When I donned my editor’s hat in earnest, I envisioned the Feral Astrogators anthos: The Other Half of the Sky (2013) and To Shape the Dark (2016). I’d like to bring at least two more original compilations into being. One will be about old women in SF (true crones, not people in their forties) as mentors, powers, beginners and enders of dynasties and worlds because, as I discussed here, we don’t have nearly enough of those. But the very next antho will be mythic SF/F: Retellings of the Inland Seas.

To some extent, this anthology is my tribute to my own roots: my father, who came from Chíos, the island of Homer’s birth, and whose people plied these seas; my mother, whose mother’s family came from the Pontian imperial city of Trapezoús, and whose ancestral house may still stand in sight of the Vosporos across from the dome of Aghía Sofía. Too, this is my wish to reclaim myths that are considered declassé common property because of long, casual handling that precludes expression of their echoing depth.

The partners I called upon to accompany me on this journey responded, and here’s the resounding TOC of Inland Seas. Most gratifying is that, with no urging from me, each contributor chose a distinct tale to transmute. Slated for an early summer 2020 release, it will boast a stunning cover by Eleni Tsami, whose art graced the previous two Feral Astrogators anthos.

Retellings of the Inland Seas

The Wine-Dark Sea — A.M. Tuomala
Sirens — Melissa Scott
Hide and Seek — Shariann Lewitt
The Sea of Stars — Genevieve Williams
Between the Rivers — Judith Tarr
Calando — James L. Cambias
One Box too Many — Christine Lucas
The Furies of Mars — F. J. Doucet
Out of Tauris — Alexander Jablokov
Little Bird — Kelly Jennings
Wings — Elana Gomel
The Crack at the Border — Dimitra Nikolaidou
Unearthing Uncle Bud — Athena Andreadis