Cool. Awkward. Black.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 VIKING
 An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York
 
 
 
 First published in the United States of America by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2023
 Compilation and introduction copyright © 2023 by Karen Strong
 “Our Joy, Our Power” copyright © 2023 by Julian Winters
 “The Book Club” copyright © 2023 by Shari B. Pennant
 “Nina Evans, in the Round” copyright © 2023 by Kalynn Bayron
 “Earth Is Ghetto” copyright © 2023 by Ibi Zoboi
 “Initiative Check” copyright © 2023 by K. Arsenault Rivera
 “Corner Booth” copyright © 2023 by Leah Johnson
 “Betty’s Best Craft” copyright © 2023 by Elise Bryant
 “The Panel Shows the Girl” copyright © 2023 by Amanda Joy
 “Spirit-Filled” copyright © 2023 by Jordan Ifueko
 “Cole’s Cruise Blues” copyright © 2023 by Isaac Fitzsimons
 “High Strangeness” copyright © 2023 by Desiree S. Evans
 “Catalyst Rising” copyright © 2023 by Tracy Deonn
 “Requiem of Souls” copyright © 2023 by Terry J. Benton-Walker
 “Honor Code” copyright © 2023 by Kwame Mbalia
 “Drive Time” copyright © 2023 by Lamar Giles
 “Wolf Tracks” copyright © 2023 by Roseanne A. Brown
 “The Hero’s Journey” copyright © 2023 by Tochi Onyebuchi
 “Abyss” copyright © 2023 by Amerie
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 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
 Ebook ISBN 9780593525111
 Cover art Steffi Walthall
 Cover design Kelley Brady
 Edited by Liza Kaplan
 Design by Opal Roengchai, adapted for ebook by Andrew Wheatley
 This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
 The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
 pid_prh_6.0_142226813_c0_r0
 
 
 
 For Black teens who shatter expectations and make their own realities
 
 
 CONTENTS
 Editor Introduction by Karen Strong
 “Our Joy, Our Power” by Julian Winters
 “The Book Club” by Shari B. Pennant
 “Nina Evans, in the Round” by Kalynn Bayron
 “Earth Is Ghetto” by Ibi Zoboi
 “Initiative Check” by K. Arsenault Rivera
 “Corner Booth” by Leah Johnson
 “Betty’s Best Craft” by Elise Bryant
 “The Panel Shows the Girl” by Amanda Joy
 “Spirit-Filled” by Jordan Ifueko
 “Cole’s Cruise Blues” by Isaac Fitzsimons
 “High Strangeness” by Desiree S. Evans
 “Catalyst Rising” by Tracy Deonn
 “Requiem of Souls” by Terry J. Benton-Walker
 “Honor Code” by Kwame Mbalia
 “Drive Time” by Lamar Giles
 “Wolf Tracks” by Roseanne A. Brown
 “The Hero’s Journey” by Tochi Onyebuchi
 “Abyss” by Amerie
 
 _142226813_
 
 COOL. AWKWARD. BLACK.
 EDITOR INTRODUCTION
 I was a quiet girl who read comics and fantasy. A Star Wars fan who cos-played Princess Leia with huge afro puffs. A Black girl living beyond what others envisioned for her; a studious teen who loved coding and astronomy, an artistic daydreamer who danced on pointe shoes and composed music. None of these spaces seemed to truly cater to a Black girl from the American South. I didn’t see many dark-skinned girls who had adventures or superpowers in the pages of the comics and novels I read. Nobody taught me about the Black women scientists making vital discoveries. Where were all the brown girls who performed onstage or wrote film scores? The scarcity of Black people in these spaces made it easy to believe that what I loved maybe couldn’t love me back.
 I wasn’t proud of myself when I won an academic award during my freshman year of high school—I was ashamed. It didn’t help that my nerdy interests and straight As had already made me a target for bullying. But then my father told me something that I still remember to this day: Your brain is the most beautiful thing about you. Knowledge was an asset, and if I kept feeding my brain everything it loved, then it would take me anyplace I wanted to go—much farther than the country dirt roads of my small town. My father’s words convinced me that the labels other people gave me were wrong, because they were too small to contain me. I began to understand that I was the only one who could define my identity.
 The good news is that I eventually found my people. Black geeks who loved to code. Blerds with epic comic-book collections, and brown bookworms with library cards. Black girls who embraced science and math, and Black boys who were passionate about the arts and music. With our shared interests and passions, we created communities that thrived, and I embraced the truth that my Blackness has no boundaries.
 I believe stories are important. Black teens deserve to see themselves at the center of storytelling. But just as importantly, I believe everyone can benefit from reading about Black teens who push past the limitations set upon them. We all need to see Black teens celebrating their passions, embracing their magic, falling in love, and saving the world (or themselves). These eighteen stories from bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors span many genres and introduce an exciting new voice, Shari B. Pennant. I chose this rising star from an open submission call of over one hundred fifty stories.
 In the pages of this anthology, you’ll meet a girl invited to a secret magical book club, a boy who can summon souls of the dead with music, and a group of teens searching for UFOs on their last summer