Sycorax’s Daughters
Short story: “The Mankana-kil”
A lonely girl meets a monster who feeds on dreams.
Anthology Description
Thought-provoking, powerful, and revealing, this anthology is composed of 28 dark stories and 14 poems written by African-American women writers. The tales of what scares, threatens, and shocks them will enlighten and entertain readers. These pieces cover vampires, ghosts, and mermaids, as well as the unexpected price paid by women struggling for freedom and validation in the past.
Contributors include: Tiffany Austin, Tracey Baptiste, Regina N. Bradley, Patricia E. Canterbury, Crystal Connor, Joy M. Copeland, Amber Doe, Tish Jackson, Valjeanne Jeffers, Tenea D. Johnson, R. J. Joseph, A. D. Koboah Nicole Givens Kurtz, Kai Leakes, A. J. Locke, Carole McDonnell, Dana T. McKnight , LH Moore, L. Penelope, Zin E. Rocklyn , Eden Royce, Kiini Ibura Salaam, Andrea Vocab Sanderson, Nicole D. Sconiers, Cherene Sherrard, RaShell R. Smith-Spears, Sheree Renée Thomas, Lori Titus, Tanesha Nicole Tyler, Deborah Elizabeth Whaley, L. Marie Wood, K. Ceres Wright, and Deana Zhollis.
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What They’re Saying
Was their hesitance to sell the house because it was truly bad luck, or because papa was a black man? “The Mankana-kil” by L. Penelope. This story was not so much about luck, or the lack of it, as it was about erasure because of race. Well done, indeed.
Throughout this book, we also see strength in the face of hopelessness, women who keep plodding forward in the face of impossible adversity. Akasha in “The Mankana-kil” by L. Penelope summons her own demons in response to the discrimination she faces as one of two students of color in her school.