Anthologies

Even the lightest hearts have shaded corners to hide the black thoughts that come at night. Experience the darker side of YA as 13 authors explore the places that others prefer to leave among the shadows. You’ve been there. It’s dark and you’re comfortable. You’re just about to fall asleep when you can’t help but wonder if maybe tonight the thing you’ve always been sure exists will finally find you. The best short stories stick with you, and the stories in this book especially, are meant to cast long shadows. The authors who contributed to this anthology are not only familiar with what lurks among the shadows, we choose to spend time there. Our monsters all live in different places—under beds, beside peaceful streams, inside ourselves, down mine shafts, in the sky. The darkness you’ll find in these pages knows no boundaries, so it’s only fitting that these stories cover many genres. Reality can be just as terrifying as anything our imaginations conjure, which is why the darkness in these pages isn’t relegated just to flights of fancy or the paranormal. In choosing such a wide range of stories, our hope is that everyone will find something to make them clutch their bedcovers a little closer. In realistic contemporary stories from Joelle Charbonneau and Kelly Fiore, depression, addiction, obsession, and isolation are all the stuff of nightmares. Other stories by Justina Ireland, Phoebe North, and Geoffrey Girard straddle the line, making us question what is real and what is false. Mindy McGinnis explores the question of not knowing yourself, while Kate Karyus Quinn speculates on the effect of learning that every terrible thing that’s ever happened to you has been manufactured for the entertainment of others. Demitria Lunetta and Gretchen McNeil each take a closer, horrific look at human nature. Lenore Applehans delves into a post-apocalyptic future, while R.C. Lewis discovers the darkness that lurks on another planet in her science fiction narrative. Then of course there are the paranormal stories from Beth Revis and Lydia Kang, each digging into the many types of monsters that might wait for us in the dark. Overall, you’ll find a wide range of horrors represented, including demons, aliens, and one of the most frightening creatures ever—human beings. So set aside an hour or two, switch on some lights and come join us… among the shadows.

An honest and poignant collection of essays by women about losing their virginity in their teens. The V-Word captures the complexity of this important life-decision and reflects diverse real-world experiences. Includes helpful resources for parents and teens. Losing it. Popping your cherry. Handing in your V-card. First time sex is a big unknown. Will it be candlelight and rose petals or quick and uncomfortable? Is it about love or about lust? Deciding to have sex for the first time is a choice that’s often fraught with anxiety and joy. But do you have anyone telling you what sex is really like? In The V-Word seventeen writers (including Christa Desir, Justina Ireland, Sara Ryan, Carrie Mesrobian, Erica Lorraine Scheidt, and Jamia Wilson) pull back the sheets and tell all, covering everything from straight sex to queer sex, diving-in versus waiting, and even the exhilaration and disappointment that blankets it all. Some of their experiences happened too soon, some at just the right time, but all paint a broad picture of what first-time sex is really like. Funny, hot, meaningful, cringe-worthy, gross, forgettable, magnificent, empowering, and transformative, the stories in The V-Word are never preachy, but provide a map for teens to chart their own course through the steamy waters of sex. With The V-Word girls can finally take control, learn what’s on the horizon, and eliminate the fear and mystery surrounding this important milestone.

You may think you know the love triangle, but you've never seen love triangles like these. A teen girl who offers kissing lessons. Zombies in the Civil War South. The girl next door, the boy who loves her, and the girl who loves them both. Vampires at a boarding school. Three teens fighting monsters in an abandoned video rental store. Literally the last three people on the planet. What do all these stories have in common? The love triangle. These top YA authors tackle the much-debated trope of the love triangle, and the result is sixteen fresh, diverse, and romantic stories you don’t want to miss. This collection, edited by Natalie C. Parker, contains stories written by Renee Ahdieh, Rae Carson, Brandy Colbert, Katie Cotugno, Lamar Giles, Tessa Gratton, Bethany Hagan, Justina Ireland, Alaya Dawn Johnson, EK Johnston, Julie Murphy, Garth Nix, Natalie C. Parker, Veronica Roth, Sabaa Tahir, and Brenna Yovanoff. “Upends expectations and poses ‘questions about self-determination and what it means to embrace the power of choice.’” —USA Today

Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, and featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling Black authors writing for teens today— Black Enough is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it’s like to be young and Black in America. A selection of the Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List. Black is...sisters navigating their relationship at summer camp in Portland, Oregon, as written by Renée Watson. Black is…three friends walking back from the community pool talking about nothing and everything, in a story by Jason Reynolds. Black is…Nic Stone’s high-class beauty dating a boy her momma would never approve of. Black is…two girls kissing in Justina Ireland’s story set in Maryland. Black is urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—because there are countless ways to be Black enough. Contributors: Justina Ireland Varian Johnson Rita Williams-Garcia Dhonielle Clayton Kekla Magoon Leah Henderson Tochi Onyebuchi Jason Reynolds Nic Stone Liara Tamani Renée Watson Tracey Baptiste Coe Booth Brandy Colbert Jay Coles Ibi Zoboi Lamar Giles

