Introduction

I could bore you with a long introduction, but Lord knows creative nonfiction is not really my forte. So, I’ll just tell you why we’ve done this anthology. There is a dearth of color in today’s (and yesterday’s) science fiction and fantasy. In recent years, we’ve seen more people of color starring in successful movies and television shows, but the literary industry, specifically in the genre of speculative fiction, has been slow to follow. This lack of representation in speculative fiction has been, for me—a person of color—frustrating at best. Afrocentric science fiction and fantasy books have been done, I know. But there are not many, and even fewer anthologies.

Afrocentric Books Presents: AfroMyth is a collection of fantasy stories featuring characters of the African diaspora. It is a platform to showcase promising new and emerging voices. When I selected the stories for this anthology, I did not focus on the author’s race, merely the content of the tale. As such, not all of these stories were written by authors of the African diaspora or even authors of color. In compiling the anthology— written by authors of various races—I not only hoped to dispel the all-too-common belief that white authors cannot write characters of color (yes, some of the authors are of European descent), but more importantly, I hoped that this anthology could be part of a movement showing the world that the African diaspora is an integral part of society at every level. I hope, as you journey through the pages of this book, you will see us, hear us, and get to know us.


J.S. Emuakpor

African Diaspora, 2017