What I'm Reading: April 7

Cover of FIYAH #1

Not going to lie: Part of the reason I decided to read more short stories this year was to give myself an excuse to explore different literary magazines. Because I have a million subscriptions to a million comic books, SO WHY NOT LITMAGS, TOO???

I've had a subscription to FIYAH since its launch, but only just now finally dug in and after reading Issue #1, OMG I AM SO EXCITED THAT I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH MORE ISSUES TO BINGE.

I love the design—THE COVERS, GOOD LORD—I love that the issues are all based around a specific theme, I love that this is specifically a showcase of Black SF authors, and I love that these specific authors are largely all new to me.

AND I love that the FIYAH website has all sorts of bonus content—including music playlists to set your reading mood—for each issue. 

Most importantly, of course, I loved the stories. And, yes, they're all centered around the Rebirth theme, but they span such a broad range of genres and subgenres and settings and styles and tones and voices that it's almost easy to forget that they share a theme. Until you finish them all and sit with them and let them percolate and maybe even dip back in to revisit—I did, more than once—and then you realize what a fantastic job the editors did in curating this collection.

I especially loved the voice and perspective—but I won't spoil that reveal with details!—in Malon Edwards' Long Time Lurker, First Time Bomber. Likewise, I especially loved the world in Wendi Dunlap's Revival—it was the kind of story that entirely worked as-is, but still made me want more, more, more. But it was L.D. Lewis' Chesirah that really had my heart—in part, I think, because she made me laugh out loud multiple times, even through the constant suspense:

He loved the tickle of that ball. In her less subtle days, she'd contemplated killing him with it.

On her least subtle day, she did.

AHHHHHHHHHHH! I shall be reading more soon, soon, soon.