It’s that time of year and BLK MKT Vintage has proudly designed their 2026 Annual Juneteenth Commemorative T-shirt with their collection of Emancipation Day-related ephemera in mind.

They are always inspired by the layering and quilting of collage traditions and this Juneteenth, are centering vintage found photos, a poll tax receipt, antique ribbon/metal memorabilia, Galveston, Texas maps, pins, stereo-view photographs and other ephemera that make up the best of our work. The best of us, our memory, our jubilation, our collective stories and lived experiences. Designed in-house by BLK MKT Vintage.

Tees are adult size, unisex short-sleeved and screen-printed on one side. 100% Cotton. Creme color with multicolor imprints. Available sizes are XS - 3XL.

*Paperback Release Date - 9/29/2026*

“Without Fear tells the stories of Black women who, like Deborah in the Bible, have engaged in social justice agitation, refusing to simply suffer by engaging in the redemptive work of challenging injustice while in the midst of it. Each of us can and must learn from these women if we are to reconstruct America and build a just world.” ―Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, coauthor of White Poverty

Even before they were recognized as citizens of the United States, Black women understood that the fights for civil and human rights were inseparable. Over the course of two hundred years, they were at the forefront of national and international movements for social change, weaving connections between their own and others’ freedom struggles around the world.

Without Fear tells how, during American history, Black women made humans rights theirs: from worldwide travel and public advocacy in the global Black press to their work for the United Nations, they courageously and effectively moved human rights beyond an esoteric concept to an active, organizing principle. Acclaimed historian Keisha N. Blain tells the story of these women―from the well-known, like Ida B. Wells, Madam C. J. Walker, and Lena Horne, to those who are still less known, including Pearl Sherrod, Aretha McKinley, and Marguerite Cartwright. Blain captures human rights thinking and activism from the ground up with Black women at the center, working outside the traditional halls of power.

By shouldering intersecting forms of oppression―including racism, sexism, and classism―Black women have long been in a unique position to fight for freedom and dignity. Without Fear is an account of their aspirations, strategies, and struggles to pioneer a human rights approach to combating systems of injustice.

8 pages of illustrations

We're meeting to discuss Revive Me: Parts 1-3 by J.L Seegars!

BOOK CLUB MEETING DEETS

When: Tuesday, September 8 @ 7PM CST

Where: Kindred Stories (2310 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004)

How: RSVP ONLY to let us know you plan to attend! Support the Romance Book Club by purchasing a copy of the book from Kindred Stories below!

Revive Me Pt. 1

Revive Me Pt. 2

Revive Me Pt. 3

*This series is a Kindred bestseller, and we'll be discussing all three books in the series. Earlier this year, we discussed Restore Me, and now we're excited to continue with Chris and Mallory's story.

ABOUT THE REVIVE ME BOOKS

Revive Me Pt. 1

Revive Me Pt. 2

Revive Me Pt. 3

Mallory

Hope is a dangerous thing. It holds you close like a lover, whispering promises it never intends to keep, and just as soon as you relax into its arms, it lets you go. Sending you spinning into an abyss of nothingness. When I sent him away four years ago, he promised he would come back to me, and even as I asked him not to, I hoped that he would.

Hope. I tucked it deep inside of me, underneath the scars of our before, beside the dreams of our after. Hidden like contraband. Guarded like a treasure. Broken like every promise that ever fell from his lips and hit my ears. Eventually, I got tired of hoping, of waiting for him, and I plunged my hands inside my own heart, ripping past scar tissue and muscle, veins and arteries to root it out.

Hope. He conspired with it to make a fool of me, and when I freed myself from it, exorcised that pointless dream, I promised myself that no one would get the chance to do that to me again. Then, and only then, did he appear.

My promise, a spell that conjured him. My determination, a challenge. My heart, the only prize he hopes to win.

Christopher

Life without Mallory Kent has taught me that time doesn’t heal wounds. It turns them into scars. Jagged tissue that grows around your pain, covering it with raised skin that will never again be smooth to the touch. My first scar formed when I was just a child. Too young to fully understand what my mother’s loss would mean for my life but old enough to remember the echo of the pain inside my empty chest. It was a unique agony. One I never expected to feel again.

But that was before I loved her. Before I let things that had nothing to do with us cost me everything.

It’s been four years since I decided to honor her request to stay away. To move on with my life and give her a chance to move on with hers. And she might not agree, but it was more than enough time for us to try and do the impossible. The only thing our time apart has done is remind me that wherever she is, is where I’m supposed to be.

Now I just have to make her believe it.

Paperback Release- September 15, 2026

The award-winning author of the best-selling Tristan Strong trilogy has created a secret world where kids can wield magic by summoning the power of their ancestors

What do you get when you combine Kwame Mbalia's incredible imagination and world-building talent with trains, history, and ghosts? Nothing less than middle grade magic.

