In this bold hybrid collection of poetry, flash fiction, and
Afrofuturism sci-fi, the award-winning interdisciplinary writer and
author of Side Notes from the Archivist explores what happens when
god is a Black woman in a town. What happens when there are multiple
universes in the middle of nowhere?
And
what if in each universe there reigned other Black woman gods? One
million versions of god, and one million saints to watch over us? And
what if this Black woman god were placed here on earth?
These
are just a few of the questions Anastacia-Reneé asks in this daring
and mind-bending hybrid collection. Hers is a universe of striking
variety—monsters, nontraditional saints, witches, zombies, the
couple in the apartment next door, the wise elders from down the
block, and gods watching over us all—as well as community and
connectedness.
With
a prose storyline and characters that connect through family, time,
and place, Anastacia-Reneé paints world(s) rich with wonder and the
paranormal as she peers into the lives of everyday people and
spectacular creatures inhabiting not just our neighborhoods, but
other dimensions. Here in the (Middle) of Nowhere is about
interstellar ancestry, community and spirituality. It is about the
things we invoke, conjure, and rely on to maintain joy as we keep it
moving through difficult eras. Anastacia-Reneé’s power imbues her
spellbinding storytelling with lovingly rendered characters brought
to life in lyrical poetry. She builds worlds within worlds and dares
us to fully see and love ourselves in all our complexity.