this is the book i needed as a young queer person. bisexuals were just not accepted in either the straight community nor the LGBTQ community that I was around. this was so healing, even now.

Rating based on the average of all stories together.

In Our Words is a collection of short stories that have central queer characters of colour. Most had fantastical elements, but mostly very low-/soft-fantasy, which i prefer.
There were some amazing stories, but the best was Sweet Potato, with a strong runner-up in Granddaughter of the Dragon! I also really enjoyed Depth of Love and Her Mother’s Love, which both touch on grief, which is something i like to read about.
While most had good concepts, in many the issue i had mainly was the writing style, which affected how i felt about the characters, or the writing pace of the story - a few stories would have benefited from a bit more breathing space. Stories usually deal with the family and/or a romantic partner.
Overall, I think it's worth a read, even if just for a couple of these, because when they are good, they are really good!

Sweet Potato - 5. Brilliant, great opener; fierce mother defending their child
Wash+Set - 3; not for me but the author did manage to win me over somewhat
Art Appreciation - 2; don’t like the writing style/pacing
Last Call for Lovers - 4; just a little bit fantastical (creeps up on you/ the story)
Pale Moon Rising - 2; not for me, did not like the (hinted) twist
Depth of Love - 4; really good tale about grief, and how to heal after tragic loss
A Revolution of Masks - 2,5; the plot idea was interesting and could be great if a bit longer - i was just starting to get onboard when it ended
Breaking and Entering - 2; the trope is not for me
One Night in Brazil - 2; forgetful
A Sunday Kind of Love - 2; forgetful
A Venus in Aquarius - 2; forgetful
Reclamation - 2,5; fun but forgetful
Her Mother’s Love - 4; another great tale on the subject of grief, now from the mother losing daughter perspective - heart-wrenching.
Butch Jeans - 4; a heart-touching tale from a man in NYC during the AIDS epidemic age and his relationship with his mother.
An Engaging Isolation - 2; writing
Granddaughter of the Dragon - 5; rec for fans of Nghi Vo’s Singing Hills Cycle
Barbara in the Frame - 3,5; interesting, about food, rec for lovers of With the Fire on High

This was a fantastic collection of short stories with a little something for everyone, from romance and erotica to fantasy and paranormal. I was also pleasantly surprised by the few authors who worked COVID into the stories in a very non-intrusive way, as a part of the new normal of our lives. I was glad to read short stories from old favourites and to discover many new authors. My favourite story was Pale Moon Rising by Celeste Castro, I don't think I've ever been so gripped by a short story , or ever so scared of the dark! My second favourite was Sweet Potato by Briana Lawrence which certainly started the collection off on the right foot, the story and the gorgeous word will stay with me for a long time.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A collection of short stories is always hard to rate, and this time the stories in this collection are also very different. The first one, Sweet Potato, was an amazing coming-out story that made hope for more, but disappointed in further stories that were "just" romances or erotica but set in the LGBTQA+ community and with people of colour or Indigenous people. I liked the ones with a mystical touch though, and it was an interesting book to learn to know new authors. As the first story was great, so was the last a good conclusion.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I have a hard time reading short stories but I watched the Zoom leading up to the release of this anthology and was hooked. The stories vary greatly, romances, hookups, spec fic, fantasy, literary. No two are alike in any way but there’s great energy in all of them. There is an almost 55/45 split between f/f vs. m/m stories. Some of the works are small gems, others make me want a full book. I would definitely recommend the anthology. My favorites:

Sweet Potato
Solid coming out story with warm language that pulled me right into the cozy setting of a Sunday after-church supper. Nice twist too. Strong opener for the anthology.

Wash and Set
An absolute tease of a story and I want to read more. A classically told trope in which sophisticated Aundrea and stunning younger Désirée banter their way to some sizzle. Now we need the book to watch the story play out. Please, Mason Dixon aka Yolanda Wallace.

