The Deep

In this award-winning novella, the descendants of African slave women who were thrown overboard have formed a unique underwater society, where Yetu serves as the historian burdened with remembering their painful and beautiful past. As the weight of these memories threatens to consume her, Yetu escapes to the surface in search of identity and understanding. Through her journey, she uncovers profound truths about her people’s history and the importance of reclaiming their collective memories for their survival. Inspired by the song “The Deep” from Daveed Diggs’s group Clipping, this story offers a thought-provoking exploration of memory, identity, and resilience.