I love magic school stories. May Seleste, a contributor to When Other People Saw Us, They Saw the Dead, pitched an anthology concept where all the stories would take place at the same, elite academy, where strange and haunting occurrences happened over the years, I loved the idea.
"Haunted Hallways is a creepy, interconnected collection of short stories by Asian authors, all detailing a haunting or other ghostly event taking place in the same school," May said in her initial email. "This is also an attempt to lift marginalized Asian voices in the writing community, especially in the gothic or horror genre."
Today, Haunted Hallways launches on Kickstarter, inviting you all to explore the dangerous halls of the Mallory Thorne School of Excellence. Lost spirits stroll the halls, a vengeful Kaperosa haunts the lake, and the past comes back with a burning vengeance. All this and more inside the elite academy's rusted gates.
This anthology is a chilling collection of stories all taking place on the grounds of a mysterious boarding school, featuring some of the most up-and-coming Asian voices in horror from across the globe. With the allure of the Gothic, and of the ghosts that were left behind, melded with themes of identity, religion, and home—the perfect spine-tingling tale awaits you.
Take a peek at what's inside!TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ai Jiang — “Introduction”
May Seleste — “Editor’s Foreword”
Audris Candra — “The Magic they Never Taught Us” (1960—1990)
Mirha Butt — “Twin Daggers” (1968)
Archita Mittra — “Specters of the Past” (1990s)
Katalina Watt — “Remain Nameless” 1990s
Tehnuka — “Renewal Notice” (1990s—2000s)
Moachiba Jamir — “Of Mice and Pigeons (2005)
L Chan — “Saints of Stained Glass” (2010s)
May Seleste — “Innocent Sinner” (2010s)
Mary Zambales — “The Choir Room” (2012)
Ashley Deng — “Behind the Eyes” (2013—2014)
Kavya Venkat — “Breaking into Finals” (2015)
Nathanel Boon — “Writing with Bite” (2020s)
Charlie Jiao — “The Housemasters Cure” (2023/Present day)
M.K. Sarraj — “A Memory Left Fighting” (2023/Present day)
Check out the Kickstarter, snag a few Outland anthologies, or get that gorgeous cover art by Ann Marie Cochran on a postcard. Bringing a little extra spooky into the world is a perfect way to celebrate Halloween!
-Alana Joli Abbott is the Editor in Chief at Outland Entertainment, as well as the copy editor for the stories in this anthology. She is very glad her high school was not, as far as she knows, haunted.