I’m so thrilled to be a contributor to the Young-Adult fiction anthology Cool. Awkward. Black. (Penguin Teen, 2023).
A girl who believes in UFOs; a boy who might have finally found his Prince Charming; a hopeful performer who dreams of being cast in her school’s production of The Sound of Music; a misunderstood magician (of sorts) with a power she doesn’t quite understand.
These plotlines and more comprise the eclectic stories found within the pages of this dynamic, exciting, and expansive collection featuring exclusively Black characters and edited by critically-acclaimed author Karen Strong. From contemporary to historical, fantasy to sci-fi, magical to realistic, this anthology has contributions from a powerhouse list of self-proclaimed Black geeks and bestselling, award-winning Black authors including Amerie, Kalynn Bayron, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Roseanne A. Brown, Elise Bryant, Tracy Deonn, Desiree S. Evans, Isaac Fitzsimons, Lamar Giles, Jordan Ifueko, Leah Johnson, Amanda Joy, Kwame Mbalia, Tochi Onyebuchi, Shari B. Pennant, K. Arsenault Rivera, Julian Winters, and Ibi Zoboi. Their stories celebrate and redefine the many facets of Blackness and geekiness—both in the real world and those imagined.
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Praise for the book:
“This energetic compilation of narratives is a beautiful tribute to and for young people who often find themselves on the margins of their social settings…A fearless and satisfying collection of expansive stories.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Utilizing varying literary genres…the creators deftly interrogate issues of racism, homophobia and transphobia, and intimate partner violence, and depict everyday joys and pains of varied Black experiences.” – Publishers Weekly
“The collection features exclusively Black main characters and various gender identities and yet it moves beyond representation to inspiration, serving as a touchstone for young readers and writers to build on creatively. The intentional blending the rules of genre fiction magnifies the idea of authorship—your story, your rules, societal expectations be damned.” – The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books