Critical receptionīurke is known for blending different genres together with her writings. The novel is a mystery set during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance and features a Black detective who realizes 'she may have to sacrifice her cousin's freedom when she discovers evidence that her father, the first black traffic cop on the force, may be guilty of murder.' The novel features an appearance by a fictional version of Zora Neale Hurston. The collection was favorably reviewed in the Midwest Book Review, Austin Post and Publishers Weekly, which said 'If the urban realism doesn't always seem quite realistic, the depth of Burke's characters, the weight of their decisions, and their choices make this the very opposite of escapist fantasy.'īurke's debut novel The Strange Crimes of Little Africa was published in late 2015 by RothCo Press. Fictionīurke's first full-length short story collection Let's Play White was published in 2011 by Apex Publications. She is active in literary and feminist communities, for example serving as co-chair of the Board of Directors of Charis Circle, the nonprofit programming arm of Charis Books & More, Atlanta's independent feminist bookstore. Her master's thesis was on Storm from The X-Men. She earned a double major in Africana Studies and English from Agnes Scott College and a Masters in African-American studies from Georgia State University. The Teachings and Redemption of Ms.Burke grew up in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. If you're ready to slip into someone else's skin for a while, then it's time to come play white. Gritty and sublime, the stories of Let's Play White feature real people facing the worlds they're given, bringing out the best and the worst of what it means to be human. 'I Make People Do Bad Things' shines a metaphysical light on Harlem's most notorious historical madame, and then, with a deft twist into melancholic humor, 'Cue: Change' brings a zombie-esque apocalypse, possibly for the betterment of all mankind. But what if he could play white, the way so many others seem to do? Would it bring him privilege or simply deny the pain? The title story in this collection asks those questions and then moves on to challenge notions of race, privilege, personal choice, and even life and death with equal vigor.įrom the spectrum spanning despair and hope in 'What She Saw When They Flew Away' to the stark weave of personal struggles in 'Chocolate Park,' Let's Play White speaks with the voices of the overlooked and unheard.

White brings with it dreams of respect, of wealth, of simply being treated as a human being.

Let's Play White by Chesya Burke builds dark fantasy and horror short stories on African and African American history and legend while playing with what it means to be human.