I really wish there was more of a variety of genres, but this was a great collection of short stories featuring diverse characters written by some of the biggest YA contemporary authors.I think I expected more than just contemporary fiction stories because in the foreword, the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres are all specifically called out for their killing off of minority characters. However, the majority of these stories are contemporary with romance being a key plot point. Out of t...

Growing up, finding stories I could relate to require Sherlock Holmes-level detection. While I enjoyed your typical stories aimed at middle-schoolers and teenagers, they had something in common that bothered me a bit: They excluded me.Very few books I read including black girls. When they did, however, they were stereotypical and unbelievable. Yes, the last sentence is still a problem today in 2019 (Mind you, I read these books in the eighties).Thankfully, this generation desires a turnaround. W...

*i received a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher.* Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds: I have read all of Jason's books and I don't think he's ever written a strict love story before and now i NEED a full length love story from him!... 5 starsMeet Cute by Malinda Lo: So cute and nerdy! The middle kinda dragged for me, but all in all i loved it!... 4 starsDon't Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth: This is a story about an American Indian boy letting him...

I'm not really one for anthologies but I thought I'd pick this one up. Most of the stories were pretty good. I really enjoyed a lot of them ecspcially Melissa De La Cruz's short story. 3.5 stars

This was a nice anthology that features diverse characters. We had a few f/f stories and a transgender story that was written by a transgender author. As a reader of color inclusion is very important to me. I wish I had a book like this when I was teenager but as an adult I still appreciated this story and hope we got more books like this going forward. Majority of these authors are new to me and I wasn't disappointed. Some stories I liked more than others but overall I was impressed with this a...

This was a great book full of short stories, a comic, and play.  I'm not going to talk much about each story since they are not very long.  But I will say a little and rate each one below.Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds   This was a sweet story about a girl who was moving away.  She was giving her boyfriend an eraser tattoo to remember her by.  4  1/2 starsMeet Cute by Melinda Lo   Two girls meet at a con.  The power goes out and they get lost, but form a connection right away.  4  1/2 starsDon'...

Average Rating: 3.96.what an anthology!! This is chuck-full of beautiful (and diverse) short stories from all different genres and from so many #OwnVoices authors. I enjoyed almost every single story, which is so rare for me in anthologies.If you want to read it but don’t want to read every story, my personal recs from this collection are “Eraser Tattoo” by Jason Reynolds, “Tags” by Walter Dean Myers, “Why I Learned to Cook” by Sara Farizan, and “Catch, Pull, Drive” by Schuyler Bailar. They were...

Average Rating: 3.58 StarsStories I Was Most Excited For: Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds; Super Human By Nicola YoonFavorite stories: Be Cool For Once by Aminah Mae Safi; Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan; Super Human by Nicola YoonLeast Favorite Stories: A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel José Older; Paladin/Samuari by Gene Luen YangFresh Ink is a vibrant collection of diverse stories that share personal truths, hopes, fears, and dreams. Told in short stories, a one act play, and a gra...

My full review can read at my blog, The Quiet Pond.A wonderful and diverse anthology of ownvoices stories. I enjoyed this so so much, and particularly so as an audiobook, and I highly recommend this anthology to everyone.- Explores a diversity of topic through a variety of genres: contemporary slice-of-life sort of stuff, romance, science-fiction, and historical fiction. - Also explores a variety of themes that are guaranteed to pull you in. To name a few, what 'humanity' is, the power of solida...

Reading this feels like I got to choose some of my favorite authors and ask each to tell me a story. I loved that the collection included a play as well as a graphic-short. While every story stood on its own, with unique subjects and topics, the thread of authentic brilliance brings them together beautifully.I loved it so much, I've donated Fresh Ink to two of my favorite HS classrooms.

In the introduction of Fresh Ink, it's stated many reasons that we need short stories such as these. Even though I did not relate directly to many of the stories, I completely agree that we need more diversity in all writing, especially the young adult genre. All the tales had a very genuine feel to the characters and discussed extremely relevant issues facing our society today. I recommend this book to adults and young adults alike! Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for providing an advanced c...

More often than not, if I ran across a character who shared my race and gender in a book he was a gross stereotype, comic relief, token sidekick, or, depending on the genre (I’m looking at you, science fiction, fantasy, and horror), there to die so the real hero could fight another day. I love anthologies, and I love getting the opportunity to promote authors of color and diverse books, so as soon as I learned that the co-founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement was editing this antholog

!! NOW AVAILABLE !! Sometimes I wonder where I've been,Who I am,Do I fit in.I may not win, But I can't be thrown,Out here on my own,Out here on my own -- Out Here on My Own, Irene Cara, Songwriters: Lesley Gore / Michael GoreLamar Giles, editor of this YA anthology, and in partnership with We Need Diverse Books wanted, wants more stories about diversity, more stories where more people can see themselves, especially for our youth. In his youth, he says in the Foreword, that “book after book, adv

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.First off, I’m a cis, extremely white passing reviewer. I have been able to see myself in literature and media my entire life, regardless of how much my Filipino culture means to me and how proud of it I am. So even though all of these stories are ownvoices, this review you are about to read is not. After publication, I will feature some actual ownvoices reviews here because this anthology was created to support and boo...

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.Fresh Ink, an anthology edited by Lamar Giles, features short stories, a one-act play, and a short graphic novel from thirteen top YA contemporary authors including Jason Reynolds, Gene Luen Yang, Nicola Yoon, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Melissa de la Cruz, and Malinda Lo. Each contribution to this diverse collection will inspire you think outside of the box and dare to defy conventions.Short story anthologies regardless...

This came on my radar because I heard some of the stories were in comic form, but when it turned out to have just one 8-page strip I almost decided to pass on it. But I'm so happy I didn't.This #ownvoices anthology has diverse authors telling stories about diverse characters. Unlike a lot of anthologies, the quality of the stories is remarkably high and consistent. For comic book geeks like me, in addition to the Gene Luen Yang strip, there is a cosplay romance at a convention, a post-apocalypse...

An awesome anthology! As a teacher, I really appreciate having short, high interest texts for my students. Love that this includes a short screenplay and a graphic novel! Perfect for teaching fiction structures! :)

I received this as an e-galley off of netgalley in exchange for an honest review.First off, I can't even give the stories individual ratings because they each earned between 4 to 5 stars from me so collectively this book was just five stars. I loved each of these stories for different reasons, a couple of them were by authors I already liked so I didn't expect anything less. When I read the intro by Lamar I never felt so connected with a fellow reader. I am a black girl and when I was reading bo...

It’s late, so I’ll need to check my math later, but I think my average rating per story is 3.8. Let’s round up for fun.Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds Made me cringe, self harm trigger, anti-climactic but cute rom 3 stars Meet Cute by Melinda Lo 5 stars diverse and cleaver and adorable and dripping in fan culture cuteness Don’t Pass Me By by Eric GansworthNice rep, I think? kinda boring, meandering, slow moving plot. Good message about race, but not sure the point of anything else happening here...

In the introduction, Lamar Giles, editor of FRESH INK: AN ANTHOLOGY, talks about not finding himself represented in literature as a child. Or when black young men were characters, they were stereotypes, sidekicks and murder victims. I grew up in a very white small town, never thinking about race until I saw the miniseries Roots. Like Giles, I was a voracious reader. I remember seeing the book ROLL OF THUNDER HEAR MY CRY in the library, passing it over because I had no interest in reading about a...