Fresh Ink: An Anthology

Fresh Ink: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology (2018) is a collection of stories that focuses on marginalized people whose ethnicities, sexualities, and gender identities fall outside straight cisgender portrayals in literature throughout history. In the Foreword, the editor, Lamar Giles, explains how he always loved literature yet struggled to see himself in the stories he read. This collection features 13 writers who explore unique perspectives, reflecting diverse characters and themes.

This guide refers to the Crown Books version of the text published in 2018.

Content Warning: These stories depict instances of racism and hate crimes, bullying, drug use, gun violence, sexual harassment, abuse, anti-gay bias, bias against transgender people, and suicidal ideation.

Plot Summaries

“Eraser Tattoo” by Jason Reynolds portrays a young couple of color, Shay and Dante, in Brooklyn, New York. Shay’s family is forced out of their apartment due to gentrification. Dante has loved Shay since they were five years old and struggles emotionally over her having to move away. As Shay gives Dante an “eraser tattoo” of her initials on his arm, the two reminisce about the past and their relationship but are regularly interrupted by the white family moving in.

“Meet Cute” by Malinda Lo is set at the Denver Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention and follows two girls, Nic and Tamia, dressed as gender- and race-flipped characters from their favorite TV and film franchises. When the power goes out and the two are lost in back corridors, they learn about and reservedly flirt with one another. At the end, Nic works up the courage to get Tamia’s phone number.

“Don’t Pass Me By” by Eric Gansworth explores Doobie Buckman’s experience as an Indigenous American student attending a mostly white school in 1976. He’s distraught at how most of his friends from the “Rez” do their best to pass as white in order to fit in and make friends, while he’s bullied and outcast. In the end, he decides to stand up for his heritage, refusing to color a sex education diagram white per the instructions and instead using a brown pencil.

“Be Cool for Once” by Aminah Mae Safi takes place at a concert. Shirin, a self-described introvert, comes face-to-face with her school crush, Jeffrey. Jeffrey does his best to interact with Shirin, but she continually turns him away because of her own insecurities and his popularity. However, she works up the courage to tell him how she feels, and to her surprise, he reciprocates her feelings.

“Tags” by Walter Dean Myers is a supernatural one-act play about four African American teen boys in the afterlife who place their “tags” on walls in the city to keep their memories alive. As each recounts how he died (through drug, police, or gang violence), J-Boy realizes that one of the other boys killed him, even though he did nothing wrong. Alone, he sobs next to a wall and wipes all their tags from it.

“Why I Learned to Cook” by Sara Farizan explores Iranian American teen Yasi’s relationship with her girlfriend, Hannah, and her discomfort with revealing to her Iranian grandmother that Hannah is more than a friend. Each Friday, Yasi has dinner at her grandmother’s house but doesn’t invite Hannah until she decides to learn how to cook. She spends weeks cooking with her grandmother and learning about her Iranian roots before finally inviting Hannah over and revealing the truth to her grandmother. Her grandmother explains that she can clearly tell that Yasi and Hannah love each other and that Hannah is always welcome there for dinner.

“A Stranger at the Bochinche” by Daniel José Older is a piece of oral history that an elder tells a group of children. At the Bochinche, a nightclub, Ramses plays music, and Rosie works on plans for her inventions. A stranger steals Rosie’s notebook and flees, so Ramses and Rosie chase him through the city and learn that he’s a member of the Olritch Scourlings, a fraternal order that is stealing secrets to open a portal for their gods into the world. Ramses retrieves the notebook but is attacked by beings from the other realm, revealing that they’re already beginning to open the portal. The elder notes that though a war is coming, Ramses and Rosie’s ancestors and history will help them win.

“A Boy’s Duty” by Sharon G. Flake is set during World War II. Zakary James is 16 and has been unhoused for four years. He previously worked as a thief with his friend Ezekiel, but after Ezekiel goes to jail, he stays with Mr. Jackson and his wife at their café out of guilt for helping rob them. He works for them, waiting on tables, and paints a mural of the universe on their building. He dreams of becoming a quartermaster in the Navy and eventually helping astronauts reach outer space. When Ezekiel comes back to rob the café again, Zakary leaves with him, but, resolving to follow his dreams, he returns to the café and talks to Mr. Jackson.

“One Voice: A Something In-Between Story” by Melissa de la Cruz is a series of vignettes exploring Filipino American Jasmine’s life at Stanford University. Her parents immigrated to the US and worked hard so that she could get a college education. When racist graffiti appears on a campus wall and on an African American student’s car, Jasmine questions her safety, disturbed that such events can happen even at Stanford. Her boyfriend, Royce, dismisses her feelings, and they quarrel. After men at the gym sexually harass her, she joins other students in a protest march as “one voice” to find her own voice.

“Paladin/Samurai” by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Thien Pham, is a graphic short story about Owen, who plays a fantasy game with friends. Wujae, the Game Master, refuses to let Owen be a samurai because it doesn’t fit in the game. Frustrated at not being able to represent his Japanese heritage, Owen leaves. Outside, he joins Kelly, a girl he has a crush on, at a party across the street. When a bully named Dusty refers to Owen’s friends Wujae and Cam using a racial slur, he punches Dusty. He apologizes to Kelly, but she’s impressed and reveals that she dislikes Dusty. Owen returns to his friends. Wujae and Cameron excitedly recount the incident, and Wujae allows Owen to be a samurai in the game.

“Catch, Pull, Drive” by Schuyler Bailar depicts high schooler Tommy, who goes to swim practice after announcing on Facebook that he’s transgender. In the locker room and during practice, Roman, a teammate, bullies him. Tommy recalls past struggles related to his identity, like how girls regularly picked on him at swim meets for not being feminine enough, but he also recalls how supportive his mother was of his Facebook post, assuring him that he has every right to be himself. The coach warns Tommy that he doesn’t want any distractions on his team yet doesn’t stop Tommy’s teammates from bullying him. Nevertheless, in swimming, Tommy finds relief from his daily ordeals. As the boys reenter the locker room, Parker stands up to Roman, giving Tommy the courage to join in.

“Super Human” by Nicola Yoon centers on X, the world’s only superhuman. After years of defending the world, X decides to stop doing so, as he has lost faith in humanity. Syrita, the first person X saved, is chosen to try to change his mind. She focuses on humanity’s good deeds, assuming that X isn’t human. However, X removes his mask and reveals his backstory: His brother and uncle were shot and killed, so his mother begged for X to be spared that fate, and he woke up the next day with superpowers. However, one day while wearing civilian clothes, the police shot him without cause, and young, unarmed men of color are unjustly shot daily, so X no longer deems humanity worth saving. Syrita realizes that his anger is justified, and she has no defense. However, in one last attempt to change his mind, she lets herself fall from a building, hoping that X will save her.