9 Short Story Collections by BIPOC Authors You’ll Want to Read Next
There’s something uniquely powerful about a great short story—it can transport, unravel, and linger, all in just a few pages. Whether I’m in a reading slump or craving something layered and immediate, I have turned to short story collections for their depth, voice, and variety. In this post, I’m sharing a list of short story collections by BIPOC authors that I’ve either read and loved—or can’t wait to pick up. From speculative fiction to literary realism, these collections offer bold storytelling that stays with you long after the last page.
Why Short Stories Deserve a Spot on Your Shelf
Short stories have always played an essential role in literary history, especially in traditions shaped by oral storytelling, community memory, and cultural hybridity. For many BIPOC writers, the short story is not just a form—it’s a vehicle for reclaiming space, preserving history, and experimenting with narrative in radical, resonant ways. From the biting social commentary of authors like Edward P. Jones to the surreal intimacy of Carmen Maria Machado, story collections reflect the beauty of brevity and the power of underrepresented voices telling stories on their own terms.
3 Short Story Collections by BIPOC Authors I’ve Read and Enjoyed
Ghostroots: Stories by ‘Pemi Aguda
Ghostroots is a debut collection of 12 short stories by Nigerian writer ‘Pemi Aguda. It was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction in 2024. The stories are set in a fictionalized version of Lagos and brilliantly combine horror and urban fiction. They are haunting, evocative, and strange.
Every Drop is a Man’s Nightmare by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto
Kakimoto’s collection contains a vibrant cast of mixed native Hawaiian and Japanese characters who are all navigating modern womanhood. It’s filled with magical realism and Hawaiian mythology, but also the legacy of colonialism that endures on the islands. I’d describe the overall vibe as lush and weird.
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Probably one of the most well-known collections on this list, Never Whistle at Night packs a true horror punch. The stories range from eerie to sleep-with-the-lights-on scary, and are great in audiobook format too!
6 Short Story Collections That are Still On My TBR
A Small Apocalypse: Stories by Laura Chow Reeve
In A Small Apocalypse, Laura Chow Reeve blends queerness, hybridity, and surrealism in fourteen interconnected stories set against the feral backdrop of Florida. From ghostly hauntings to memory-pickling rituals, these stories explore what it means to live in the in-between—where identity, inheritance, and home blur together.
Coexistence: Stories by Billy-Ray Belcourt
In Coexistence, Billy-Ray Belcourt captures the emotional terrain of modern Indigenous life through intimate, philosophical stories that explore grief, desire, freedom, and return. With a poetic voice and sharp insight, Belcourt weaves together queer and Native perspectives in a collection that resists erasure and celebrates survival.
Guatemalan Rhapsody: Stories by Jared Lemus
In Guatemalan Rhapsody, Jared Lemus introduces characters navigating pivotal moments—where loyalty, love, and survival collide in striking, often unpredictable ways. From roadside heists to messy love triangles, these stories explore community, sacrifice, and the blurred lines between fate and choice with grit, heart, and lyricism.
A Calm and Normal Heart: Stories by Chelsea Hicks
In A Calm & Normal Heart, Chelsea T. Hicks explores the lives of young Native characters navigating identity, love, and generational trauma in modern-day America. Blending sharp wit with deep cultural insight, these stories capture the beauty and complexity of Native life—where ancestral ties meet iPhone-era chaos.
Shut Up You’re Pretty by Téa Mutonji
In Shut Up You’re Pretty, Téa Mutonji delivers bold, intimate stories about girlhood, identity, and survival through a Congolese-Canadian lens. With sharp wit and emotional nuance, this debut collection explores the complexity of femininity and the quiet rebellion of choosing one’s own path.
Death by a Thousand Cuts: Stories by Shashi Bhat
In Death by a Thousand Cuts, Shashi Bhat delivers sharply observed, emotionally charged stories that explore the impossible expectations placed on women’s bodies, minds, and relationships. With biting humor and vulnerability, these tales dive into illness, heartbreak, autonomy, and the quiet, everyday moments where identity is both formed and fractured.
Final Thoughts: Celebrating Bold, Brief, Beautiful Stories
Whether you're a longtime lover of short stories or just discovering the form, these collections by BIPOC authors are rich with insight, imagination, and emotional impact. They’re perfect for readers looking to diversify their shelves, challenge their perspectives, or simply savor small but mighty doses of brilliant storytelling. I’d love to hear what short story collections you’ve loved—or what you’re adding to your TBR from this list.
And if you’re ready to discover your next favorite book, don’t forget to check out our Blind Date with a Book packages hand-curated with incredible BIPOC authors who are changing the literary landscape—one story at a time.