Mya Nicole Jones

At nearly every large fan convention, there’s a section of the expo floor known as “Artists’ Alley” — rows and rows of tables and artists selling their wares. Some artists make a living from tabling, traveling from place to place to sell. Some only sell at conventions or other fairs occasionally. Either way, there’s always plenty of work to see, buy, and sell.

All the geeks of Illinois and other gathered April 11-13, 2025 to attend the Chicago (C) Comic (2) and Entertainment (E) Expo (2). At this fan convention attendees met their heroes from voice actors, writers, illustrators and other industry professionals to cosplayers dressed up as their literal heroes.

Flying is many things: soaring above the clouds, floating in dreams, and dissociating. “Children Who Fly,” written by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, is a science fiction short story that describes a young girl named Kumari who has learned from her close family and ancestors how to fly. “Octavia’s Brood” is a collection of sci-fi short stories leaning into Black and Brown narratives.