Category: Short Stories

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Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology

Edited by Hope Nicholson
Additional edits by Erin Cossar and Sam Beiko

An anthology of short stories by Indigenous authors of various backgrounds, genders, and orientations. After opening with essays on Two-Spirit history and literature, the book features speculative fiction that explores the past, present, and future through Indigenous and LGBTQIAP+ perspectives.

While Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time is primarily published for adults, the anthology has a high level of teen appeal and includes teen characters.

Publisher’s Description:

Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time is a collection of indigenous science fiction and urban fantasy focusing on LGBT and two-spirit characters. These stories range from a transgender woman undergoing an experimental medication that enables her to live the lives of her maternal ancestors to young lovers separated through decades and meeting in the future. These are stories of machines and magic, love and self-love.

 

Contributors and Content:

• Hope Nicholson – A letter from the editor
• Grace L. Dillon – “Beyond the Grim Dust of What Was to a Radiant Possibility of What Could Be: Two-Spirit Survivance Stories” – A foreword about Indigenous LGBT+ sci-fi
• Niigaan Sinclair – “Returning to Ourselves: Two Spirit Futures and the Now” – A research essay on two-spirit history
• Richard Van Camp – “Aliens” – A story about a new relationship on a reserve, set against the backdrop of benevolent interspatial visitors
• Cherie Dimaline – “Legends are Made, Not Born” – A story of the power of family and more. Auntie Dave teaches a young boy about the responsibility and power of Two-Spirited identity.
• David A. Robertson – “Perfectly You” – A story about young love and indecision—and time travel
• Daniel Heath Justice – “The Boys Who Became the Hummingbirds” – A new traditional story about the beautiful people who make life worth living and inspire others to live their true selves
• Darcie Little Badger – “Né łe!” – An astronaut and the in-house vet face challenges as chihuahuas in outer space run amok
• Gwen Benaway – “Transitions” – A young office worker tries an experimental new medication designed to fast-track transition
• Mari Kurisato – “Imposter Syndrome” – A story set in the far future of transition and cyborgs
• Nathan Adler – “Valediction at the Star View Motel” – A story about the literal magic of sudden physical attraction as a rockabilly girl with spider magic woos her crush
• Cleo Keahna – “Parallax” – A poem on the perpetual journey of transition
• Jeffrey Veregge – Cover illustration

 

Genre: Speculative fiction (including science fiction). Some of the stories also have romantic elements.

Representation:
Gender:

• Trans girls: The unnamed MC in “Transitions” is a transgender woman. She uses “transgender” and “transwoman” on the page.
• Non-binary: The unnamed MC in “Transitions” mentions her non-binary friend, Sten. Sten is not shown on the page.
• “Aliens”: Jimmy (one of the MCs) is speculated to be Aayahkwew by the unnamed narrator. Jimmy is referred to as a man by the side character Roberta. Jimmy never states his gender.
• “Legends are Made, Not Born”: Auntie Dave (a secondary character) is Two-Spirit. It is not stated whether he considers that to be his gender.
• “The Boys Who Became the Hummingbirds”: The story mentions people “of all genders or none”
• “Imposter Syndrome”: Aanji (the MC) is a noncitizen artificial life form. Aanji presents as non-male and male at different points, corresponding respectively with she/her pronouns and he/him pronouns. Aanji seems to prefer presenting as non-male and using she/her pronouns.
• The anthology also contains MCs and side characters who are girls, boys, women, and men, but it is not stated whether they are cis or transgender

Two-Spirit:

• “Aliens”: The unnamed narrator speculates, “But in my mind [Jimmy]’s what the Crees say: Aayahkwew: neither man or woman but both.” Jimmy never states how he identifies.
• “Legends are Made, Not Born”: Auntie Dave (a secondary character) is Two-Spirit. He uses “Two-Spirited” and “Two-Spirits” on the page.
• “Transitions”: The unnamed MC implies she is Two-Spirit, using “Two-Spirit” on the page

Sexuality:

• Gay: The MC in “Legends are Made, Not Born” is gay. He uses “gay” on the page.
• Lesbian: Dottie (the MC in “Né łe!”) and Cora (a secondary character in “Né łe!”) are lesbians. Cora uses “lesbian” on the page.
• “Perfectly You”: Emma (the MC—a girl) is attracted to Cassie (a secondary character—implied to be a girl). Neither states their orientation.
• “The Boys Who Became the Hummingbirds”: Strange Boy (the MC) and Shadow Boy (a secondary character) are attracted to each other. Neither states their orientation.
• “Valediction at the Star View Motel”: Eadie (the MC—a girl) and Mushkeg (a secondary character—a girl) are attracted to each other. Neither states their orientation.

Romantic Orientation:

• Aromantic: Aanji (the MC in “Imposter Syndrome”) says, “You know I don’t do romance. I don’t have those urges.” The word “aromantic” is not on the page.
• The other characters’ romantic orientations are not explicitly stated. They might be presumed to be the same as their sexual orientations.

