ZamaShort Volume One, the debut annual anthology from the ZamaShort imprint, was released on November 8. It collects the first twelve stories from the imprint’s ongoing singles series and covers satire, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and literary fiction. The editor is Ivor W. Hartmann, and the foreword is by Eugen Bacon.

ZamaShort publishes one original short story at a time, with a new single each month. The imprint comes from StoryTime Publishing, which Hartmann started in 2007, and it is devoted entirely to short fiction by African writers. The anthology gathers the first year of that project in a single book.

The twelve authors are Muthi Nhlema, Nerine Dorman, Zainab Omaki, Carmelo Rafalà, Libby Young, Dare Segun Falowo, T.L. Huchu, Tabitha Wanja Mwangi, Bongani Sibanda, Daniel Joe, Hussani Abdulrahim, and Abigail George. The table of contents includes Huchu’s “When Two Sorcerers Collide,” Sibanda’s “Everyone Is a Robot Until Proven Otherwise,” Mwangi’s “The Offertory,” Falowo’s “Sindi Fair,” and Dorman’s “Summer” among others. The ebook also includes essays by the authors. Mark Bould, author of The Anthropocene Unconscious, describes the range as gods, monsters, aliens, sorcerers, spirits, replicants, amateur detectives, biotech astronauts, charismatic pastors, single mothers, culinary droids, lost loves, and voluntouring azungus. Francesco Verso, editor of Future Fiction, points to the book’s treatment of augmented bodies, AI, climate crisis, mythology, and new identities.

Early praise has come from writers and critics across the field. Sarah Lotz, author of The Impossible Us, says the stories stayed with her long after she finished reading, and that some are still haunting her. Cheryl S. Ntumy, author of They Made Us Blood & Fury, praises the collection’s ambition and its celebration of short-form literature. Dan Hartland of Strange Horizons recommends it as a starting point for some of the freshest fiction being written today, speculative or otherwise. Jacqueline Nyathi of the Harare Review of Books highlights its mix of familiar names and rising voices, while Rachel Cordasco of SFinTranslation credits Hartmann with spreading the word about African fiction to readers worldwide. Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki also lends his support.

The book is available in hardback, trade paperback, mass paperback, ebook, and audiobook editions, running 244 pages in print and 328 in the ebook. You can buy it directly from the ZamaShort shop or from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other retailers. The ebook is also on Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, Libby, and more. Readers can add it on Goodreads or StoryGraph, and follow ZamaShort on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Threads for updates. Inquiries can go to info@zamashort.com.