Kaleidoscope, an anthology of diverse YA fantasy stories, has released its cover and Table of Contents! Alisa Krasnostein, editor and publisher of Twelfth Planet Press, partnered with Julia Rios, host of the Outer Alliance podcast and fiction editor for Strange Horizons, to create an anthology that celebrates diversity in science fiction and fantasy.
The book’s cover was designed by artist Amanda Rainey, and the anthology features stories from authors including John Chu, Amal El Mohtar, Ken Liu, Alena McNamara, Garth Nix and Tansy Rayner Roberts. Krasnostein and Rios funded Kaleidoscope through a Pozible campaign, and plan to release the anthology in August 2014!
The Kaleidoscope anthology began when Krasnostein was listening to the Outer Alliance podcast. Malinda Lo, Neesha Meminger, Katharine Beutner, and Julia Rios were discussing dystopian YA literature’s tendency to focus on white, heteronormative characters, prompting Krasnostein to respond:
“I want more for the young adult reader. I want this reader to be able to see themselves as the protagonist of the stories they read. To find real escapism from reality in their fiction, where they aren’t also excluded or ostracized there too. I want young adults to be inspired, encouraged and captivated to reach for their potential, to be any one they want to be and to feel confident to be who they are and not who or what society says they should be.”
Kaleidoscope’s submission guidelines stressed the need for stories focusing on “characters of color, disabled, neurodiverse, mentally ill, QUILTBAG, people with non-western cultural backgrounds, or otherwise diverse” characters, and the response was fantastic, as evidenced by the strong roster of authors appearing in the anthology.
Kaleidoscope’s Table of Contents:
- “Welcome”—Will Alexander
- “Double Time”—John Chu
- “Celebration”—Sean Eads
- “The Truth about Owls”—Amal El Mohtar
- “Careful Magic”—Karen Healey
- “Chupacabra’s Song”—Jim Hines
- “Ordinary Things”—Vylar Kaftan
- “Every Little Thing”—Holly Kench
- “End of Service”—Gabriela Lee
- “Seventh Day of the Seventh Moon”—Ken Liu
- “The Day the God Died”—Alena McNamara
- “Signature”—Faith Mudge
- “Kiss and Kiss and Kiss and Tell”—E. C. Myers
- “Happy Go Lucky”—Garth Nix
- “Cookie Cutter Superhero”—Tansy Rayner Roberts
- “Walkdog”—Sofia Samatar
- “The Lovely Duckling”—Tim Susman
- “Krishna Blue”—Shveta Thakrar
- “The Legend Trap”—Sean Williams
Be sure to look for Kaleidoscope this August!
