a commendable addition to libraries with large science fiction collections.' - Loren Klein for the GLBT Round Table of the American Library Association 'The balance of stories that are about being transgender with stories that feature transgender characters and themes is solid–it gives the reader a variety of viewpoints and approaches, always a good thing for a year’s best.' - Brit Mandelo for Queering SFF at Tor.com 'Traditional boundaries of identity and structure are blessedly absent as this anthology challenges readers’ expectations in ways that few have managed to do before. A varied, remarkable collection of trans-themed fiction.' - Kirkus Reviews '.Szpara stitches together a collection that feels like a cozy blanket for trans readers who long for inclusive fiction (and for cis readers who may well wonder why there’s so much gender-essentialism in everyday SF/F).This is a timely (which is to say long overdue), wide-ranging, and highly enjoyable collection.' - Publishers Weekly, starred review His short fiction appears in Lightspeed, Shimmer, and Glittership.

On nights and weekends, Kelly advances his queer agenda by writing science fiction and fantasy novels. He has a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, which he totally uses at his day job as a paralegal. Szpara lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his black cat and miniature poodle.

'The Thing on the Cheerleading Squad' by Molly Tanzer 'The Need for Overwhelming Sensation' by Bogi Takács 'The Petals Abide' by Benjanun Sriduangkaew 'Contents of Care Package to Etsath-tachri, Formerly Ryan Andrew Curran (Human English Translated to Sedrayin) by Holly Heisey 'Everything Beneath You' by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam 'into the waters I rode down' by Jack Hollis Marr

This anthology will be a welcome read for those who are ready to transcend gender through the lens of science fiction, fantasy, and other works of imaginative fiction. But though the stories involve transformation and outsiders, sometimes the change is one of self-realization. Cisgender people can never quite understand this distancing.

Transgender individuals see themselves in transformative characters, those outsiders, before seeing themselves as human protagonists. And there are stories without transgender characters, but with metaphors and symbolism in their place, genuine expressions of self through such speculative fiction tropes as shapeshifting and programming. There are fantastical stories with actual transgender characters, some for whom that is central and others for whom that isn't. The Year's Best Transgender Speculative Fiction

Beyond Binary by Lee Mandelo