Chesya Burke is an American editor, educator and author of comic books and
speculative fiction, most notably horror and dark fantasy.[1][2] She has published over a hundred short stories, essays, and articles in magazines and anthologies such as Clarkesworld, Apex Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, and Stories for Chip: A Tribute to
Samuel R. Delany.[3] Her short story collection Let's Play White was published in 2011 while her debut novel, The Strange Crimes of Little Africa, was released in late 2015.
Nikki Giovanni has compared Burke's fiction to that of
Octavia Butler and
Toni Morrison.[4]
Burke's first full-length short story collection Let's Play White was published in 2011 by
Apex Publications. The collection was favorably reviewed in the Midwest Book Review,[7]Austin Post[8] and Publishers Weekly, which said "If the urban realism doesn't always seem quite realistic, the depth of Burke's characters, the weight of their decisions, and their choices make this the very opposite of escapist fantasy."[9]
Burke's debut novel The Strange Crimes of Little Africa was published in late 2015 by RothCo Press.[10] The novel is a mystery set during the 1920s
Harlem Renaissance and features a Black detective[11] who realizes "she may have to sacrifice her cousin's freedom when she discovers evidence that her father, the first black traffic cop on the force, may be guilty of murder."[12] The novel features an appearance by a fictional version of
Zora Neale Hurston.[12]
Critical reception
Burke is known for blending different genres together with her writings.[12] Reviewers have praised Burke's fiction, with the Barnes and Nobles Book Club calling her writing "mesmerizing -- there is an undeniable lyricism there but also a tangible darkness and pain."[13]Samuel R. Delany called her a "formidable new master of the macabre" while poet
Nikki Giovanni has compared Burke's writing to that of
Octavia Butler and
Toni Morrison[4]