Pale Moon Rising
Celeste Castro can spin a tale, for sure. Four researchers are out studying raptors in the north Mexican desert when the coming of a pale moon ushers in fears of a mythical creature. Scary, fun, and steamy.

The Depth of Love
Sweetly passionate story of how love can conquer grief. Also, a fine mermaid named Ebele. Prepare to feel the heat because I definitely felt every bit of it.

A Revolution of Masks
Sable grieves the death of his parents. Spec Fic notoriously takes a long time to jump off but this writer does a good job of showing just enough of the story-world to pique curiosity about the Red Masks/Purple Masks ongoing war and the truth about his family.

A Sunday Kind of Love
Zapped again by Yolanda Wallace. A journalist interviews a hot, young singer (Rhianna like). Sparks fly. There’s plenty of fiery promise here. Where’s the rest of the story, author? Sigh.

Venus in Aquarius
Drama-llama of the best kind. Marcelo is having issues with his boyfriend. He figures a night out in DC with his buddies will clear his head. But why invite the guy he’s been chatting up on soc media? The main character is relatable and there’s a tenderness to the story that makes you understand Marcelo’s actions. Smooth flow.

Reclamation
Two buff goddesses at a programming competition take their afterparty somewhere private. High heat.

Her Mother’s Lover
Heart-wrenching story of a woman’s loss of her adult daughter. Gorgeous writing but still so sad.

Granddaughter of the Dragon
Perfect little fairytale about the love of family. The moon, dragons, and female shape shifters. What else could you possibly want? I need this book too. Plus, the characters also speak some Spanish which always makes my day.

Barbara in the Frame
Babs shares a dorm room at her university with 3 other students, The Soul Food Sunday Girls. She’s quirky and very reserved but a respect for food as a potent a healer make her venture out towards connection. Slight paranormal aspect. This one stands out. The author’s voice is unique and she surprised me in a good way. Strong closer for the anthology.

There were a few stories that I liked and some that I didn’t. For some I liked the author’s blurb at the beginning more.

I like the concept of the book. I like the diverse voices and stories. I think this is a good place to find some new authors.

I hadn't realised this was short stories rather than memoir pieces when I requested this, which was entirely my fault as the description was clear on that.

I loved how the stories had main characters who were intersectionally queer and global majority/indigenous people. That was refreshing and felt natural in the stories.

There were a lot of genres represented here that I wasn't that familiar with and struggled with a bit - it does mean there's something for everyone, though.

I was a bit taken aback by some of the stories that just seemed to be created to lead up to an erotic encounter. This was personally uncomfortable to me and that's not, I must stress, to do with the sexualities / races of those involved; I don't really like that whoever it's about and I searched my soul to check that was the case.

So probably a case of right book, wrong reader, here. As a cithet middle-aged white woman, this book wasn't necessarily written for me, and I'm very glad that people will get to see themselves reflected here. Five stars for what the book is doing, three for my experience of it, averaged out.

If you want to discover some new authors, I would suggest picking up this anthology. From paranormal to hard-hitting contemporary to scifi to romance, it offers something for every taste.
You also get a variety of LGBTQIA folk, different gender expressions and body types as well as multiple skin colours. All of these pieces are simply about these characters existing, experiencing the world and its people which is a nice reprieve if you usually find trauma stories.

I want to highlight 3 of my favourite stories. Sweet Potato was the first one and an immediate hit with me. A mother who is not ashamed of her queer daughter and standing up for her against her bigoted church members, which also communicates her love through food? Yes, please.
Pale Moon Rising speaks to my biologist's heart, people are working in the field tagging birds, and kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page as to how the mystery would play out. The story was precise without stripping the overall atmosphere away and not too long to meander and dilute the tension.
And lastly, Granddaughter of the Dragon. The combination of a bedtime story, magical otherwordly beings, and a focus on family was well balanced and addicting enough that I want more.

There is also a very short bio of each author before the story begins which was a nice touch and added to the experience.