Indigenous Nation/Tribal Affiliation:

• “Aliens”
  – Edzazii (the unnamed narrator’s grandfather) was Tłı̨chǫ Dene
  The unnamed narrator implies Jimmy (one of the MCs) is Cree, though this is not explicitly stated
• “Legends are Made, Not Born”
  – The MC’s grandma’s parents were Anishnaabe Metis
  – Auntie Dave (a secondary character) is Cree
• “Perfectly You”
  – Emma (the MC) is Cree
• “The Boys Who Became the Hummingbirds”
  – Strange Boy (the MC) and Shadow Boy (a secondary character) belong to “the People”
• “Né łe!”
  – Dottie (the MC) is Lipan Apache
  – Cora (a secondary character) is Diné
• “Transitions”
  – The unnamed MC states her family was Anishinaabe and Métis on both of her father’s sides. Later she says, “We’re half-breeds from Lake St. Clair.”
  – An Elder (a secondary character) is an Anishinaabe woman from Serpent River First Nation
• “Imposter Syndrome”
  – Aanji Iron Woman (a secondary character) mentions her nookomis while inside a data world—North Dakota, near a recreation of the original Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation
• “Valediction at the Star View Motel”
  – Eadie (the MC) was adopted by the Neyananoosics (who are implied to be Indigenous)
  -Mushkeg (a secondary character) is Ojibeway
• “Parallax”
  – Not mentioned

Race/Ethnicity:

• Indigenous:
  – In most stories, the MCs and secondary characters are Indigenous or implied to be Indigenous
• Multiracial:
  – The MC in “Legends are Made, Not Born” refers to his mother and father as “halfbreeds”
  – The MC in “Transitions” refers to her family as being “half-breeds from Lake St. Clair”
• White:
  – Eadie (the MC in “Valediction at the Star View Motel”)

Religion:

• All of the stories include Indigenous spirituality
• Atheism/Humanism: Dottie (the MC in “Né łe!”) says, “I’m not spiritual. Don’t believe in gods, ghosts, or divine retribution.” She follows it up with, “… something special happened when I was a child. It makes me entertain notions like destiny.”
• Christianity: The MC in “Legends are Made, Not Born” states his mother and father were Catholic

Disability:

• “Aliens”: Jimmy’s dad had a stutter as a child, then was cured by Edzazii (the unnamed narrator’s grandfather—a Tłı̨chǫ Dene holy man)
• “Perfectly You”: Emma (the MC) calms herself so as to not have a panic attack
• “Né łe!”: Dottie (the MC) takes a sedative pill to reduce anxiety

Location: Various settings on Earth (primarily Turtle Island, including mentions of Canada and the U.S.) and in outer space

Trigger Warnings:

• • “Returning to Ourselves: Two Spirit Futures and the Now”: Discussion of anti-Indigenous/anti-Two-Spirit/anti-LGBTQIAP+ sentiments of the past and present
  • “Aliens”
    – On page: side characters speculate and joke about Jimmy’s genitals, the narrator makes assumptions about Jimmy’s gender
    – Mentioned but not shown on page: drinking/getting drunk, shooting a rifle, hair loss, bullying, smoking, burglary, drugs, beating someone up, cancer, leukemia, T.B
  • “Legends are Made, Not Born”
    – On page: grief, cigarette smoke
    – Mentioned but not shown on page: mother’s death in a fire, father’s death in an old age home, drinking, child services, flooded and poisoned land
  • “Perfectly You”
    – On page: tension headache, psychiatrist makes an ignorant assumption about Emma’s Cree culture (which Emma calls out), undergoing a newly developed medical procedure, calming self so as to not have a panic attack, agonizing pain, hospital room, coma, death
  • “The Boys Who Became the Hummingbirds”
    – On page: verbal and physical abuse/assault, prejudice, exile from community, blood, murder, death
  • “Né łe!”
    – On page: taking a sedative pill to reduce anxiety, medical stasis pod, visual hallucination, dog has a seizure (and survives), medical injection, blood, serious animal injury, stitching shut a wound
    – Mentioned but not shown on page: explosion, fender bender, cancers, death of parents, bomb, bone degradation, tooth decay, aging, relocation by the government, invasion of Native lands, sedation
  • “Transitions”
    – On page: medical drug study, transition process, visual and auditory hallucinations
    – Mentioned but not shown on page: cancer risks, medical trials on animals, blood work appointments
  • “Imposter Syndrome”
    – On page: blood, pain, pain pill, injection gun, spiders, a rodent, verbal and physical abuse/assault, kidnapping, prejudice, heart stops, rape, death, police brutality, robbery, arrest, stun bolts, vehicle accident, explosions, broken arms, blood transfusion, pistol
    – Mentioned but not shown on page: wars, enslavement, beer
  • “Valediction at the Star View Motel”
    – On page: punching (Eadie punches a white person who was slut-shaming and being racist), racism, drinking, smoking cigarettes, ableist language (“lame” and “stupid”), joke about latent homosexuality and equating being gay with wearing tights, pillow fight, Eadie surprises Mushkeg by kissing her without first getting consent from Mushkeg
    – Mentioned but not shown on page: spiders, foster care, death of biological mother, drugs, jail, murder of a child at a river
  • “Parallax”
    – On page: transition process
    – Mentioned but not shown on page: trauma, possible misgendering

Ownvoices: All of the creators in the anthology are Indigenous, and most are also LGBTQIAP+ and/or Two-Spirit

Ending: All of the stories have hopeful and/or happy endings