On his twelfth birthday, Jackson "Jax" Freeman arrives at Chicago's Union Station alone, carrying nothing but the baggage of a scandal back in Raleigh. He's been sent away from home to live with relatives he barely knows. But even worse are the strangers who accost him at the train station, including a food vendor who throws dust in his face and a conductor who tries to steal his skin.

At his new school, Jax is assigned to a special class for "summoners," even though he has no idea what those are . . . until he accidentally unleashes an angry spirit on school grounds. Soon Jax is embroiled in all kinds of trouble, from the disappearance of a new friend to full-out war between summoning families.

When Jax learns that he isn't the first Freeman to be blamed for a tragedy he didn't create, he resolves to clear his own name and that of his great-grandfather, who was a porter back in the 1920's. By following clues, Jax and his schoolmates unlock the secrets of a powerful Praise House, evade vengeful ghosts, and discover that Jax may just be the most talented summoner of all.

A unique magic-school fantasy from the best-selling and award-winning author of the Tristan Strong trilogy has just pulled into the station.

*Paperback Release Date - 09/15/26*

A sweeping story about four women whose lives are shaped by love, longing, and pain. Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in the US who is unlucky in love and coping with the pandemic on her own. Zikora, is a successful lawyer living in Washington DC who finds herself, unexpectedly, a heartbroken single mother. Omelogor is a scholar researching pornography for a Master's thesis in Women's Studies. And Nafissatou, Chiamaka's housekeeper, is trying to reclaim her dignity after a terrible sexual assault. In Dream Count, we come to know these interesting, challenging, and complicated women as they navigate their rich and complex lives. Long revered as a writer who understands how we talk about race and identity, Adichie uses these themes to explore a group of disparate and fascinating women and their worlds, turning a sharp eye on contemporary society. A major literary event, Dream Count is a thrilling, sizzling new work that confirms Adichie's status as one of the most exciting and dynamic writers on the literary landscape.

Bring good vibes into 2026 with daily inspiration and affirmations from the #1 Sunday Times best-selling author and self-love writer, Vex King.

Infuse your home or workspace with motivation, positivity, and healing with this stunning page-a-day calendar. Offering bitesize advice, prompts, and actionable wisdom on topics including manifestation, gratitude, self-acceptance, and setting boundaries, you’ll feel inspired to cultivate better habits, welcome opportunities, release what no longer serves you, and live the life you deserve.

Build on your progress day by day and reconnect with your true self as this effortless daily ritual brings you closer to healing, self-love, and transformation.

From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis and Yellowface, comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock--all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.

College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home.

Then shocking news arrives: Lily's grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she's drawn into a journey of self-discovery--piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection.

Taipei Story asks: What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can't bring you any closer to the people you're trying to reach? What if you search for your family's history, but your family doesn't want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding--of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.

The definitive photographic celebration of John Coltrane's life and music, featuring exclusive contributions written by Ravi Coltrane, Wayne Coyne, Dev Hynes, Phil Lesh, Julie Mehretu, Carlos Santana, and Patti Smith.

John Coltrane's impact on music and culture endures far beyond his prolific career and untimely death in 1967 at age forty. His masterful saxophone style and groundbreaking jazz compositions had a profound effect on the evolution of music through the decades, and it continues to resonate across styles and genres to this day.

This beautiful photography book offers an intimate and in-depth look at his life with over one hundred expertly curated images taken by renowned photographers such as Francis Wolff and Chuck Stewart. The selection includes outtakes from the album cover photoshoot for Ascension, in-studio candid shots taken during the recording of Blue Train, a glimpse backstage with Alice Coltrane before their first performance together, and more. Coltrane is a visual celebration of John Coltrane's musical legacy, complete with an introduction by his son and fellow musician Ravi Coltrane, along with personal stories from other musicians, artists, and writers who have been moved by his work.

From theatrical costumes to leather accessories and jewelry, Saar’s early wearable artworks are as transformative as her assemblages

Organized around Betye Saar’s early work in costume and jewelry design during the 1960s and 1970s, Let’s Get It On explores how this formative period profoundly shaped her pioneering work in assemblage and installation. Through original drawings, essays, archival materials and installation images, the book traces Saar’s evolution from designer to artist, revealing the enduring connections between her wearable creations and her broader visual language. It features newly commissioned scholarship alongside rare photographs, sketches, jewelry, garments and ephemera from Saar’s personal archives, offering fresh insight into the artist’s lifelong engagement with materials, memory and Black cultural expression. The book also includes a custom-designed sewing pattern by Betye Saar, inspired by her studio practice. This set features comprehensive instructions, precision-cut pattern pieces and an exclusive artist-designed iron-on: everything you need to spark your own creative journey. Let’s Get It On provides an invaluable resource for understanding the full scope of Saar’s creative practice and her influence across generations.
Betye Saar (born 1926) is renowned for pioneering Black feminism and West Coast assemblage in her visionary artistic practice, through dense, complexly referential objects. For over seven decades, Saar’s work has led dialogues on race and gender, reflecting changing cultural and political contexts. Most recently, solo presentations have been hosted by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Saar’s work was prominently featured in We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85 at the Brooklyn Museum and in Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power at Tate Modern.

