Tracing Black Short Stories in 100 Anthologies

Tracing Black Short Stories in 100 Anthologies

By Kenton Rambsy

There is no shortage of Black short stories. African American literary artists have collectively written thousands of stories. Across 100 anthologies published between 1925 and 2017, there are 632 unique short stories by 297 Black writers. Still, relatively few writers are routinely republished across different types of collections.

Anthologies constitute one of the most important ways to examine the histories of Black short fiction. These collections, which contain multiple modes of writing, shape as well as reinforce views of African American and American literature.

Anthology editors provide a platform for keeping writers and literary works in circulation. At the same time, editors necessarily filter and exclude works.

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This entry is part of a series--A Notebook on The Geographies of African American Short Stories.