Sistah Scifi founder Isis Asare stands for a portrait next to her new book vending machine inside Oaklandia Cafe x Bakery in Downtown Oakland on February 22, 2023. Asare hopes to create a national network of Sistah Scifi vending machines to expand the reach of Black and Indigenous science fiction and fantasy authors. (Kori Suzuki/KQED News)
The owner of the online bookstore Sistah Scifi has rolled out vending machines that contain books by Black and Indigenous science fiction and fantasy authors, most of whom are women. Founder Isis Asare's goal is to increase readership of the genre among children and adults.