There are no set rules when it comes to geographically based short story anthologies. Some editors impose strict guidelines; others take a broader approach. But while their reasoning can be as varied as the selections in their collections, they often have to do with the realities of publishing: page count, budgets, and so on.
But in the following email interview with Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, co-editor of The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022 (paperback, Kindle), he explains why he and his co-editors Eugen Bacon and Milton Davis favored a broader approach, and not just in terms of the geography but also the genres and formats as well: “Because unity is what I believe Africans need most.”
When considering stories and poems for The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022, did they have to be by people who live in Africa, or did you also consider people born there but who live somewhere else, or maybe people who were born somewhere else but live there now?
The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022 is an anthology of stories by Africans and all those who lay claim to being African or being of African descent. Now, that’s a wide category, and we try to accommodate all those people. It includes people of African descent round the world, Black Americans, Britons, Africans in the diaspora, Africans on the continent, etc. The aim or focus was inclusivity, bringing us all together. Because unity is what I believe Africans need most.
Aside from that, what other parameters did the stories and poems themselves have to fit?
All the works had to have been previously published. Beyond that, the only other parameter was quality. They had to be the best works of their year. Anywhere at all they appeared was fine.
Obviously, the stories in The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022 are of the speculative variety, but what subgenres are included in these pieces? Like, are there sci-fi horror stories, space opera poems, space fantasy stories…
They are generally of a wide variety, nearly all genres. Afrofuturism, Afropantheology, horror, fantasy, etc. We have “Broad Dutty Water: A Sunken Story” by Nalo Hopkinson, which is climate fiction; “An Arc Of Electric Skin” by Wole Talabi [which was previously published] in Asimov’s Science Fiction; “If the Martians Have Magic” by P. Djèlí Clark [which was previously published] in Uncanny Magazine. And a lot of them crossing genres and connecting several, up to two or three as African speculative fiction often does.
While other Best Of type anthologies only consider short stories, The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022 also includes poems. I recently interviewed Stephen Kotowych, the editor of Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy And Science Fiction: Volume One, which also includes poetry. Is there something going on in the speculative realm where poetry is becoming more popular or respected?
Speculative poetry is such a wide and important form that we decided to include this year to make the book separate from last year’s. Hopefully, it’s something that matches up with the vibrancy the speculative poetry world exudes [and this is a] chance to showcase some of that speculative poetry vibrancy going on
A lot of Best Of anthologies in the realms of science fiction and fantasy will also include pieces about the best sci-fi movies, TV shows, comics, and games. Did you include anything like that in The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022?
No, because there’s only so much we could do with this volume, being a two year volume, and there being limited space with how much amazing works we can take. But I’m looking into incorporating essays and articles for the next volume.
Now, The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022 is not the first anthology you’ve edited. Along with The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2021, which you edited yourself, you also co-edited Africa Risen: A New Era Of Speculative Fiction with Zelda Knight and Sheree Renée Thomas, and Dominion: An Anthology Of Speculative Fiction From Africa And The African Diaspora with Zelda. How do you think editing or co-editing those anthologies made your work on 2022 easier or better?
It definitely made it easier. The experience of editing an anthology is something I built towards. Having those experiences definitely helped. It gave me an appreciation of being able to see stories from the eyes of an editor, and present them to the world in ways that ensure they fall along the same vision.
Eugen Bacon and Milton Davis
As I just mentioned, you’ve edited some anthologies with other people, and some on your own. For The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022, you worked with Eugen Bacon and Milton Davis after doing 2021 on your own. What is the advantage of co-editing a book like this?
It brings varying perspectives we singularly would not have, which makes the book more diverse and better. For example, the poetry component was something we didn’t have when I was the only editor. This is an effect of having co-editors. It also widens the scope of works, both fiction and poetry that we have.
Are there any disadvantages?
I wouldn’t say disadvantages, just the perhaps difficulty of harmonizing our varying viewpoints and perspectives which takes time and effort with each new team. But it’s something that can be managed when there’s mutual respect between all parties working together.
Speaking of co-editing, along with The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022, you also recently published Between Dystopias: The Road To Afropantheology, which you co-edited with Joshua Uchenna Omenga. What is that collection about?
The collection as the name implies, is about Afropantheology. It employs show and tell, to firstly, tell, by defining the term with its introduction, and show what Afropantheology is with the works, essays and fictional works in it. Afropantheology in the shortest way I can explain here, is a portmanteau of Afro and pantheology. Afro means African and pantheology is the study of gods, religions and bodies of knowledge. Afropantheology is thus the study of the gods, religions and bodies of knowledge of Africans and African descended peoples. The book itself provides a slightly more exhaustive exploration of it than this though.
What genres are the stories in Between Dystopias?
They range from Afropantheology to Dystopic to Afrofututuristic. My short story, “O2 Arena” — which was the first novelette by an African to win the Nebula award and be a Hugo finalist — is dystopic. “The Pet Of Olodumare” by I and Joshua Omenga is Afropantheological, and the other works fall in between those three genres.
One difference between The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022 and Between Dystopias is that 2022 is twice as big as Dystopias. Which is typical of most Best Of anthologies; they always seem to be big fat books. Is that just expected now, or is it that you and other people who edit Best Of anthologies have a hard time saying “no”? Because I have this bridge in Brooklyn I’ve got to sell in the next two weeks…
Hahahaha. That speaks to the length and breath and the expansiveness of African speculative fiction writing out there. There’s not a dearth of excellent works being produced by African writers at the moment. And it’s literally the purpose of this book to represent that excellence, as much as we can. This invariably leads to a large book of the size it is. Additionally it’s for two years. So that also extends it some.
Hollywood loves making movies based on short stories. Are there any stories in The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022 that you not only think would make for a good movie, but also one they’d consider making into a movie?
I would recommend Mame Bougouma Diene’s story “A Soul Of Small Places,” which won the Caine Prize. It’s a touching, powerful story with a very powerful message that shines a light on very important issues that plague certain parts of the African continent. It’s also beautifully written and told.
Also, the story “March Magic” by WC Dunlap. “March Magic” is similarly a rich and powerful story about Blackness and magic during a pivotal time in Black history.
So, is there anything else you think people need to know about The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022?
That these are some of the most important books of the year. Even if by virtue of being indie books by marginalized people they might not enjoy the best reception or coverage in the industry, may not be reviewed in all the cool places, make the lists, etc. But don’t take my word for it. Go check them out.
Finally, if someone enjoys The Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction 2022, they’ll undoubtably want to read all the other ones you’ve edited or co-edited. But which of those would you suggest they read first?
I’d suggest they read Africa Risen: A New Era Of Speculative Fiction. It’s created in the legacy of a historic body of work, The Dark Matter anthologies, and is co-edited by Sheree Renee Thomas and Zelda Knight. I think it fulfills the aim of showcasing the body of speculative fiction works by Africans and people of African descent beautifully and powerfully, in an original way, adjacent to what the Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction does with reprint works.
