Love a short story?
Anthologies to make you dream, to think, to breathe, to wonder
Not everyone loves short stories. They don’t give you as much time for worldbuilding and the payoff can sometimes feel gimmicky. It is an horrendously difficult art form to write a short story, but when it’s done well, they are breathtaking slices of wonder, horror and delight.
Short stories need to have compelling characters who experience conflict, make choices, and suffer real consequences. You must have a beginning, middle, and end—it can’t just be vibes, or a vignette. It can leave you wanting more, but it must satisfy you as a standalone piece of writing, and just when you’ve become attached to characters they leave and you start all over again.
On top of that, the editing of an anthology is its own skill. It’s like recording an album of songs, or planning the perfect playlist for a group of strangers for whom you wish to convey a feeling but you don’t know them at all. Lee Mandelo (see below) talks about anthology editing as “curating a conversation”. It’s not enough to string a bunch of stories together by great authors. The book needs flow and to have character of its own, a purpose for being, and a story to tell. Also, editors need to take that raw material and guide their writers to bigger and better heights.
There’s interesting books being added to the field every year, but below I present a selection (and this was so hard!) of new and older queer anthologies that have stayed with me or have intrigued me, and why. If you have never delved into the world of anthologies before, hopefully you’ll find something here in these wildly disparate approaches to the art form.
Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity - Lee Mandelo
Amplitudes showcases a variety of voices, each contributing unique perspectives on identity, existence, and the possibilities that lie ahead for queer people, but the editor does have some darker views about that, which can be tough to swallow. The stories resonate with personal experiences of struggle but also of resilience. The editor has made bold, unexpected choices, and for many people merely the survival against adversity is a kind of hope. Don’t go into this thinking it’s going to be offering lighthearted visions of the future. It’s more complex than that, is what the editor seems to be saying.
“The length of life doesn’t matter,” she said, “as long as it’s a life you’d like to grow into. You could live forever in a life like that, and never tire of it.” Dominique Dickey—“Forever won’t end like this”
Far Out: Recent Queer Science Fiction and Fantasy - Paula Guran
Like all “best of” books, Far Out doesn’t seek a theme so much as it tries to demonstrate a cross-section of the field. It’s like a history book for people who are not familiar with the genre, and it isn’t pushing boundaries (it’s quite mainstream actually), but aims to show not how we aspire but how we got here. The introduction gives an overview of queer anthologies, and a sense of evolution within this art form. It’s a safe, non-confronting entry point into a bigger world.
“‘You can’t ask me why I’m here. And you can’t give me a kiss goodnight.’ It’s an odd set of restrictions to get from a hallucination.” Seanan McGuire—“Driving Jenny Home”
Meanwhile, Elsewhere:
Science Fiction and Fantasy from Transgender Writers - Cat Fitzpatrick, Casey Plett
This book is not safe or easy and it isn’t meant to be. This is transgender SciFi and fantasy writers letting loose, exploring passion, violence, life, and death. A sexy, rollicking, angsty, often confronting collection of different worlds, identities, and pleasures. I flinched many times, and chances are you will too. For readers who like it when writers are bold, when visions are strong, and there are no rules, just trigger warnings.
“Her belly growled at the thought of her eating human brains? Or just human flesh in general? Suddenly all she could think of was the salty warmth of blood pumping from a fluttering heart.” Bridget Liang—“Delicate Bodies”
Lesbians in Space: The Sapphics Strike Back - JS Fields, William C Tracy, Heather Tracy
Sometimes you just want to have fun! This is the second in a two-part series but for me this volume contains the more rollicking good times and the high-octane action. The editors have found writers who love to play with language, but mostly they want a cozy good time. Sorted into categories like “Heists” and “Covert Escapades”, this book never met a trope or witty banter it didn’t like, so if you’re settling in with a nice cup of tea you will find something to love.
“You don’t need fancy tech. You said so last night.”
I tucked a stray lock of red hair behind my ear. “That is completely out of context and not at all related.” Kristina W. Kelly—“What the Stone Gives”
Heiresses of Russ 2016: The Year's Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction - A.M Dellamonica, Steve Berman
The tone and volume of queer writing has changed a lot in just a decade, but I do love the style of these stories. Queer anthologies have taken off in the past decade, but the Heiresses of Russ series used to be an annual lifeline for readers who struggled to find this content elsewhere, and if we did it was in a story here or there, not collated into one glorious bundle. From 2011 to 2016 each volume had a theme, and 2016 was all about women who chose to do things the hard way. Big names, big vibes, big concepts, big payoffs.
“We’d left tribute on the porch. Pebbles arranged in an Unforgiveable Shape around a can of tuna. My aunt had argued against the can of tuna, but I’d felt a sign of mummification and preserved death would be auspicious. I was right.” Tamsyn Muir— “The Deepwater Bride”