Aishatu Ado

Witchcraft accusations were never about magic.
They were about property. Every woman burned at the stake owned something another person wanted.

We are told a word is just a word. Sometimes a word becomes exile. This International Women’s Day I’m telling that story. Read my new piece:
www.aroko.world/the-politica...

We are told a word is just a word. Sometimes a word becomes exile. This International Women’s Day I’m telling that story. Read my new piece:
www.aroko.world/the-politica...

When a Word Becomes a Sentence: The Political Economy Of Witchcraft Accusations Across northern Ghana, hundreds of women live in "witch camps," exiled after accusations that follow death, inheritance disputes or success. Beneath the language of the supernatural lies a familiar po...

Across northern Ghana, accusations of witchcraft are used to expel women from their homes, land and rights.

@aishatuado.bsky.social’s latest piece examines the hidden political economy and colonial roots behind the accusations.

Read it here ⬇️
www.aroko.world/the-politica...

Àrokò Monthly Roundtable #02 In 2026, we're watching the breaking point accelerate, a cultural rupture where authenticity confronts algorithmic perfection, and designers must decide whether to decorate capital or design for human...

There’s a growing hunger for work that feels unmistakably human. Our roundtable gives you a temperature check on culture, craft, AI fatigue, and design trends. Read the full discussion here: www.aroko.world/aroko-monthl...

"For your consideration" poster featuring 2 pieces of Photoshop composite art. One shows a giant octopus grabbing a man, for the short story Patient was the Doctor. The other is a red mermaid curled up in the sea, for the story titled milt. Both stories are stated to be free to read/listen to.

QR code for milt, reprinted in audio/podcast format on Escape Pod

QR code for Patient was the Doctor, in PDF form, on the Analog Magazine website

I have 2 short stories awards eligible this year!

1. Patient was the Doctor (PDF 📝) analogsf.com/for-your-con... with @analogsf.bsky.social (Locus & SFWA recommended)

2. milt (podcast reprint 🔉) escapepod.org/2026/02/12/e... with @bsfa.bsky.social and @escapepod.org (mild nsfw 🔥)

ENDAY IT’S GALENTINE’S I can’t believe I almost didn’t celebrate Galentine’s Day this year. Almost skipping an excuse to hang out with our loved ones, create cute crafts, and eat delicious baked goodies, what were we thinki...

✨ Read @meroncreates.bsky.social & Mahlet's latest piece & feel the love Galentine's Day 💜🍪 Then tell us: what would you write in your card? 💌
www.aroko.world/enday-its-ga...

Absolute heater of design criticism from Van. If you want to read more like, this subscribe to AROKO.WORLD (it's fuckin' free baby!)

Day & Night: The Emerging Aesthetics of New Wave Neo-Ludditism I followed a DJ to a phone-free, clown-themed dance floor and stumbled into a living experiment in neo-Ludditism. From luxury dumbphones to sweaty nights off-camera, two aesthetics of opting out are e...

What does it actually feel like to opt out of Big Tech? Van finds answers in both minimalist devices and phone-free nightlife. Read the article:

www.aroko.world/day-night-th...

1. “Counting To A Hundred” by @aishatuado.bsky.social in @heartlines-spec.com

Love love love the imagery in this. A girl reckons with the tragedy of having to grow up too soon and be a parent to not only her younger brother but also her own parents.

Ancestry Is a Design System Ancestry is often seen as the past, but in design it’s a living system. Every form carries memory. To create what lasts, we don’t invent from nothing. We translate what came before into what comes nex...

Check out this new piece by Azeez on ancestry as a living design system, and why creating what lasts means translating what came before into what comes next.

www.aroko.world/ancestry-is-...

YAY 😊 Over the moon to see my poem “Mother of Synthetic Seas” appear in FIYAH Issue 37. Grateful. Humbled.

This poem asks us to reckon with what we discard into the ocean, and the futures those choices create.

I'm so thrilled to see my story "Triple Body Walking" on your list. Thank you @foxesandroses.bsky.social 💗💗💗

Industrial Harm Reduction* Industrial harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with contemporary production methods.

Check out the latest piece by @mclc.bsky.social on industrial harm reduction, design that puts people, planet, and purpose before profit.

www.aroko.world/industrial-h...

When I shared this last month, I had not realized @aishatuado.bsky.social was on Bluesky, so if you could benefit from breathtaking worldbuilding, I encourage you to follow her to keep up with her brilliant writing, as she never disappoints with how she conceptualizes vivid imagery in all her work!✨

Aishatu's fiction blew me away, as I do not tend to seek out short fiction, but participating in a writing group wherein she shared winning this contest, I checked it out, and cannot help but recommend her work for her incredible worldbuilding abilities!🔥🔥🔥
www.jerryjazzmusician.com/short-fictio...

