Kemi Ashing-Giwa

@kashinggiwa.bsky.social

4368 Followers 137 Following

Writer, grad student, amateur kazooist (she/they) The Splinter in the Sky (2023), This World Is Not Yours (2024), The King Must Die (2025), assorted short stories, and some other stuff kashinggiwa.com

Cover of The Splinter in the Sky, by Andis Reinbergs. A Black woman with dark skin and short hair in a green tunic faces a huge diamond-shaped structure (the Splinter), behind which float stars and planets.
Graphic: "A bookish auction fundraising for literary agents of change, and all volunteer nonprofit. We offer fellowship and mentorship programs geared towards improving access and retention for literary agents from under representative groups working in publishing."
Picture of bookshelf at Green Apple Books, with This World Is Not Yours at the center. The cover shows a white ma in a hazmat suit, grinning eerily at the viewer.
Picture of the top shelf of the sci-fi section, showing The King Must Die, This World Is Not Yours, and The Splinter in the Sky.
Picture of a shelf of signed books at Green Apple Books in San Francisco International Airport, ft. The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei and This World Is Not Yours by yours truly
Drawing of two characters from different angles in black, white, gray, and red. One is a Black femme person with their eyes closed and then open, and the other is a multiracial femme person with dark hair and pale skin, screaming in rage and then gently touching their neck.
Teary-eyed cat. I’m not crying you’re crying!!
Graphic showing off the gorgeous cover of Being Aro, which is now available on NetGalley! An archer with light green skin and black har directs an arrow into the sky.
Cover of The King Must Die by Eleanor Piteira. A Black woman with gray hair stands before a ghostly crowd of warriors. 2 moons and a huge yellow sun glow in the sky above.
Illustration of Enitan (a Black woman with brown skin and short black hair in a green tunic) and her sibling Xiang (a Chinese person in a reddish-brown tunic) by @ashcremated on Tumblr.
Illustration of Enitan (a Black woman with brown skin and short black hair in a green tunic) and her sibling Xiang (a Chinese person in a reddish-brown tunic) by @ashcremated on Tumblr.
Cover of The Splinter in the Sky. A Black woman in a green, gold-embroidered tunic and yellow pants faces a huge floating monolith.
Graphic for the B&N preorder sale featuring the Being Aro cover, which depicts a dark-haired, medium-complexioned person drawing an arrow over a lime-green cover.
Cover of The Splinter in the Sky. A Black woman in a green tunic stands in front of a huge floating diamond-shaped structure reflecting the starscape before her.
Graphic for The King Must Die Giveaway. The background is from the cover, illustrated by Eleonor Piteira, but with a purple/orange tint. A Black woman stands before an alien sky--a glowing sun and and dramatic rings.
Cover of TKMD by the fantastic Eleonor Pitera (https://eleonorpiteira.squarespace.com/). A Black woman in a red tunic stands before a crowd of ghostlike figures holding swords.
Woe, The King Must Die audiobook be upon ye! It's that one Eminem meme of him throwing something, and the something is my third book :)
Cover of The King Must Die (a science fantasy novel)
Cover for THE KING MUST DIE, illustrated by the amazing Eleonor Piteira.
Drawing showing the two main characters of the book, Fen and Alekhai, back to back, facing off against hidden enemies. Art by Eepz.
Graphic showing a snippet of a blurb from author Yume Kitasei: “Ashing-Giwa demonstrates her master worldbuilding skills in her new dystopian science fantasy, The King Must Die. A stunning, continually surprising novel focused on friendship and the value of resisting autocracy even when it seems hopeless – it’s everything I need right now.”
Graphic with blurb snippet from author Hana Lee: “The world of The King Must Die is a shattered, starving place, and yet the scenery and culture are so lush with detail that every description felt like a feast. Fen, the novel’s protagonist, is friendless and alone–but the people she bonds with along the road to revolution are everything an SFF reader hopes for when they hear the words “found family.” ...The King Must Die begins as a whisper and swells into a war cry.”
Graphic showing a blurb snippet from author T.A. Chan: “ The King Must Die seizes you by the throat and doesn't let go until the very last page… Filled with complex political intrigue, a scrappy band of found family, and an exploration of power and the sacrifices that go hand-in-hand with it, this book will linger in your mind long after the end. Kemi Ashing-Giwa always delivers an exceptional sci-fi!"
Graphic with blurb from author Karen Bao: "I love The King Must Die. This story is a wild ride through empire, history, and an endlessly interesting world grounded by the very real friendships at the center."
Graphic with the book's cover art as the background and a snippet of the Kirkus review: "Ashing-Giwa has created a world run by imperial technocrats who bleed their planet dry of its resources at the expense of their poorer neighbors’ lives. Although the technology sometimes feels indistinguishable from magic, the novel is deeply rooted in science fiction, and it never strays too far from those roots.... A bold and refreshing new SF adventure from one of this generation’s writers to watch.”
Poster for the event featuring the authors (Julia Vee, Nihkil Prabala, Julie Leong, Janie Kim, Millie Abecassis, and Janie Kim) and the moderators (Beline Falzon and me!)
Graphic showing TKMD cover on a starry blue background, noting the event's start time at 7PM and location at Books Inc. in Palo Alto.
Image showing Fen, the main character from the novel, with a few lines from the starred Publishers Weekly review: "Ashing-Giwa wows in this brilliantly immersive novel set 500 years after humanity left Earth to begin again on Newearth, an exodus enabled by the help of mysterious aliens known as the Makers. Despite the new lease on life offered by this opportunity, impatient settlers recklessly sped up the terraforming process, leading to dire environmental consequences felt in the present day... Ashing-Giwa’s dystopian sci-fi worldbuilding is staggering, and her heroine proves easy to root for. Readers will be enthralled.”
Digital poster promotion. The poster, featuring the four main characters of The King Must Die, was drawn by the incredible Eepz! They're on Twitter/X and Tumblr.
Saga Press tote bag + bookmark, ARC of The King Must Die
Illustration of Enitan (right) and Xiang (left), two of the main characters of The Splinter in the Sky. Enitan is a Black woman with short black hair and warm brown skin. She wears a green tunic with a patterned shoulder scarf. Xiang is an East Asian person with shoulder-length black hair and light copper skin. They wear a reddish-brown tunic with a slightly darker gilet. They're drinking tea together.
Locus fundraiser poster
Poster featuring Nnedi Okorafor
Cover of The King Must Die.
Screaming cat
The cover of This World Is Not Yours.
Books, movies, TV shows, and a song that influenced my debut novella, explore similar themes, and/or have a similar vibe: Scavengers Reign, Annihilation, "Kill Bill" by SZA, Princess Mononoke, Dawn, Swarm, Challengers.
Enitan, the protagonist. A Black woman with short black hair, dark brown skin, medium brown eyes, gold earrings, and a yellow-and-green shirt.