Author Archives: SP

Awards Eligibility!

Here’s my eligibility post for 2022! I wasn’t prolific publishing wise but I’m happy with what I put out. I had two short stories and one non fiction piece published. As always, there’s so much good work being written and shared. I hope you read some fantastic stories and discovered new writers you love. If you’re interested in seeing what I was up to, here are the links.

“Douen”

Published in The Dark Magazine, March 2022. 6000 words.

A retelling of the Trinidadian folk story told in Trinidadian dialect!

“Samantha isn’t sure why she’s dead and she just wants her mother to see her.”

Read it for free here.

Apolépisi: A De-Scaling

Published in Lightspeed Magazine, October 2022. 2400 words.

A Little Mermaid retelling with brown mermaids! What if becoming human wasn’t a decision but a destiny? This one is about love, grief, expectations and the inevitability of change.

Read it for free here.

I made a little reel for this one on instagram! It captures the vibe of the story perfectly for me.

Oral Storytelling and Culture as Personal Canon

Published in Fantasy Magazine, June 2022. 1300 words. Non-Fiction.

An exploration of the importance of oral story telling and culture in SFFH and my own writing. We aren’t just inspired by other writers, popular books and media properties. My history and culture form the foundations of my speculative work!

Read it for free here.

And those are my eligible works! There are other things I’m quite proud of from 2022. I was nominated for a nebula and a small press award. I will never forget the love and support shown for “Laughter Among the Trees.” It changed my life for the better. I loved helping produce the Ignytes with L.D. Lewis as well as teaching, “The DIY Workshop” for the Carl Brandon Society. I was lucky enough to be included in interviews, be on panels and to go to my first in person conventions. I’m grateful. This community has given me so much and I tried to give back as much as I could and I’ll keep trying next year. Thanks so much for reading this post and for your time!

Awards Eligibility

Hi! Here is my eligibility post for 2021. I had three short stories and one nonfiction personal essay published this year. There’s so much award worthy work being written. I hope you found stories that you loved; that you connected with and that made you feel seen. Here were my contributions: 

“Laughter Among the Trees”

A 6000 word short story published by The Dark Magazine in February

“Anarika struggles to overcome the isolation of being part of a diaspora, painful family dynamics and personal ghosts while living up to her family and society’s expectations of her.”

You can read the story here for free: Link

Reviewed by Maria Haskins: Here

“Of Claw and Bone” 

A 2000 word short story published by The Dark Magazine in May. Described by Carlie St. George as “ goth as hell.”

“Zel becomes the fearless person she must be to protect her mother and herself using bone magic.”

You can read the story here for free: Link

It was also part of Alex Brown’s must read fiction of May 2021 list which you can read here.

“The Bride”

A 3400 word short story published in October by Neon Hemlock in their anthology: “Unfettered Hexes: Queer Tales of Unsatiable Darkness.” This a queer retelling of the Trinidadian folklore figure La Jablesse.

“Alice doesn’t fit anywhere and now it seems she’s fallen for a devil woman!”

“You can purchase the ebook here! The first print run has sold out!

Arley Sorg in his review of the anthology for Lightspeed Magazine called “The Bride” his “favourite” story in the entire antho. You can read his full review here!

“Death and Wednesday”

A 1000 word personal essay about my fear of death and my love of Wednesday Addams. 

You can read the essay here for free: Link

FIYAHCON and THE IGNYTE AWARDS

In addition to the written work I had published, I also served as the Ignyte Awards Liaison and Award Administrator for FIYAHCON. You can read more about the awards here, if you’re interested! Working with the FIYAHCON team under L.D. Lewis has been life changing. The selflessness of the crew, who have become my family, has been a constant source of joy and laughter in these dark times. I’m lucky to be among such good people who actively work towards making change. The happiness the convention brings to writers who have been ignored and pushed to the margins is an award in and of itself. I have never been prouder of any project I’ve been involved with my entire life. 

STUFFS!

The year was also packed with non award eligible but none-the-less meaningful work: 

 I completed a 33k novella, a 10k novelette, a 6k story and two 1k flash pieces and sent all of them out on sub. Fingers crossed you’ll get to read them in the coming year! I modded two online spaces and crit many wonderful stories for friends. I participated in three online cons, read fantastic books and short stories and even became Lesbian Satan! I fed myself and didn’t run off screaming into the woods! (Okay that last one should be award eligible)

I’m humbled by all of the kindness and support everyone has shown me. The work has been hard but good and fulfilling. I hope you were able to find moments of light this year. I hope next year is brighter for us all. Thanks for reading.