Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology

[AlterEgo]

Exciting News!
We are thrilled to announce that “Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology” has received an Honorable Mention in the International Latino Book Awards 2024 under the category of Best Collection of Short Stories !

This anthology, featuring the powerful voices of 24 incredible creators, explores the depths of Dominican fantasy, folklore, and imagination through a mix of prose and comics. Inside, you’ll find stories of war, heartbreak, family, and magic.

The interior design of “Quislaona” was beautifully crafted by @litevisual, and the stunning book cover was created by @eddaviel. This project is a collaborative effort between Dominican Writers Association, @worldbuilding_magazine, and @culturacomic, celebrating Dominican voices in fantasy.

Congratulations to all the talented writers and everyone involved in bringing this anthology to life!
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Book overview:

Latinx voices continue to be underrepresented in publishing. We collectively strive to elevate writers of our cultural community by creating and holding space for the authentic and diverse voices that make up Dominican writers today.

Quislaona welcomes you to the fantasy island where the water glows with magic, and the Loro flies high. Run alongside the ciguapas protecting the island's sacred hearts or listen to the merfolk chat at Mimi's Bar. Within this collection, you will find twenty-four creators who contributed stories taking place on this fantasy island through a mix of prose and comics. Inside, you'll discover tales of war, heartbreak, family, and magic.

This anthology is a collaborative effort between three organizations. Dominican Writers Association, Worldbuilding Magazine, and Cultura Cómic RD. Discover how this fascinating intersection of art, literature and speculative fiction became a celebration of Dominican voices in fantasy.

Featuring work by:  

Barbara Perez Marquez, Lissy Marlin, Nelly Rosario, Annecy Baez, Amaris Castillo, Manny Minaya, Alex V. Cruz, Laura Suazo, Judy Fernandez Diaz, Pauline M. Kulstad-González, Thanisha Peña, Ang Nunez, Maria E. Vega (Odiresan), Ana Lucía Sánchez, Gabriela Taveras, Joan M. Arias (KING), Aníbal Hernández Medina, Ana María González Puente, Kevin Cruz Guzman, Virgo CA, Mari Gabi Messina, Melissa Falcon "MelimeL", & Johanny "Joa" Ortega

Available on Amazon in hardcover and paperback

 

[NALs]

Is this book only available in English?

I only get Dominican books in Spanish! (All Dominican-American books should include a Spanish version too.)

 

[Joseph NY2STI]

I wonder if they'll include my story. In the past, I did an admittedly non-scientific study of approximately 50 Dominicans and Dominican-Americans. Thankfully, not a single one knew what a "Latinx" is.

 

[bob saunders]

I wonder if they'll include my story. In the past, I did an admittedly non-scientific study of approximately 50 Dominicans and Dominican-Americans. Thankfully, not a single one knew what a "Latinx" is.

In every survey done the majority of Hispanics disapprove of the word Latinx.

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

I wonder if they'll include my story. In the past, I did an admittedly non-scientific study of approximately 50 Dominicans and Dominican-Americans. Thankfully, not a single one knew what a "Latinx" is.

Did you explain this is their new assigned pronoun

 

[Joseph NY2STI]

Did you explain this is their new assigned pronoun

Straight from the Yale University teacher's lounge.

 

[NALs]

In every survey done the majority of Hispanics disapprove of the word Latinx.

The gist of that “movement” is to “neutralize” the gender aspects of the word Latino, which some deem it’s male. They have tried to do something similar in Spanish though there they simply add the “female version” of the word. I even heard one very well known Dominican referring to the Virgin of Las Mercedes, who in Spanish would be “ la patrona” as “la matrona” which not only is an invention, but it also sounds ridicoulous.

The RAE either earlier this year or last year made a statement saying that some words given their contexts aren’t gender specific, hence there is no need to “invent a supposedly female” version. What that means is that when referring to the Dominicans in Spanish which would be “los dominicanos,” despite the “los” and the wird ending with “-os” it’s a gender neutral word which encompassed Dominican men and women. When in official Dominican government documents and mentions on TV/radio it says “los dominicanos y las dominicanas” that is wrong as “los dominicanos” also include Dominican women (and always has). They have yet to fix this in the Dominican government and this tendency started quite recently during the Danilo Medina administration.

Latinx is used among some of the younger ones and this could be do to the woke movement (the same movement that basically treats you as a cat if one day you wake up and say you’re a cat; of course, the same probably doesn’t apply if you’re nom-white and one day say you’re white while looking entirely like David Ortíz or a Latino that one day says he is Asian despite not having a drop if Asian blood, a fat person claiming to be thin with a weight of 250lbs, etc.)

 

[Tom F.]

For the times they are a-changin'