Even in the bleakest of futures, there are reasons to hope, connect, and keep fighting for a better world…
We’re thrilled to share the cover of Sim Kern’s short story collection, Real Sugar is Hard to Find—publishing August 1st with Android Press.
A collection of short stories by Sim Kern, Real Sugar is Hard to Find explores intersections of climate change, reproductive justice, queer identities, and family trauma. Whether fantasy, science fiction, or terrifyingly close-to-home, the worlds of these stories are inhabited by flawed characters whose lives are profoundly impacted by climate change and environmental degradation.
Arranged in a progression from dystopian to utopian worlds, the stories chart a path from climate despair towards resilience and revolutionary optimism. Even in the bleakest of futures, however, Kern offers reasons to hope, connect, and keep fighting for a better world.
Like Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners or Karen Russell’s Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Kern’s stories are unflinching, intimate explorations of trauma and our deepest fears, rendered irresistible through the infusion of fantastic speculative elements and a dark sense of humor.
Advance Reader Copies are available via Kobo. Interested reviewers can also email [email protected]. Pre-orders are available in the Android Press shop. You can review and add Real Sugar is Hard to Find to your Goodreads “Want-to-Read” list here.
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Sim Kern lives under a live oak tree frequented by screech owls, near a whole bunch of chemical refineries in Houston, Texas. Their quiet horror novella Depart, Depart! (2020) made the Honor List for the Otherwise Award and received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. In addition to this collection, the first installment of their YA sci-fi trilogy, Seeds for the Swarm, is forthcoming November 1st, 2022 from Stelliform Press. As a journalist, they mostly report on petrochemical polluters and roast space billionaires. They are one of the hosts of the Climate Fiction Book Club on YouTube and Instagram, and they tweet @sim_kern.
