African American Short Stories

In his sharply crafted, unnerving first collection of speculative short stories, Courttia Newland envisages an alternate future as lived by the African diaspora. Robots driven by all-too-human urges set out to colonize space; Kill Parties roam the streets of a postapocalyptic world; a matriarchal race of mer creatures depends on interbreeding with mortals to survive; mysterious seeds appear in cities across the world, growing into the likeness of people in their vicinity.

A civil rights activist and key figure in African American literary history, Alice Dunbar-Nelson made her mark during the emerging Harlem Renaissance. Violets and Other Tales is her debut (included here in full, save for three stories later updated in The Goodness of St. Rocque). The collection includes poetry, short stories, and essays offering a varied examination of class differences, racial identity, oppression, intolerance, and women’s societal roles. The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories assembles 14 of Dunbar’s short works of fiction.

Friday Black tackles urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest and explores the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world. In the first unforgettable story of this collection, 'The Finkelstein Five', Adjei-Brenyah gives us an unstinting reckoning of the brutal prejudice of the US justice system. In 'Zimmer Land' we see a far-too-easy-to-believe imagining of racism as sport. And 'Friday Black' and 'How to Sell a Jacket as Told by Ice King' show the horrors of consumerism and the toll it takes on us all.

Life after heartbreak isn't always peachy keen and Yachri Moore was still feeling the effects of the day her boyfriend of three years, Derrick Lanely, allowed her to run away without chasing her when he was the one deciding to walk away. A single's retreat with her bestfriend Eva, a vow to remain celibate until marriage, her ex Derrick, and her new date Theo Jackson, all led to Yachri experiencing just how life could really be after heartbreak and all he twist and turns that leads to the path of healing, love, and happiness.

Previously titled "I Want Love", Daddy's Girl tells the tale of a young woman raised without a father, beginning from childhood.

An enthralling collection of short stories based on Dwight's own family history. He takes us through the lives of African Americans and Native Americans in the early parts of the United States. A must listen.

In the 1970s, Topper and Sanya flee to Miami as political violence consumes their native Kingston. But America, as the couple and their two children learn, is far from the promised land. Excluded from society as Black immigrants, the family pushes on first through Hurricane Andrew and later the 2008 recession, living in a house so cursed that the pet fish launches itself out of its own tank rather than stay. But even as things fall apart, the family remains motivated, often to its own detriment, by what their younger son, Trelawny, calls “the exquisite, racking compulsion to survive.”

Which One Are You? is a collection of 19 short stories that deal with a variety of topics, including family, life, friends, and making choices. The stories are told from a variety of perspectives, and they offer insights into the human condition that are both thought-provoking and inspiring.

Delight in intriguing, thought-provoking conversations about ethics, philosophy, and social issues! After Dinner Conversation is a monthly literary magazine publishing short fiction. Each issue features both established writers and up-and-coming authors who contribute fascinating philosophical insights on controversial topics like marriage equality, assisted suicide, the meaning of death, animal rights, and defining your "purpose." It's time to go deep in search of truth! If you love reading imaginative short stories on hot topics that make your brain think deeply but also have you laughing...

Roberto "Papa" Huffington. Beloved husband. Father. Friend. This is a very short story in honor of his legacy that he has left behind.

Justin Allen and Kesha Jones are the perfect couple until he gets drafted to the NBA and becomes unfaithful. With the pressure from his new found popularity, he forgets what matters most to him. Kesha. To keep him, she begins to compromise what she believes and the promises that were made to God. Eventually Kesha gets fed up and decides to decline a life of fame and fortune with Justin and chooses a life of faith and holiness instead. Snow Series: The Player The Snow's Meltdown Don't Rescue Me Seed of Discord Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places Temptation

She's running from an abusive relationship and a shady past, and decides the best place to hide (and heal) is teaching math at a high school. Enter new handsome ex-jock boss who wants to protect her heart. Is this her second chance at love? Or will her relationship baggage push him away? Dr. Katrina Mason loves teaching college math. It's a rewarding departure from her past vocation as a stripper. When an abusive relationship forces her to take a job at a high school in another state, she's pleasantly surprised how much she enjoys it. That is, until she gets a lewd unsigned note to the ...

Precy Bee was only five years old when the civil war that devastated her country and claimed the lives of over two hundred and fifty thousand people ended. The Liberians sighed with relief and began to piece their economy together, but not for long. While Precy and her family humbly live their low standard lifestyle, Ebola slowly creeps into her country and deals them a fatal blow, shaking the very foundation of her family. Once again, her people are dying as they fight a different war against a fatal Virus more lethal than AIDS, and Precy doubts the possibility of her precious family ...

In Romance: Quickies (Nicole's Encounter - 6), attorney Nicole takes what she wants when she ravishes a cocky rival attorney. But has Miss Type A finally met her match? Seven friends living in New York City. One unusual competition. Who can have the most intimate encounters in a month? Ten thousand dollars is on the line... Quickies are bite-sized steamy stories that follow a group of women living in New York City who compete to see who can have the most casual hookups in a month. Which woman will sleep with the most men to win the bet? Will any of them fall in love with their conquests ...

For over thirty years, The Journey Prize Stories has consistently introduced audiences to the next generation of great Canadian writers. The 33rd edition of Canada's most prestigious annual fiction anthology proudly continues this tradition by celebrating the best emerging Black writers in the country, as selected by a jury comprising internationally acclaimed, award-winning writers David Chariandy, Esi Edugyan, and Canisia Lubrin.

She still holds a grudge. When the one who abandoned her returns, will she let bitterness tear apart all she loves? Washington, DC, 1997. Maxine “Maxi” Weldon is living her best life. After her childhood sweetheart bailed when their son was six, the devoted mother forged a promising career and happy home with her big-hearted husband. But the hard-working Jamaican native becomes alarmed when she walks in on her usually levelheaded twelve-year-old hanging up on a suspicious phone call. With layoff rumors at work weighing heavily on her mind, Maxi's stress rises exponentially when she ...

From the author of Dead Man's Mayhem and Execution's Karma is How to Survive the End, a young adult apocalyptic fiction delivering the full clash of popular thought against isolated imagination, with a twist of witty humor and doses of cruel reality. When the entire world is in full collapse and devastation, the question now becomes - how do we survive the end? This is the question that a teenage Dayton tries to solve as he uses ancient texts to pinpoint when the end will be, however, when no one believes him and it all seems like one big hoax, he forgets about it, too, just so he can fit ...

Poet Jean Toomer’s short-story and poetry collection.

I saw the ripples in his blue jeans before I saw the twinkle in his dark brown eyes. His deep brown skin looked smooth as silk, and his jeans hugged his hips so snugly they looked as if they had been constructed on him as he stood in place in an obliging tailor shop. Thus begins Brian’s adventure in the story Overnight to Boston. He’s just quit his office job. He’s heading to Boston by train for no apparent reason when he meets Nic, a teacher who likes music and men like Brian. In Prom Night, the second story, an 18-year-old high school senior learns that having sex with a beautiful ...

"No justice, no peace!" The crowd marched through the streets, chanting as their hearts and minds are weighed down heavily. Each individual’s soul has been tattered and worn. The Black and Brown faces that make up the group all house expressions of anguish, pain, and restlessness. The words—"We the Jury, find the defendant, Tyler Mitchell, not guilty"—sting as they fall upon the ears of those who have gathered on the courthouse steps. Another White male has mercilessly taken innocent and unarmed lives. When will it end?