RELEASED: Mothersound Anthology
The day finally came! Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology released on 21 November 2023. The entire Sauúti Collective are overjoyed and relieved and excited to have this out in the world and available in both print and ebook in the US and UK, through Android Press and Luna Press respectively. AUDIO BOOK COMING SOON.
I had the privilege of creating 5 art pieces for various stories (including my own: Undulation), and assisting Akintoba Kalejaye with the cover design and title design:
Check out some of the blurbs so far:
The starred review on Publisher's Weekly:
"This shared-world anthology from (Wole) Talabi stands out for both its cross-genre reach and the immense scope of its ambitions. ...this feels like the start of something monumental."
“𝙈𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘿: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙪𝙪́𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮, is a rare and distinct Afrocentric treat that hums in the unity of a collective enriched with universal storytelling and the many languages of Mother Africa.” — 𝗡𝘂𝘇𝗼 𝗢𝗻𝗼𝗵, Queen of African Horror, and recipient of the 2022 Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award
“The 𝙎𝙖𝙪𝙪́𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 is a mind-blowing, highly imaginative and deeply compelling sandbox. The wide range and excellent quality of these stories are a testament to that, offering yet another formidable trove of authors of African descent. In 𝙈𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙊𝙐𝙉𝘿, Talabi and company have offered us something seminal. This book will continue to influence the canon of Afrocentric futurisms for years to come.” — 𝗦𝘂𝘆𝗶 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗸𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗯𝗼𝘄𝗮, award-winning Nigerian author of David Mogo, Godhunter and The Nameless Republic trilogy
“The 𝙎𝙖𝙪𝙪́𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 is a powerful original collective concept, and this debut anthology clearly shows collaboration can create more than the sum of its parts while remaining firmly true to its African heritage and taking that boldly into the future.” — 𝗜𝘃𝗼𝗿 𝗪. 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗻, writer and editor of AfroSF
"Fantastika at its best. The Sauútiverse invites a reader to drown in a poetic world, built with a Tolkenian attention to gripping detail, and full of creatures who excite the imagination in a dream-like rollercoaster. The illustrations are works of art in themselves, adding spice to the stories, and I found myself wishing there were more paintings, more stories, and more pages to keep me up in the wee hours." — 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗮, internationally acclaimed and award-winning social activist, filmmaker and author of Yat Madit stories
Below is the Table of Contents – wait until you read them!
- Foreword: I Dream Of Sauúti – Fabrice Guerrier
- Welcome to the Sauútiverse – Wole Talabi
- Our Mother, Creator – Stephen Embleton & Wole Talabi
- What Has No Mouth? – Dare Segun Falowo
- The Way of Baa'gh – Cheryl S. Ntumy
- The Grove’s Lament – Tobias S. Buckell
- Xhova – Adelehin Ijasan
- A City, a Desert, and All Their Dirges – Somto Ihezue and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
- Sina, the Child With No Echo – Eugen Bacon
- The Rakwa Wa-Ya'yn – Stephen Embleton & Wole Talabi
- Undulation – Stephen Embleton
- The Hollowed People – T.L. Huchu
- Muting Echoes, Breaking Tradition – Eye Kay Nwaogu
- Kalabashing – J. Umeh
- Lost in the Echoes – Xan van Rooyen
- Hologhiri – Akintoba Kalejaye
The 5 pieces I created for the anthology (more details here):
Impudu-pudu (lightning bird)
The Way of Baa’gh
The crab-like creatures of Cheryl S. Ntumy's “The Way of Baa’gh”
Undulation
Three featured in my novella "Undulation".
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| The final digitally coloured illustration |
I then played with two other scenes within my story – more intimate.
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| "Hmahein" – The final digitally coloured piece |
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| "Waioke"– The final digitally coloured piece |
