4/6/26
Mary and I spent Saturday in Montclair, visiting a used book and record store that we like, and having lunch in a Cuban place. I first had Cuban food in Guantanamo Bay back in 1986, and while I suppose in hindsight that wasn’t entirely authentic (given that it was on base rather than in the mainland on the other side of the fence), 18 year old me was delighted. I love Cuban food, but it’s hard to find in rural Central PA (except for a summer in the 1990s when I was dating a girl from Cuba, and she and her mother both loved to cook). Some of the best Cuban food I’ve had was, believe it or not, in Lexington, Kentucky. The Cuban food in Montclair was not as good as that, but any Cuban food is better than no Cuban food at all. (I had grilled chicken on a bed of greens, coconut, mango, carrots, and papaya, and Mary had a steak. I would have also liked to have had a steak, but once you turn 50, the doctor doesn’t allow you to eat anything fun anymore).
Spent Easter at my in-law’s home, and yesterday evening was spent driving home from New Jersey, so I didn’t get a chance to update here. Hopefully, this week’s new newsletter made up for it.
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Women In Horror Year: Day 5
Latin American Shared Stories edited by V. Castro
From pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, via the powerful figure of Santa Muerte, to racism in the Bronx, this anthology of speculative stories and essays by Latin American writers, about Latin American life and beyond, is an engrossing and important read.
This vibrant anthology presents a selection of speculative stories and fascinating essays highlighting the many voices, mythologies, folklore and storytelling prowess of authors from Latin American countries or writing in the traditions of the Latin American diaspora.
Edited by the wonderful V. Castro, Mexican-American speculative, horror and sci-fi writer extraordinaire and author of Mestiza Blood and The Queen of the Cicadas, the authors featured are: Hector Acosta, Alyssa Alessi, Gustavo Bondoni, David Bowles, Arasibo Campeche and Carra Flowers, Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut, Angel Luis Colón, Rios de la Luz, Ivette N. Diaz, Laura Diaz de Arce, J.F. Gonzalez, L.P. Hernandez, Pedro Iniguez, Ruth Joffre, S. Alessandro Martinez, Juliana Spink Mills, Vanessa Molina, Mo Moshaty, Richie Narvaez, Wi-Moto Nyoka, Daniel A. Olivas, Monique Quintana, A.E. Santana and Richard Z. Santos.These are complemented by new stories selected from open submissions.
Spanning the many cultures of the region, stories range from those that explore heritage and the importance of ancestors to ones that imagine new worlds and futures, but at their core they all celebrate and give agency to oft-underrepresented Latin American characters and concerns, while the book will help counter the lack of contemporary Latin American literature.
This anthology is part of Flame Tree’s Beyond and Within series. If you’ve never seen one of those volumes in the flesh, they are truly beautiful hardcovers — much nicer than your standard trade hardcover fare — with foiled covers and printed edges. They look gorgeous on a bookshelf. And the publisher makes the hardcovers exlusive, with no paperback or digital editions, thus making them extra special.
Of course, no matter how good a book looks, the ultimate test is what’s between the covers, and V Castro has done a fantastic job in that regard, curating a collection of stories that span not just the Latin American diaspora, but all the various genres and subgenres that make up speculative fiction. And on a personal note, I was touched by the inclusion of a reprint by my dear friend J.F. Gonzalez — the O.G., as it were, who inspired folks like V. He only briefly got to enjoy the experience of watching folks he’d inspired go on to become writers (Lesley Conner being a great example) but I love that he is not forgotten, but rather celebrated by the new generation. Latin American Shared Stories is currently available in hardcover from Flame Tree Press.
