Flying Cows

This collection of short stories explores the breadth of magical realism, speculative fiction and fantasy. Twijnstra portrays women succeeding in the face of brutality. The protagonists – black women – are thrust into magical, terrifying, spellbinding worlds., with stories set in the past, present and future.

Inspired by the haunting allure of Her Body and Other Parties, the raw intensity of Freshwater and the unsettling atmosphere of Intruders, these stories create a bold, darkly imaginative realm where survival is redefined and power is claimed on unexpected terms. Flying Cows and Other Traumas takes readers on a journey through surreal, unsettling worlds where the ordinary is disrupted by strange, malevolent forces.

In this collection, Twijnstra explores themes of family dysfunction, resilience and through a black feminist lens.

Set in black South African townships and imagined African kingdoms, the stories follow each protagonist through different stories where she faces brutality and emerge victorious.