A glittering landscape of twenty-five speculative stories that challenge oppression and envision new futures for America - from N. K. Jemisin, Charles Yu, Jamie Ford, G. Willow Wilson, Charlie Jane Anders, Hugh Howey, and more. In these tumultuous times, in our deeply divided country, many people are angry, frightened, and hurting. Knowing that imagining a brighter tomorrow has always been an act of resistance, editors Victor LaValle and John Joseph Adams invited an extraordinarily talented group of writers to share stories that explore new forms of freedom, love, and justice. They asked for narratives that would challenge oppressive American myths, release us from the chokehold of our history, and give us new futures to believe in. They also asked that the stories be badass. The result is this spectacular collection of 25 tales that blend the dark and the light, the dystopian and the utopian. These tales are vivid with struggle and hardship - whether it’s the othered and the terrorized, or dragonriders and covert commandos - but these characters don’t flee, they fight.Thrilling, inspiring, and a sheer joy to listen to, A People’s Future of the United States is a gift for anyone who believes in our power to dream a just world. AUDIO TABLE OF CONTENTS: Introduction by Victor LaValle, read by the author The Bookstore at the End of America, by Charlie Jane Anders, read by Kyla Garcia Our Aim Is Not to Die, by A. Merc Rustad, read by Dani Martineck The Wall, by Lizz Huerta, read by Roxana Ortega Read After Burning, by Maria Dahvana Headley, read by William DeMeritt Chapter 5: Disruption and Continuity [excerpted], by Malka Older, read by Prentice Onayemi It Was Saturday Night, I Guess That Makes It All Right, by Sam J. Miller, read by Paul Boehmer Attachment Disorder, by Tananarive Due, read by Kyla Garcia By His Bootstraps, by Ashok K. Banker, read by William DeMeritt Riverbed, by Omar El Akkad, read by Soneela Nankani What Maya Found There, by Daniel José Older, read by Roxana Ortega The Referendum, by Lesley Nneka Arimah, read by Adenrele Ojo Calendar Girls, by Justina Ireland, read by N'Jameh Camara The Synapse Will Free Us from Ourselves, by Violet Allen, read by Vikas Adam O.1, by Gabby Rivera, read by a full cast (Public Broadcast, Falak Alfayed: Vikas Adam; Mala: Soneela Nankani; Deviana Ortiz: Roxana Ortega; Key: William DeMeritt; Orion: Adenrele Ojo; Luz: Kyla Garcia) The Blindfold, by Tobias S. Buckell, read by Prentice Onayemi No Algorithms in the World, by Hugh Howey, read by Darrell Dennis Esperanto, by Jamie Ford, read by N'Jameh Camara ROME, by G. Willow Wilson, read by Soneela Nankani Give Me Cornbread or Give Me Death, by N. K. Jemisin, read by Adenrele Ojo Good News Bad News, by Charles Yu, read by a full cast (Narrators: Prentice Onayemi & Dani Martineck; Elizabeth Chang: Nancy Wu; Darren Chang: Darrell Dennis; Cynthia Rodriguez: N’Jameh Camara; Bert Newsom: Paul Boehmer; Emma Chang: Kyla Garcia; Nicholas Chang: Nancy Wu) What You Sow, by Kai Cheng Thom, read by Nancy Wu A History of Barbed Wire, by Daniel H. Wilson, read by Darrell Dennis The Sun in Exile, by Catherynne M. Valente, read by Nancy Wu Harmony, by Seanan McGuire, read by Dani Martineck Now Wait for This Week, by Alice Sola Kim, read by Soneela Nankani

Sixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic. With stories by: Elizabeth Acevedo, Amerie, Patrice Caldwell, Dhonielle Clayton, J. Marcelle Corrie, Somaiya Daud, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Justina Ireland, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Danny Lore, L. L. McKinney, Danielle Paige, Rebecca Roanhorse, Karen Strong, Ashley Woodfolk, and Ibi Zoboi. 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 centers Black women and gender nonconforming individuals. 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 in which you cannot help but see yourself reflected. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: the heroines of A Phoenix First Must Burn shine brightly. You will never forget them.

The official magazine of the Star Wars saga presents an amazing collection of exclusive illustrated Star Wars: The High Republic short stories , written by The New York Times ’ best-selling authors Charles Soule, Justina Ireland, and Cavan Scott and including concept art illustration and original art by Louie De Martinis. Now in a special digest edition! EXPERIENCE THE GALAXY CENTURIES BEFORE THE STRUGGLE OF THE REBEL ALLIANCE AGAINST THE GALACTIC EMPIRE! A compendium of stories from the High Republic era, collected from the pages of Star Wars Insider for the first time! Characters such as Joss and Pikka Adren, Burryaga Agaburry, Avar Kriss, Nib Assek, and Mikkel Sutmani feature in a variety of adventures aboard the Starlight Beacon . Written by The New York Times ’ best-selling authors Charles Soule, Justina Ireland, and Cavan Scott. Plus in-depth interviews with the story architects behind the bestselling multimedia project. Stories included: Go Together by Charles Soule First Duty by Cavan Scott Hidden Danger by Justina Ireland Past Mistakes by Cavan Scott Shadows Remain by Justina Ireland