever want to go home again. Discover what doll heads really think about being separated from their bodies. Follow a skull-and-bones novelty ring as it assembles a full body for itself, bit by grisly bit, and learn how loving your doll too much can lead to grave consequences. Open the door to these fabulist tales of toys and vengeance for a playtime you’ll never forget.

About Third Place Books

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series.
 
 

The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2021, pt. 3: Tara Campbell

 

The Pleasures of Reading in 2021

 by Tara Campbell 

 

 

 

This year I’m mixing things up a bit with both genre and non-genre reading recommendations:

  Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray

 I actually bought this book after I read a tweet from the author about how some Zoom-bomber had made a horrible racist comment during an online event. I didn’t know her or her work yet, but after reading a description of the book, I was intrigued and bought it. I’m so glad I did! Don't sleep on this action-packed Pan-African adventure. It's a page-turner with relatable protagonists facing fantastical creatures and multiple obstacles. If you're on the fence because you "don't read YA," do yourself a favor and free your mind. I wasn’t a fan of the copious amount of violence (particularly against women) in Black Leopard, Red Wolf, so this was a refreshing alternative to find. 

Terrible Things by David Surface 

Atmospheric and unsettling, these stories are brief but memorable. Surface is adept at building tension and cultivating a sense of dread. As I read, I felt driven to keep peeking around the next corner, needing to know "what's next?" 

 

 

  Three non-genre things:

  I’m Not Hungry, but I Could Eat by Christopher Gonzalez 

I’ll let the descriptive copy do its job: “Exploring the lives of bisexual and gay Puerto Rican men, these fifteen stories show a vulnerable, intimate world of yearning and desire.” This collection is at times startling, at times disarming, but always emotionally resonant. The characters in these stories open their souls to us, sharing their vulnerabilities, their disappointments, and their strategies for emotional self defense. In some cases, their motives are laid bare, not for us to judge, but to empathize with. In other cases, we puzzle over their behavior as they reveal themselves through their attempts to shield themselves from a difficult world. Each story is a small, delicious bite of a satisfying meal.

  The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich There's a reason she's had such a long and illustrious career. Her characters are three-dimensional and unforgettable, kind, and unflappable in the face of adversity. With lush descriptions and heart, she deftly weaves multiple storylines together without losing sight of the main thread: the defeat of the "emancipation" bill that threatened the Turtle Mountain Reservation. Another deeply satisfying read from Erdrich.  

Admit this to No One: Collected Stories by Leslie Pietryzk Once again, Pietrzyk combines keen observation with dry wit to craft evocative stories of power, privilege, corruption, and complicated relationships centered on a fictional Speaker of the House. Her protagonists are flawed but self-aware, capable of glimpsing the ways they simultaneously build themselves up and tear themselves down. The stories crackle with tension, taking on urgent questions of race and power--and the author isn't afraid to turn a critical lens toward her own role in these dynamics. I wanted to pace myself, extending the enjoyment, but I couldn't—I inhaled this book! 

And last, but not least: I’m preparing for my annual class reading the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2021. Though I haven’t read the whole anthology yet, I’ve been enjoying stories like 

• “Crawfather”: Mel Kassel’s delightful tale of a startling family tradition centered on a leviathan of the lake 

• “Let’s Play Dead”: Senaa Ahmad’s sharp alternate history of an unstoppable Ann Boleyn 

• “Schrödinger’s Catastrophe” Gene Doucette’s spacefaring sci-fi novella featuring warped time and a loopy computer 

• “The Beast Adjoins” Ted Kosmatka’s atmospheric take on the classic robots-gone-amok-in-space scenario 

• “The Cleaners”: Ken Liu’s touching story reimagining how we deal with memory and loss 

• I’m also toasting the inclusion of not one, but two stories by my immensely talented friend Yohanca Delgado: “Our Language” and “The Rat.” 

 

 

Tara Campbell (www.taracampbell.com) is a Kimbilio Fellow, a fiction editor at Barrelhouse, and an MFA candidate at American University. Prior publication credits include SmokeLong Quarterly, Masters Review, Jellyfish Review, and Strange Horizons. Her novel TreeVolution was published in 2016, followed in 2018 by her collection of fiction and poetry Circe’s Bicycle. Aqueduct Press published her collection, Midnight in the Organporium, which garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, in 2019, and Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection  in 2021.

Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection by Tara Campbell

 

 I'm pleased to announce the release of Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection by Tara Campbell as the eightieth volume in Aqueduct Press's Conversation Pieces series, in both print and e-book editions. You can purchase a copy now at www.aqueductpress.com. 

Read a sample from the book.

 

Deep in the recesses of childhood memory, your old playthings await. Listen: don’t you hear them crying out for you? Come take a peek inside the Cabinet of Wrath to find out what really happens when toys go missing and the stark decision they must make if they ever want to go home again. Discover what doll heads really think about being separated from their bodies. Follow a skull-and-bones novelty ring as it assembles a full body for itself, bit by grisly bit, and learn how loving your doll too much can lead to grave consequences. Open the door to these fabulist tales of toys and vengeance for a playtime you’ll never forget.

 Celebrate the release of the book with for a virtual reading and discussion of Cabinet of Wrath: A Doll Collection, in conversation with Kelly Ann Jacobson, author of Tink and Wendy and An Inventory of Abandoned Things, with an introduction by L. Timmel Duchamp at the Writer's Center on July 15 here.

Katharine Blair has a long, thoughtful review of Cabinet of Wrath at Trampset. "Sometimes the most effective and thought-provoking speculative fiction is found in the smallest of shifts in perspective. Given the number of stories in Cabinet of Wrath that explore the ways in which a woman’s value depends so profoundly on the motives of her oppressors, I think anything that keeps us as readers closer to the root of our own culpability is best.Lost loves and predators, manipulation and finding solace, violence and the search for connection. These most human of experiences are at once the beauty and the horror of this collection and the perfect subject for its vantage of a seemingly childlike entry point into our world. Childhood has always been as much about powerlessness as innocence.... Now here, twenty years, a divorce, and eight pregnancies later, I think I’m ready to call it: if you want to understand the human experience, speculative fiction, and specifically a collection like Cabinet of Wrath, this is a great place to start. Let these dolls be the abstraction that allows the necessary distance to examine your own world with clarity."

Campbell delivers nine spooky stories of toys turned sinister that are sure to make readers reconsider the dolls, stuffed animals, and childhood playthings collecting dust in storage....[T]he imaginative scenarios and alluring voice never waver. Readers looking for bite-size horror will be delighted.—Publishers Weekly

 A delectably gruesome, tantalizingly bitey cabinet of wonders awaits you in this jewel box of a collection from Tara Campbell.—Tina Connolly, Hugo-nominated author of The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections

I thought I’d seen it all with the “creepy doll” story line, but Tara Campbell takes it to the next level with her twisted and delightful imagination. Kidnappers. Lovers. Killers. Seekers. I will be thinking about these stories in my nightmares. –Tara Laskowski, author of One Night Gone and Modern Manners For Your Inner Demons

The Pleasures of Reading, Viewing, and Listening in 2019, pt. 15: Tara Campbell

My Year of Expansive Pleasure

by Tara Campbell

This year it has been my extreme pleasure to continue expanding my familiarity with diverse/underrepresented authors and topics. Here are some of the works I’ve enjoyed over the past year.

(1) How Long ‘Til Black Future Month

Orbit, November 2018

The stupendous new collection by the celebrated N.K. Jemisin, winner of the 2019 Locus Award for Best Collection, showcases the breadth of Jemisin’s creativity over a 15-year span. 

(2) The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories

Editors: Mahvesh Murad and Jared Shurin; Solaris, March 2017

A charming collection of stories revolving around djinn. Not all of the stories are written by POC, but if the editors are satisfied, so am I. Highlights for me include:

“How We Remember You by Kuzhali Manickavel”: a haunting account of cousins’ memories of—and regrets about—how they treated a magical friend of their youth. This one will stay with you.

“A Tale of Ash in Seven Birds by Amal El-Mohtar”: an enigmatic, shape-shifting story which, according to the author on Twitter, is “quite nakedly about immigration & refugees & I hate reading it out loud because I choke up at the same part every time.” I certainly understand why.

“Reap by Sami Shah”: a vivid and engrossing story about the stakes of drone warfare.

“The Jinn Hunter’s Apprentice” by E.J. Swift: An engaging piece of space-noir with a haunted ships and a cheeky twist.