A full rundown of all the stories and my ratings:
Sweet Potato by Briana Lawrence ★★★★★
Wash and Set by Mason Dixon ★★★★✩
Art Appreciation by La Toya Hankins ★★★✩✩
Last Call for Lovers by Akil Wingate ★✩✩✩✩
Pale Moon Rising by Celeste Castro ★★★★✩
The Depth of Love Anna Shade ★★★★✩
A Revolution of Masks by Brent Lambert ★★★★✩
Breaking and Entering by Gracie C. McKeaver ★★★✩✩
One Night in Brazil by Nanisi Barrett D'Arruk ★★★✩✩
A Sunday Kind of Love by Yolanda Wallace ★★✩✩✩
Venus in Aquarius Malik Welton ★★✩✩✩
Reclamation by Virginia Black ★★✩✩✩
Her Mother's Lover Namrate Verghese ★★★✩✩
Butch Jeans by Reginald T. Jackson ★★✩✩✩
An Enganging Isolation by Mayapee Chowdhurry ★★★✩✩
Granddaughter of the Dragon by Brey Willows ★★★★★
Barbara in the Frame by Emmalia Harrington ★★★✩✩

I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Release date: June 15th.
Yall, do not judge this anthology based on the cover!! IN OUR WORDS features a multitude of various types of queer stories all written by authors of color. An enjoyable collection you can fly through. It was interesting seeing how each author decided to make their protagonists casually queer. Many times, authors feel the need to center our stories around our queerness, so I appreciate the fact we got various different plots with protagonists that just *happened* to be queer. Some of these stories were heartbreaking, some were jaw dropping, and others I felt indifferent about. With any anthology, there will be something in IN OUR WORDS for everyone.

‘In Our Words’ is a wonderful anthology of queer stories from black, indigenous and people of colour writers. The selection by Anne Shade is inspired and I loved reading such a variety of well-written stories. I now have some authors, new to me, that I feel compelled to seek out for my next book purchases. Although I enjoyed them all, there are a few stories that took my breath away.

My favourite was ‘Granddaughter of the Dragon’ by Brey Willows. It was a beautiful story of family, love and freedom. Freedom to be who you are and embrace it. Willows is a masterful storyteller, and manages to take the reader to places where anything is possible.

I also loved ‘Sweet Potato’ by Briana Lawrence. The author used imagery and language with such skill that I could see, touch and taste everything her characters did. I certainly want to read more from this particular author in the future.

‘Art Appreciation’ by La Toya Hankins was an empowering story, with a message of hope. I enjoyed the interaction between the two main characters and appreciated how the author developed the characters over the course of a short story.

‘The Depth of Love’ by Anne Shade was an emotional story, with a twist of mythology thrown in. It was a feel-good tale with romance and left me smiling. I would love to know more about the particular mythology she explored in a novel.

This is an excellent anthology, with something for everyone.

I was given this ARC to review.

As with all anthologies, there are hits, and there are misses. I will say, this one for me had more misses than hits

sweet Potato: 3/5
Wash and Set: DNF
Art Appreciation: 4/5
Last Call for Lovers: DNF
Pale Moon Rising: 2/5
The Depth of Love: 2/5
A revolution of masks: DNF
Breaking and Entering: 1/5
One Night in Brazil: 1/5
A Sunday of Love: 1/5
Venus in Aquarius: 2/5
Reclamation: 3/5
Her Mothers Lover: 4/5
Butch Jeans: DNF
An Engaging Isolation: DNF
Granddaughter of the Dragon: 3/5
Barbara in the Frame: DNF

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING and AMAZING!!! A book for every lgbtqia+ and ally's household. The stories will invoke all sorts of emotions and memories of your own personal journey or a.friend's. Wish I could give this 10 stars. Brava and bravo.

This is a one sitting, don't want to put down book. I wish you all have a champion like sweet potato's mom.