With richly detailed and visually stunning graphics, this collection of eight short stories by Brooklyn artist, writer, and illustrator Bishakh Som takes ordinary tales of everyday people and transforms them into surreal, sepia-toned, alien landscapes—with dazzling color splashed just when needed. Transgressive and forward-thinking, Apsara Engine illustrates and details the lives and fantasies of queer and trans South Asians speaking their truths, dreaming their mythologies, and trying to come to grips with themselves and others.
Apsara Engine, by Bishakh Som. Published by Feminist Press. The editor is Jisu Kim. Apsara Engine is a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction, presented by the Ferro-Grumley Foundation in conjunction with the Publishing Triangle; the winner will be announced on May 12.