To All the Black Magical Goths:

Octavia E. Butler was a prolific writer; a Black woman who crafted the speculative during a time when Black people were often excluded in this literary world of things fantastical. Along with Octavia, there was another and, although her work was not considered speculative, the worlds she wrote spun magic. Like Octavia, Toni Morrison was also creating stories, using elements of fantasy to eloquently capture Black trauma, strength, and power.

The YA anthology A Phoenix First Must Burn: Sixteen Stories of Black Girl Magic, Resistance, and Hope, edited by Patrice Caldwell is a stunning collection that also contributes to this narrative.

The book opens with a dedication to Octavia and Toni, and like these writers, A Phoenix First Must Burn builds paths for Black people, allowing us to enter worlds we weren’t given access to and tell our history in magical ways.

Read full review here: https://shianedjacocks.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/to-all-the-black-magical-goths-review-of-a-phoenix-first-must-burn-edited-by-patrice-caldwell/