First publication of 2026 ✨

"Songs of Solastalgia"  is out in the world. Free to read at LIMINAL SPACES. I’m so grateful to begin the year with a poem that honors rest and learning how to live inside change.

Beautiful art: "Reverie (Daydream)" by Sherri Romm

LINK IN BIO

FIYAH # 37 FIYAH Issue 37 is available in downloadable PDF and EPUB formats. Buying for someone else? Hit up the Gift Issue for transferable download codes. See the description below for content details.

Swooping back this very fine MLK Day with our first unthemed issue of 2026! Behold! Get yours! Tell a friend!

fiyahlitmag.com/shop/issues/...

@aishatuado.bsky.social @meganflchee.bsky.social @wiswell.bsky.social Mon Misir, @kristinaten.bsky.social @lmanusos.bsky.social Namita Krishnamurthy, @dracopoullos.bsky.social and @emelkrishnan.bsky.social ❤️❤️❤️

AN INCOMPLETE LIST OF GLORIOUS SHORT FICTION THAT I ENJOYED IN 2025 (BY PUBLICATION MONTH). his love’s ashes on his tongue, by Monte Lin, in The Deadlands (January) I love how this story explores grief and death. It’s a journey in a strange city. A journey inside our minds and the v…

Crawling back from a very nasty bout of flu by posting some of my favorite stories I read last year. Is it a perfect list? No, there's a ton of amazing stuff out there. But I am happy with it and I hope you can find something in here for you <3

Queering Del Toro’s Creature Features Let this movie, or any of [Del Toro’s] other films, remind you of the comfort that comes with self-acceptance and living your truth regardless of societal norms. Let them remind you of how powerful we...

Read the latest piece by @nellynkettles.bsky.social exploring queerness as it relates to Frankenstein (2025), monsters, and our access to comfort:
www.aroko.world/queering-del...

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Authors and poets, submissions for our second themed issue are OPEN 🎉🎉🎉

Details here: fiyahlitmag.com/submissions/

If you’ve been contemplating writing a story for our Anthology Call, you only have 3 days left to submit! A perfect way to close out your year is with Aroko. Happy Writing🖤.

www.aroko.world/aroko-anthol...

📍Deadline Wednesday, December 31, 2025
📨: Submit to contact@aroko.coop

Counting To A Hundred Counting To A Hundred by Aishatu Ado

Perfect for a frosty day, Counting To A Hundred by @aishatuado.bsky.social is full of wintery magic and grief

"The front door yawns wide; winter's teeth bared. Inside, loneliness prowls our home, a beast with misty bayou breath."

www.heartlines-spec.com/counting-to-...

Make it an extra special Solstice by catching up on Sunday reads! 3 pieces from Issue 9 became free-to-read this week:

Counting To A Hundred by @aishatuado.bsky.social
I Consult a Spiritualist by @mernadyerskinner.bsky.social
See You After Dark (When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder) by Laura DeHaan

Black Horror | Call for Submissions We are very excited to announce a new call for submissions which is now open!

Dr. @chesyaburke.bsky.social and I are editing an anthology surveying the evolution of Black literary horror. Tentatively titled Black Horror, Then & Next: We Have Always Dreamed in Darkness (FlameTree Press), here are the guidelines…
blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-goth...

Two Years of Clay, Community, and Creating Home At the beginning of October, the two–year anniversary of the first Black Clay Workshop quietly passed. This coming January will also mark two years since I settled in Oakland—and honestly, it has all ...

Along with making art and designing for clients with @aroko.bsky.social, a huge part of my practice is teaching as a means to serve community. I reflected on my two years building a community and home in Oakland. www.aroko.world/two-years-of...

Two Years of Clay, Community, and Creating Home At the beginning of October, the two–year anniversary of the first Black Clay Workshop quietly passed. This coming January will also mark two years since I settled in Oakland—and honestly, it has all ...

Read @kristenstain.bsky.social's first piece for us on their journey building a ceramics class for and by Black folks.

Àrokò Monthly Roundtable #01 This roundtable discussion names a growing unease with societies that reward visibility over substance.

We kicked off our first monthly roundtable with our hot take on design, talking about the chasm between craft and performance. Tap in to read the full conversation here: www.aroko.world/monthly-roun...

Take a behind-the-scenes look at our design process and the lessons that shaped how we work today. Read our member interview with @mclc.bsky.social and @nellynkettles.bsky.social, introducing you to our Design department.

www.aroko.world/creative-gro...