Spanning from the Civil War to the near present, Cora and Martha and Other Stories follows Black protagonists from all walks of life-yard children, urban bootleggers, domestic servants, barbers, seminarians, teachers, soldiers, truck drivers, and even fairies in a fairy tale.

Set in a range of societies-homogeneous Black communities, racially segregated and interracial spaces, and racially indistinguishable worlds-these stories explore the universal struggle between good and evil. Through Reconstruction, life in "the projects," church-centered neighborhoods, the American South, Vermont in the 1960s, Washington, D.C., in the 1970s, and into the new millennium, each character embarks on a journey to discover their quintessential humanity.