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Afrofuturism

25 free-to-read stories tagged “Afrofuturism”

The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington

P. Djèlí Clark Fireside 2018 ShortStory Historical Fantasy 3,648 words

In which we learn about the donors of each of the nine teeth and what effects they had on Washington.

AfrofuturismColonialismEpistolary Adjacent

Content warnings 8

abuseanimal-harmdeathracismsexual-violenceslaverysuicideviolence

Slow Communication

Dominique Dickey Fantasy 2022 ShortStory Fantasy 3,000 words

"Darla Revere was born to live her whole life as part of a conversation, the outcome of which she would never know. She was raised to be certain of three things: 1. The leviathan will come for you. She will come suddenly and without warning. 2. You will...

AfrofuturismTrans IdentityIntrospective

Content warnings 2

deathslavery

The Unpastured Sea

Gregory Feeley Asimov's 2023 Novelette Science Fiction 9,902 words

"This is a story that Iya, the eldest and given to such fancies, told the younger children when all of them, even those from Kehinde (whose people live pressed against the ceiling, although to them it seems the floor), could gather and be made to listen....

Diaspora SFAmbitionGeneration Ship

Blowout

Wole Talabi Analog 2023 ShortStory Science Fiction 6,979 words

"Folake Adeyemi was slowly digging her index finger into the base of her afro and staring at the row of remote subsurface exploration monitoring screens when she heard the explosion. She’d let her mind wander for a few moments, subconsciously clenching her...

AfrofuturismSisterhoodEarnest

Content warnings 1

death

Nairuko

Dennis Mugaa Fantasy 2023 ShortStory Fantasy 7,400 words

"I walk into Old Town. In a curio shop on the promenade, an old man sells paintings, deras, kikois, and ornaments. Tuk-tuks move swiftly along the cabro paving, passing the teapot sculpture at the round-about. Pushcarts lumber beside the street restaurants...

AfrofuturismWarEast Africa

Content warnings 3

child-deathdeathwar

Yearning

Maya Beck Strange Horizons 2021 ShortStory Fantasy 2,928 words

"I called it "yearning" at first, but by the time word had spread to all twenty-two of us croppers, a divide had resulted: half called it firesouling, and half called it firesailing."

AfrofuturismDiasporaHistorical USA

Content warnings 2

sexual-violenceviolence

The Fine Print

Chinelo Onwualu New Suns 2019 ShortStory Arabian Fantasy 4,975 words

Nuhu bought his wife from the Djinn, but she hasn’t turned out to be what he wanted, and now the Djinn want’s his first-born child in payment.

AfrofuturismFamilyWest Africa

Content warnings 2

misogynyslavery

Mother of Invention

Nnedi Okorafor Future Tense 2018 ShortStory 6,837 words ♪ audio

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismFamilyWest Africa

Content warnings 1

misogyny

The Rerebirth of Slick

Stephen Kearse The Deadlands 2024 ShortStory Horror 3,500 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismRacismMidwest USA

Content warnings 1

racism

Letters to My Mother

Chinelo Onwualu Meteotopia 2022 ShortStory 4,024 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismMotherhoodWest Africa

Content warnings 1

suicide

Ancestries

Sheree Renée Thomas Nine Bar Blues 2020 ShortStory 4,288 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismDisabilityWest Africa

Content warnings 3

ableismabuseviolence

Behind Our Irises

Tlotlo Tsamaase Africanfuturism 2020 ShortStory 4,294 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismCorporate PowerSouthern Africa

Content warnings 1

sexual-content

Egoli

T.L. Huchu Africanfuturism 2020 ShortStory 3,464 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismDiasporaSouthern Africa

The Satellite Charmer

Mame Bougouma Diene Dominion 2020 Novelette 14,953 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismFatherhoodSouthern Africa

Content warnings 3

body-horrordeathgenocide

What the Dead Man Said

Chinelo Onwualu Future Tense 2019 ShortStory 5,487 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismDiasporaWest Africa

Content warnings 2

death-of-a-loved-onesexual-violence

Fell Our Selves

Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga GigaNotoSaurus 2023 Novelette 14,552 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

Diaspora SFDiasporaAdventurous

Content warnings 3

deathsuicideviolence

Of All Who Dream

Adelehin Ijasan Lightspeed 2026

“God” is not the word I’d use. But it is the only one that suffices. There are all kinds of gods: the old and the new; the useful, the useless; the capricious and the dependable; the wrathful and the meek. They all had one thing in common—whether they were...

AfrofuturismFaithWest Africa

Content warnings 1

sexual-content

PseudoPod 1039: The Song of the Living

Pseudopod 2026 ♪ audio

“The Song of the Living” was originally published in 2025 in an anthology Tonja edited titled, “If Fists Could Speak: A Black Speculative Fiction Anthology” CW: harm to animals Please see the host commentary below for notes from the author. When the trees...

AfrofuturismMortalityAmerican South

Content warnings 3

animal-harmbody-horrordeath

We Dream of Sunrise in our Monochrome City by Uchechukwu Nwaka

translunartravelerslounge Translunar Travelers Lounge 2026 ShortStory 5,039 words

The railcar rumbled as it descended into the sewer levels of the fortress city, Aguiyi. The cramped railcar smelled strongly of bleach and grease. Hazard and Safety Commission workers filled the available seats, bodies pressed shoulder to shoulder, with...

AfrofuturismAmbitionWest Africa

4.3 Nightskin's Landing by Chris Campbell

khōréō 2025 ♪ audio

Aliens who share distant human ancestors with Earthlings arrive on Earth seeking refuge, and their African lineage run into issues with the US government. Content warnings: Racism, genocide Copyright khōréō magazine 2025. Story by Chris Campbell, edited by...

AfrofuturismRacismSlow Burn

Content warnings 1

racism

The Boy with the Golden Arm

Danian Darrell Jerry Apex Magazine 2024

He craned his neck, trying to see above their spiked shoulder pads and fitted caps. At the door, security gods brandished assault rifles.

AfrofuturismAmbitionAmerican South

Content warnings 2

deathviolence

2.4 Mothership Connection by Melissa A. Watkins

khōréō 2023 ♪ audio

Join us on a vessel taking its passengers far beyond Earth, using an unconventional source to help power its journey. "Mothership Connection" by Melissa A. Watkins is a glorious story about Black joy and kinship. Copyright khōréō magazine 2022. Story by...

AfrofuturismDiasporaAdventurous

A Pall of Moondust

Nick Wood Omenana 2021 ShortStory 2,057 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismMortalitySouthern Africa

Content warnings 2

deathdeath-of-a-loved-one

Escape Pod 805: Open 27 Hours

L.P. Kindred Escape Pod 2021 ♪ audio

Open 27 Hours By L.P. Kindred “It had pops of habanero-like spice immediately calmed by the subdued dulce of roast sweet potato. You got lemony shots of citric acid alongside amandine crunches. The dish was studded with cubes of meat I was too young to...

AfrofuturismFamilyNostalgic

Content warnings 1

death-of-a-loved-one

The Mystical Art of Codeswitching

Sydnee Thompson Breathe Fiyah 2020 ShortStory 1,044 words

Not reviewed by Rocket Stack Rank.

AfrofuturismSurveillance StateMidwest USA

Content warnings 3

racismviolencewar