P. Djèlí Clark's Blog

Tips for Black History Month- 2025 Emergency Edition

Image: From the New Yorker article: Madame President: The Cover That Never Was | Art by Kadir Nelson. We coulda had a real one, and racism and misogyny done f–d it up for everybody. It’s that time of year again, … Continue reading →

For the Good of the Order- Writing Goals 2025

Trying to return to blogging, so best way to start off is with one of these. As in previous years, I take this time to look back at the past year in my SFF writing life–and what I might hope … Continue reading →

Happy Book Birthday! | The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is OUT!

It’s HERE! My latest novella is on the shelves. Let’s talk about!!! The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats. Nor do they have tails.But they are most assuredly dead. That’s the new joint–with an odd name–that’s out RIGHT NOW! … Continue reading →

Night Doctors

“De only Ku Klux I ever bumped into was a passel o’ young Baltimore Doctors tryin’ to ketch me one night an’ take me to de medicine college to ’periment on me. I seed dem a laying’ fer me an’ … Continue reading →

August 1st and Emancipation in the Steampunk Atlantic

On the anniversary of British Emancipation on August 1, 1834, revisiting an old post on freedom and abolitionism in the steampunk Atlantic–or lack thereof. Image: Broadside advertising abolitionist August First commemoration in Worcester, MA, 1849. Boston Public Library. I wrote … Continue reading →

A Kraken Gets Shortlisted for a Hugo and Wins a British Award

🦑 In recent good news, my 2023 short story How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub”—a tale of colonialism, sea monsters, and men of ambition—is a finalist for the Hugo award (wow!) and a few weeks ago, won for … Continue reading →

Television and My X-Men Life

It’s the 90s again, and our favorite mutants are back in a new animated series, X-Men ’97. The X-Men are back on TV! But this isn’t a detailed review of the new series, as much as it me recounting how … Continue reading →

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

New book about to drop! Well, sort of. Some news on the latest novella….good, slightly un-good, and otherwise. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats. Nor do they have tails.But they are most assuredly dead. That’s the new joint–with … Continue reading →

Revisiting George Washington’s Nine Negro Teeth

In which I revisit my 2018 story of slavery, magic, resistance, and George Washington’s Nine Negro Teeth… In 2018 my short fantasy story “The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington” appeared in the February edition of … Continue reading →

Abeni and the Kingdom of Gold: Cover Reveal!

The cover to Abeni’s Song 2 is out! The book is still a ways off (April 2025), but we can talk about it! As many may know, I made my first foray into writing novels for younger readers with the … Continue reading →