2023 Short Story Collection Selection by Scotty Escobar - “Mother”

When she said, “I’m sorry for everything,” I had an idea of what she meant. Sorry for being a smoker. Sorry for being an alcoholic. Sorry for neglecting you. Sorry for abusing you.

2023 Q26 Short Story Collection Selection by Codi Charles - “If I Die: A Black Trans Request”

If I die, i do not want to be memorialized. i do not want to be undesirable and despised in my living only to be lessened and capitalized off of in my death.

The Legenborn Cycle by Tracy Deonn is a tale of history, power and, in many ways, race. It’s a series loosely based on the King Arthur legend and has a lot of roots in the history of black slavery. Dhonielle Clayton, the New York Times bestselling author of The Belles describes it aptly- “...[the book] braids together Southern folk traditions and Black Girl Magic into a searing modern tale of grief, power, and self-discovery”.

Lily's identity as a Chinese American lesbian brings multiple dimensions to her experiences. The book follows her journey through navigating her identity, both as a Chinese American and as a young lesbian woman. The entire book is rich in themes of self-discovery, identity formation, and the challenges faced by marginalized individuals.

Set against the backdrop of the Nigerian-Biafran War, "Under the Udala Trees" incorporates elements of political unrest and conflict. We get to experience how the war affects the characters' lives and shapes their journeys through life.

Greek mythology is filled with a lot of great loves - enough to lose count. One story that isn't told quite as often as the rest is the love story of Patroclus and Achilles. You may think I mean Achilles and Patroclus, as it’s told in the Illiad, but Miller tells us the story of Patroclus and how he fell in love with Achilles. That is the story I know. It is the story I fell in love with.

While being entirely about queer people, it didn’t feel like I was reading a queer book which is something I really appreciated. If this was a heteronormative book Delilah would be the brooding boy who just can’t stay away from the sweet nerdy girl. The sweet nerdy girl would obviously be Claire. It read like so many other romcoms I’ve read in the past with the single exception that it was queer.

The Invisible Life Of Addie La Rue chronicles the life of Addie, a 23-year-old living in New York City in 2014. This sounds fairly normal except for one small thing. Addie has been 23 for 300 hundred years and no one ever remembers her.

Meet one of our writing workshop leaders, Sondra Rose Marie! Sondra is a professional copywriter teaching several copywriting workshops this year through Q26.