“The Spite House” by Kirsty Logan: usually the djinn is the trickster, but in this tale, an even wilier human places this genie in a bind.

(3) Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018

Series Editor: John Joseph Adams, Guest Editor: N.K. Jemisin

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 2018

What I love about this collection is its sheer range, covering everything from fantasy to legend to hard science fiction to crossover literary. It’s like a primer to the breadth of today’s speculative fiction. Stories with elements of diversity include:

You Will Always Have Family: A Triptych by Kathleen Kayembe: a Congolese ghost story

The Last Cheng Beng Gift by Jaymee Goh: the potential pitfalls of Chinese tradition

The Wretched and the Beautiful by E. Lily Yu: a poignant parable of interstellar refugees

The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant by Rachael K. Jones: how often do you read a story about a spaceship with an all-female robot crew?

(4) New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color

Editor: Nisi Shawl

Amazon Digital Services, March 2019

This collection edited by the inimitable Nisi Shawl, whose latest novel Everfair has garnered mountains of praise, was a pleasure to read. Some of my favorite stories:

“Come Home to Atropos” by Steven Barnes: blistering satire re: euthanasia tourism on former colonial island

“The Fine Print” by Chinelo Onwualu: a catalog of wishes keeps humans in debt to djinns, who send spells in human form as debt collectors

“One Easy Trick” by Hiromi Goto: a woman loses her belly fat in a forest—then goes back to find it

“Harvest” by Rebecca Roanhorse: “Never fall in love with a deer woman.” A tale of retribution and horror.

(5) Speaking of Rebecca Roanhorse, I’m currently making my way through the recommendations in her 2018 Tor article “Five Indigenous Speculative Fiction Authors You Should Be Reading.” I just finished The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, and loved it. Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson is next on my desk. Read Roanhorse’s article for descriptions of these two books and more.

What better way to start a Happy New Year?

Tara Campbell (www.taracampbell.com) is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, and fiction editor at Barrelhouse. She made her Aqueduct debut with her Conversation Pieces edition Midnight at the Organporium in 2019. Prior publication credits include SmokeLong Quarterly, Masters Review, Monkeybicycle, Jellyfish Review, Booth, Strange Horizons, and Escape Pod/Artemis Rising. She's the author of a novel, TreeVolution, and a hybrid fiction/poetry collection, Circe's Bicycle. She received her MFA from American University in 2019.

Tara Campbell's Midnight at the Organporium

I'm pleased to announce the release of Midnight at the Organporium, a collection of short fiction by Tara Campbell, in both print and ebook editions, as the sixty-seventh volume in Aqueduct's Conversation Pieces series.

What do a homicidal houseplant, an enchanted office picnic, sentient fog, and the perfect piece of toast have in common? They’re all part of the world of Midnight at the Organporium. At turns droll, wicked, and surreal, these tales cover topics from white flight, to the Princess and the Pea, to marriage in the afterlife. Visit Midnight at the Organporium for a dose of twisted obsession, covert complicity, and peculiar empowerment—and don’t forget to pick up your spare heart while you’re there.

Advance Praise for Midnight at the Organporium

 Tara Campbell’s stories exist at a delightful quarter turn to the left from our world — places where CEOs turn into lions, and hearts are sold in the mall — while simul­taneously beautifully and deftly exploring exactly what it means to be human.—Tina Connolly, World Fantasy-nominated author of On the Eyeball Floor and Other Stories

So much unexpected happens in Tara Campbell’s weird and wonderful short story collection, Midnight at the Or­ganporium, that I didn’t want to let these stories go. From full-length to flash fiction, Campbell’s stories in Midnight at the Organporium sneak up on you with an exquisite hyper-realism, a sure-fire wit, and most of all, a daring sense of adventure and possibility.—Caroline Bock, author of Carry Her Home, Before My Eyes, and Lie

Sometimes funny, sometimes frightening, and always full of heart — in Midnight at the Organporium, the everyday and the fantastic conspire to create the authentic.—Erin Fitzgerald, author of Valletta73

You can read a sample from Midnight at the Organporium at http://www.aqueductpress.com/books/samples/978-1-61976-163-6.pdf.  And you can purchase a copy at www.aqueductpress.com.