A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope

by Patrice Caldwell Narrated by York Whitaker, Patrice Caldwell

Overview

Evoking Beyoncé's Lemonade for a teen audience, these authors who are truly Octavia Butler's heirs have woven worlds to create a stunning narrative that puts Black women and gender-nonconforming individuals at its center. A Phoenix First Must Burn will take you on a journey from folktales retold to futuristic societies and everything in between. Filled with stories of love and betrayal, strength and resistance, this collection contains an array of complex and true-to-life characters through which you cannot help but see yourself reflected. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels-the heroines of this anthology shine brightly. You will never forget them.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for A PHOENIX FIRST MUST BURN

*"Lovers of Octavia Butler will find her spirit in this smoldering anthology . . . These stories [explore] the beauty, bravery, fear, history, and empowerment of being black. Fiercely fantastical and achingly honest, this book delivers a more inclusive means of self-discovery."—Publishers Weekly, starred review


*Sixteen #ownvoices authors offer up fantasy and science fiction short stories centering black girls . . . All these well-spun tales are enjoyable and accessible to readers of any background. Magical and real, this collection lives up to its goal with stories as diverse as the black experience.#BlackGirlMagic indeed."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*"Featuring an array of well-known and breakout #OwnVoices authors, this volume boasts ample variety in style, voice, and approach that ensures readers will find at least one story to enjoy (though likely many more) . . . Readers will appreciate the wide representation of the African diaspora and will also take note of the multiplicities of lived experiences, cultures, and gendered and sexual expression. That the stories center Black girlhood creates layers of depth in these racialized and gendered experiences alongside the joys and trivialities of stories often missing from the mainstream. Luminous reading."—Booklist, starred review

*"Each story is satisfying to read by itself, yet more powerful when read together as there is an evenness in the narratives which is not frequently found in most short story collections. Like the best short stories, each jumps right into the action and character growth is demonstrated quickly. There are twists and turns aplenty to be found between the covers of this book. This is an outstanding collection, with an evenness to its stories, unique characters, and a wide range of tales."—School Library Connection, starred review

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2019-12-16
Sixteen #ownvoices authors offer up fantasy and science fiction short stories centering black girls.

In her introduction, editor Caldwell extols the importance of representation and storytelling in black communities and asks "Where is my fantasy, my future? Why don't Black people exist in speculative worlds?" The diverse contributors to this vibrant and varied collection include acclaimed YA authors such as Elizabeth Acevedo, Dhonielle Clayton, Justina Ireland, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Ibi Zoboi. Their stories run the gamut from lighthearted to intense. Some use fantastical or SF elements to explore relevant and timely issues such as colorism, violence against black communities, and abuse of minority groups. Multiple stories are delightfully queer. There's the girl working as an alien interrogator on another planet who's starting to think things might be more complicated than she realized in Amerie's (editor: Because You Love To Hate Me, 2017, etc.) "When Life Hands You a Lemon Fruitbomb." In Alaya Dawn Johnson's (contributor: Three Sides of a Heart, 2017, etc.) "The Rules of the Land," the daughter of a sea woman makes a deal with her powerful and enraged kin to save her people. All these well-spun tales are enjoyable and accessible to readers of any background. Magical and real, this collection lives up to its goal with stories as diverse as the black experience.

#BlackGirlMagic indeed. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177635699
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	01/21/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Patrice Caldwell

When I was fourteen, a family friend gifted me a copy of Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed. I still remember that moment. The Black woman on the front cover. The used-­paperback smell. The way I held it close like it carried within it the secrets of many universes.

I devoured it and all of her others. I found myself in her words. And I’m not the only one.

It seems only fitting that the title of this anthology comes from Butler’s Parable of the Talents, a novel that is ever relevant.

The full quote is “In order to rise from its own ashes, a phoenix first must burn.”

Storytelling is the backbone of my community. It is in my blood.

My parents raised me on stories of real-­life legends like Queen Nzinga of Angola, Harriet Tubman, Phillis Wheatley, and Angela Davis. Growing up in the American South, my world was full of stories, of traditions and superstitions—like eating black-­eyed peas on New Year’s Day for luck or “jumping the broom” on your wedding day. Raised on a diet of Twilight Zone, Star Trek, and Star Wars, I preferred creating and exploring fictional universes to living in my real one.

But whenever I went to the children’s section of the library to discover more tales, the novels featuring characters who looked like me were, more often than not, rooted in pain set amid slavery, sharecropping, or segregation. Those narratives are important, yes. But because they were the only ones offered, I started to wonder, Where is my fantasy, my future? Why don’t Black people exist in speculative worlds?

Too often media focuses on our suffering. Too often we are portrayed as victims. But in reality, we advocate for and save ourselves long before anyone else does, from hero's my parents taught me of to recent ones like Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the Black women who founded Black Lives Matter.

Malcolm X said, “The most neglected person in America is the Black Woman.” I believe this is even more true for my fellow queer siblings, and especially for those identifying as trans and as gender nonconforming. We ­are constantly under attack.

And yet still we rise from our own ashes.

We never accept no.

With each rebirth comes a new strength.

Black women are phoenixes.

We are given lemons and make lemonade.

So are the characters featured in this collection of stories.

These sixteen stories highlight Black culture, folktales, strength, beauty, bravery, resistance, magic, and hope. They will take you from a ship carrying teens who are Earth’s final hope for salvation to the rugged wilderness of New Mexico’s frontier. They will introduce you to a revenge-­seeking hairstylist, a sorcerer’s apprentice, and a girl whose heart is turning to ash. And they will transport you to a future where all outcomes can be predicted by the newest tech, even matters of the heart.

Though some of these stories contain sorrow, they ultimately are full of hope. Sometimes you have to shed who you were to become who you are.

As my parents used to remind me, Black people have our pain, but our futures are limitless.

Let us, together, embrace our power.

Let us create our own worlds.

Let us thrive.

And so our story begins. . .

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