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Our language is a reflection of who we are – the history, beliefs and values we hold – and the culture we live in. The same is true for the worlds we write. But where do you draw inspiration? How do you construct a language that honours its origins while animating your story?
Join moderator Marve Michael Anson and panellists Stephen Embleton, R.S.A. Garcia, Shay Kauwe, and Arkady Martine as they discuss the merging of culture and language on the page.
Stephen Embleton (he/him): Stephen was born in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and is now a resident in Oxford, United Kingdom. Stephen was awarded the Best Novella by an African in the 7th Nommo Awards for his Sauúti-based novella, Undulation. He is a charter member of the African Speculative Fiction Society and its Nommo Awards initiative. His debut speculative fiction novel, Soul Searching, was published in the UK and US in August/September 2020. Stephen is one of the ten African writers making up the Sauúti Collective – the Afro-centric, fantasy and speculative fiction shared-world. The first Sauúti anthology, Mothersound, was published in 2023. Stephen is the co-editor, alongside Cheryl Ntumy and Eugen Bacon, on the second Sauúti anthology – Sauúti Terrors out in two volumes in 2026 and 2027 through Flame Tree Publishing and Simon & Schuster. Find out more about Stephen on his website. Or follow him on Bluesky. Get his books here.
R.S.A Garcia (she/her): R.S.A. is a Nebula and Sturgeon Award winning writer of speculative fiction. She is also the winner of the Machine Intelligence Foundation for Rights and Ethics’ 2023 Media Award, and a Locus, Ignyte and Eugie Foster Award finalist. Her Amazon Bestselling science fiction mystery, Lex Talionis, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and the Silver Medal for Best Scifi/Fantasy/Horror Ebook from the Independent Publishers Awards (2015). Her scifantasy duology, beginning with The Nightward, was released from Harper Voyager in October, 2024. She lives in Trinidad and Tobago with an extended family and too many cats. Learn more at her website. Or you can follow her on Bluesky, Twitter or Mastodon. You can find her books at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Libro, and Goodreads.
Shay Kauwe (she/her): Shay Kauwe is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) author from Hawaiʻi who moved to Russia because she fell in love with a boy. They now live in Oʻahu. Shay holds an M.Ed in Education and was named an NCTE Early Educator of Color in 2021. In 2022, she was awarded an Empowering ʻŌiwi Leadership Award by the Hawaiian Council. Her debut urban fantasy The Killing Spell is forthcoming from Saga/Solaris Books and will be the first traditionally published adult fantasy novel by a Hawaiian author. Learn more about Shay on her website. Or connect on TikTok and Instagram. Get Shay’s book here.
Arkady Martin (she/her): Arkady Martine is the author of the Hugo-winning Teixcalaan series, the novella Rose/House, a multitude of short stories, and various other science fiction, fantasy, & horror. She is also Dr. AnnaLinden Weller, who is a Byzantinist, a climate & energy policy analyst, and a city planner. She is not bored, but she is often tired. Connect with Arkady on Bluesky. Or check out her website for more info. Get Arkady’s books here.
Marve Michael Anson: Marve has been writing for over a decade, and her trade debut fantasy novel, Firstborn of the Sun, the first in a trilogy, was published by Penguin Michael Joseph in October 2025. The novel also earned her finalist placements in several competitions, including the 2023 Future Worlds Prize. Her debut sequel, Heir of the Shadow, will be released in fall 2026. Marve is also an award-winning filmmaker. When she is not weaving fantastical tales, she can be found embracing life as a serial hobbyist, obsessing over myths and histories, collecting books and carefully curating her personal library, or indulging her unapologetic love of all things Christmas. She is represented by Ciara Finan and Flo Sandelson at Curtis Brown Literary Agency in the UK and United Talent Agency in the USA. Learn more on her website or follow her Bluesky or Instagram. Learn more about Marve’s books on Goodreads.
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