Dive into the chilling depths of Latiné horror with Something Followed Us Home, edited by Bram Stoker Award–winner Cynthia Pelayo, a groundbreaking anthology where each story reimagines immigration, colonization, faith, and folklore as the fears we inherit and carry across borders and generations.

Something followed us home. It crawled in with our prayers, slipped into our beds, watched from mirrors, waited in water, and learned our names. In these stories, horror does not announce itself. It possesses, feeds, whispers, and waits.

Gathering chilling work from some of today’s most acclaimed Latiné voices, this anthology moves through haunted households, brutal landscapes, sacred spaces turned dangerous, and bodies claimed by forces both ancient and intimate. The dead murmur behind locked doors. Bones rebuild themselves under merciless suns. Love becomes a doorway for demonic hunger. Prayers summon answers that arrive too late…or too fully. Blood, devotion, and memory intertwine as the past presses back with teeth.

Something Followed Us Home is a landmark anthology of Latiné horror. These stories remind us that the past is never gone, the dead are never silent, and the places we come from will always find their way back to us.

Featuring stories by: Agustina Bazterrica, Ann Dávila Cardinal, Cynthia Pelayo, Isabel Cañas, Gerardo Sámano Córdova, Zoraida Córdova, Mariana Enriquez, Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro, Ananda Lima, Xochitl Gonzalez, Leopoldo Goût, Juan Martinez, Mónica Ojeda, Daniel Jóse Older, Lilliam Rivera, Alex Segura, Diana Rodriguez Wallach

A revival of the iconic anthology of best Southern short stories featuring eminent and emerging voices.

This anthology marks the much-anticipated return of the annual story collection, New Stories from the South, gathering outstanding short stories written by Southern writers or about the American South. Stories were nominated by editors of literary journals and magazines, publishers of short story collections, and by prominent Southern writers who served as contributing editors for this volume.

The 2026 edition contains an exciting lineup of both well-known Southern writers and talented newcomers: 

* Ron Rash
* Deesha Philyaw
* Mesha Maren
* Emily Nemens
* Ashleigh Bryant Phillips
* Tony Earley
* Exodus Oktavia Brownlow
* A. J. Bermudez
* Heather Swain
* Chelyen Davis
* Joanna Pearson
* Jody Hobbs Hesler
* Catherine Niolet
* Dean Marshall Tuck
* Emily Harper Ellis
* Farheen Raparthi
* Randy F. Nelson
* Lisa Wartenberg Vélez
* Pritha Bhattacharyya

This year’s volume has an introduction by Appalachian writer Silas House, New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, and the poetry collection All These Ghosts (Blair, 2025) and is edited by Blair’s Editorial Director, Robin Miura, who assumes this mantle from Shannon Ravenel, the Algonquin editor who launched the series and edited the volumes through 2006.

In keeping with Blair’s mission, this anthology contains a wide range of voices reflecting the rich diversity of the South. The following talented writers served as contributing editors who helped select stories for this volume: Jason Mott, LaTanya McQueen, Daniel Wallace, Monique Truong, Chantel Acevedo, and Susan Gregg Gilmore.

When a plane crash leaves them stranded on a desert island, a no-nonsense in-flight concierge must rely on the arrogant rapper she swore she’d never fall for.

It’s in-flight concierge Ariana Williams’s last day working for Echelon. After fifteen years flying with the private airline and attending to the rich and the famous, she’s just about seen it all. That is, until bigtime rapper Villain steps aboard. He and his rowdy entourage hound Ariana from the moment they take off, making endless demands and throwing suggestive comments her way. Growing impatient with his immature advances, she blurts out that she wouldn’t sleep with him even if he were the last man on Earth.

Suddenly, the plane jolts and barrels out of the sky, crashing onto a beach. Ariana and Villain awake in the wreckage to discover they’re the sole survivors, stranded on a deserted island. Forced to work with him to find food and shelter, Ariana begins to see the actual Vincent Newcastle behind the swaggering public image. And the way he takes charge to fend for them both ignites a passion deep within her.

When rescue finally comes, reality hits hard―the headlines, scrutiny, and relationships they left behind put them in a difficult position. But as outside pressures mount, their connection only intensifies. Soon they’ll be forced to choose between their previous lives or finding a way forward with the love they built together on the island.

This edition includes a bonus epilogue and discussion questions.

The Last Man on Earth is a forced-proximity, age-gap survival romance featuring explicit sex. It is intended for mature readers.