The books Southern indie booksellers are recommending to readers everywhere!

Collections & Anthologies

Legendary Frybread Drive-In by Cynthia Leitich Smith

I loved this collection of intertribal stories that center on Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-in. Sandy June’s exists where and when it is needed. Sandy June’s is a gathering place for Indians across the country to find comfort, community, hope, and acceptance. You find it in your time of need: are you lonely or grieving? Want to help a friend? Need to forgive? Or build your confidence? In love?. Sandy June’s is a comforting place to gain solace and understanding, and the perfect place to hang out with friends and family. Each story is written by a different author, but some characters and elements cross over. A very enjoyable and comforting book.

Legendary Frybread Drive-In by Cynthia Leitich Smith, (List Price: $19.99, Heartdrum, 9780063314269, August 2025)

Reviewed by Amy Dance, The Snail On the Wall in Huntsville, Alabama

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The White Guy Dies First by Terry J. Benton-Walker

A cathartic, hair-raising, gruesome, and sometimes delightfully campy collection of horror stories by authors of color. Featuring a slasher prom committee, a Wendigo curse, a sapphic demon slayer, and a post-apocalyptic water world, this YA collection of stories is wildly bloody and entertaining.

The White Guy Dies First by Terry J. Benton-Walker, (List Price: $20.99, Tor Teen, 9781250861269, July 2024)

Reviewed by Joshua Lambie, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia

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The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell

I love a horror anthology and a final girl story is even better! This book is a mix of powerhouse authors of color that portray strong black women triumphing over baddies – both human and not. Don’t worry, not EVERYONE survives, so you’ll still get lots of heart-pounding terror, thrills, and chills – plus a side of humor in some tales!

The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell, (List Price: $19.99, Flatiron Press, 9781250871657, April 2024)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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Spotlight On: African Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction

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Editors, Africa Risen

Writing and editing is a very cultural thing. Identity plays a huge role in how we process stories, how we tell stories, and how we receive them. It puts us at very different places. It requires a lot of trust and respect….that is also the beauty and the strength of the anthology. This anthology has everything.
― Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

I know some people have a zero sum idea of the world, everybody’s competition, right? But I have found a lot of times you thrive more when you say, hey., we’re going up against something much bigger ― the white-dominated publishing space ― and if we work together we can make a lot more of a difference.
― Zelda Knight

Working with the magazine in fantasy and science fiction, I’m more aware than ever that I’m also, as an editor, in the world of dream making. I’m making people’s oldest childhood-rooted dreams come true
― Sharee Renée Thomas Interview, SFF Addicts

African Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Zelda Knight

What booksellers are saying about African Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction

  • An expert array of predominantly science fiction stories, all of which explore Black narratives, with many utilizing African mythology and lore. They are each so unique and groundbreaking in their narratives; you’ll find something for everyone in this collection!
      ― Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley Bookshop in Vienna, VA | Buy from Bards Alley

  • A collection of short stories, in the speculative genre, focusing on the imagination of Africa. I first heard about this book shortly after hearing about Africa is Not a Country (a book that reminds the reader(s) that the many nations make the continent bright and that colonialism isn’t the end-all of Africa. The stories bounce between sci-fi and fantasy and some feel like a perfect blend of both genres. This is a wonderful book to give to someone who is new to speculative fiction or even an oldhead like myself!
      ― Hilton Airall, Carmichaels Bookstore in Louisville, KY | Buy from Carmichaels

About the editors

Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki - photo from authorOghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki is an award-winning speculative fiction writer, editor and publisher from Nigeria. He edited the first ever Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction anthology, the Bridging Worlds anthology and co-edited the Dominion anthology

Zelda Knight - Alton Strupp_Courier JournalZelda Knight is an award-winning author, editor and bookseller. She co-edited the Dominion anthology, and has written numerous short stories and science fiction/romance series and books.

Sheree Renée Thomas - photo from authorSheree Renée Thomas is an award-winning author, editor and poet. Her works include the Dark Matter anthology, Nine Bar Blues, the Marvel novel Black Panther: Panther’s Rage, the story “Timebox Altar(ed)” in Janelle Monáe’s collection The Memory Librarian and Other Stories of Dirty Computer and much more.

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Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

An exciting collection of creepy tales from both young authors and noted horror greats. The stories within Never Whistle at Night play within the rules of established horror genres, but there is so much variety from story to story; as a fan of all kinds of horror, I was very happy to have basically every itch scratched. “The Prepper” by Morgan Talty, “Collections” by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala, “Wingless” by Marcie R. Rendon, and “Snakes are Born in The Dark” by D. H. Trujillo were my four favorites.

Never Whistle at Night : An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk (editor), Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (editor), (List Price: $17.00, Delacorte Press, 9780593468463, September 2023)

Reviewed by Sam Edge, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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