Last year we put out our first Jewish book. “Of the Book” doing so, was so much fun for me. I got to read and edit Jewish stories by Jewish authors, which is something near and dear to my heart. Many of you know that I myself write Jewish speculative fiction, Blood & Mud came out earlier this year and Treif Magic is coming out soon as well. When I initially began shopping these stories around I came across a huge block in the road… no one was looking to publish Jewish speculative fiction.
Something had to be done.
One of the greatest things about being an editor and publisher is I get to make choices. Sometimes these choices are hugely beneficial to the company as a whole, we choose a book or a relationship to foster and we end up selling a ton of books.
Sometimes those decisions are personal, like publishing angry feminist murder poetry or horror poems about food, maybe it doesn’t rake in the dough, but I believe, FIRMLY believe, that the world is better for these books existing within it. These books just make me happy.
So I decided to create an imprint, Aggadah Try It, specifically for Jewish fiction. Jewish horror, Jewish fantasy, Jewish science-fiction. I don’t know what this decision is yet, but I do know that my life is personally better for being able to be a part of growing and fostering an under-represented portion of the writing community.
Enter Dr. Gillian Polack, a Jewish-Australian expert in MEDIEVAL SUPERHERO STORIES FROM FRANCE. I yelled that last bit because that’s amazing. She offered up onto the altar of new imprints and presses a Jewish story, a Jewish story about inter-dimensional superheroes. “The Green Children Help Out” is a unique story and one we are so proud to publish with Aggadah Try It.
Gillian has been shortlisted for many national awards, and is just this week going to be at WorldCon on several panels involving world building, as well as raising money for the Fan Fun Auction by auctioning off names in a new world she’s building.
Dr Gillian Polack is a Jewish-Australian writer, researcher and editor and author of the very first Australian Jewish fantasy novel (The Wizardry of Jewish Women). Her writing has been short listed for many awards, and won one, once: this was probably a mistake. Her hobbies include cooking, researching historical foodways (including Jewish foodways) and reading. She claims to have a collection of select and very attractive fans. She is also (slowly) collecting charoseth recipes.
Corners of the World – Of the Book
For nearly 6000 years the Jewish people have been gathering stories. Stories of sheydim and golem. Stories of heroes and monsters. For as long as the People of the Book have been, they have been storytellers.Gathered here are tales of contemporary Jewish folklore. Frightening, supernatural, uplifting and upsetting.
These Jewish writers took old tropes, legends and concepts of an ancient faith and spun it into something incredible and new.From across the diaspora, they gather in; Of The Book
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