Zoraida Córdova is an Ecuadorian American author of many fantasy novels for children and young adults, including the Brooklyn Brujas series. Most recently, she edited Reclaim the Stars (Wednesday Books, Feb. 15), an anthology of 17 speculative young adult fiction stories by authors representing the Latin American diaspora whose characters hail from a wide range of genres, experiences, and universes.

From the Kirkus starred review of Reclaim the Stars: “The anthology follows a recipe for resounding success: The stories feature Latinx characters and include fantasy and science fiction peppered with plenty of romance, a dash of horror, and a pinch of magical realism—but, above all, a copious amount of warmth. …There is a lot more here about finding oneself in tales of empowerment and growth, of letting go, punching up, and celebrating love in all its incarnations and colors of the rainbow.”

In this video interview, conducted over Zoom, Córdova discusses the welcome growth she’s witnessed of Latinx authors writing speculative fiction, how themes of generational trauma and environmental crisis unite the stories in Reclaim the Stars, and why she thinks fantastical fiction is a perennial favorite of authors and readers alike: “It gives us the ability to look at our humanity through magic.”