"This compendium of literary undercutting and rebuilding is both enjoyable to read and an incisive work of commentary on the genre."— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling is an anthology of short stories, poetry, and essays edited by Monica Valentinelli and Jaym Gates. Over two dozen authors, ranging from NYT-bestsellers and award winners to debut writers, chose a tired trope or cliche to challenge and surprise readers through their work.Read stories inspired by tropes such as the Chainmaille Bikini, Love at First Sight, Damsels in Distress, Yellow Peril, The Black Man Dies First, The Villain Had a Crappy Childhood, The Singularity Will Cause the Apocalypse, and many more...then discover what these tropes mean to each author to find out what inspired them.Join Maurice Broaddus, Adam Troy-Castro, Delilah S. Dawson, Shanna Germain, Sara M. Harvey, John Hornor Jacobs, Rahul Kanakia, Alethea Kontis, Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Haralmbi Markov, Sunil Patel, Kat Richardson, Nisi Shawl, Ferrett Steinmetz, Anton Strout, Michael Underwood, Alyssa Wong and many other authors as they take well-worn tropes and cliches and flip them upside down.CONTENTSIntroduction — Jerry GordonSECTION I: INVERTING THE TROPESOn Loving Bad Boys: A Villanelle — Valya Dudycz LupescuSingle, Singularity — John Hornor JacobsLazzrus — Nisi ShawlSeeking Truth — Elsa Sjunneson-HenryThwock — Michelle MuenzlerCan You Tell Me How to Get to Paprika Place? — Michael R. UnderwoodChosen — Anton StroutThe White Dragon — Alyssa WongHer Curse, How Gently It Comes Undone — Haralambi MarkovBurning Bright — Shanna GermainSanta CIS (Episode 1: No Saint) — Alethea KontisRequiem for a Manic Pixie Dream — Katy Harrad & Greg StolzeThe Refrigerator in the Girlfriend — Adam-Troy CastroThe First Blood of Poppy Dupree — Delilah S. DawsonRed Light — Sara M. HarveyUntil There Is Only Hunger — Michael MathesonSuper Duper Fly — Maurice BroaddusDrafty as a Chain Mail Bikini — Kat RichardsonSwan Song — Michelle Lyons-McFarlandThose Who Leave — Michael ChoiNouns of Nouns: A Mini Epic — Alex ShvartsmanExcess Light — Rahul KanakiaThe Origin of Terror — Sunil PatelThe Tangled Web — Ferrett SteinmetzHamsa, Hamsa, Hamsa, Tfu, Tfu, Tfu. — Alisa SchreibmanReal Women Are Dangerous — Rati MehrotraSECTION II: DISCUSSING THE TROPESI'm Pretty Sure I've Read This Before ... — Patrick HesterFractured Souls — Lucy A. SnyderInto the Labyrinth: The Heroine's Journey — A.C. WiseEscaping the Hall of Mirrors — Victor RaymondTropes as Erasers: A Transgender Perspective — Keffy R.M. KehrliSECTION III: DEFINING THE TROPESAfterword — Monica Valentinelli & Jaym GatesTrope Definitions/Index of TropesSECTION IV: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND ADDITIONAL BIOS