It’s so so cool to see Weird Fishes connected to these other works of PI SFF and have Manuia Heinrich Sue describe some of its context so expansively in Apex Magazine.

lavender graphic for Apex Magazine Asian and Pacific Islander Bonus Issue

“Many people consider that fantasy elements and magic belong to the imaginary, but in the Pacific, these are often part of an Indigenous reality—that is, the ways in which we conceptualize our relationship with Nature and our ancestors.”

Manuia Heinrich Sue

That right there is why I always feel the urge to tip Weird Fishes over into SF instead of fantasy (when I don’t just let it teeter precariously between genres). The fantastical is very reality-based. They’re descriptions of the world I know. I’m just telling it like I see it.

Take the time to read the full article here, it’s really great:

https://apex-magazine.com/nonfiction/how-we-island-our-writing-a-deep-dive-into-pacific-islander-sff/