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Set over the course of one night in the waiting room of a psych clinic, The Angel of History follows Yemeni-born poet Jacob as he revisits the events of his life, from his maternal upbringing in an Egyptian whorehouse to his adolescence under the aegis of his wealthy father and his life as a gay Arab man in San Francisco at the height of AIDS. Hovered over by the presence of alluring, sassy Satan who taunts Jacob to remember his painful past and dour, frigid Death who urges him to forget and give up on life, Jacob is also attended to by 14 saints. Set in Cairo and Beirut; Sana'a, Stockholm, and San Francisco; Alameddine gives us a charged philosophical portrait of a brilliant mind in crisis.
Bestiary: Poems by Donika Kelly
Across this remarkable first book are encounters with animals, legendary beasts, and mythological monsters--half human and half something else. Donika Kelly's Bestiary is a catalogue of creatures--from the whale and ostrich to the pegasus and chimera to the centaur and griffin. Among them too are poems of love, self-discovery, and travel, from "Out West" to "Back East." Lurking in the middle of this powerful and multifaceted collection is a wrenching sequence that wonders just who or what is the real monster inside this life of survival and reflection.
Bitter Legacy by Dal Maclean
Detective Sergeant James Henderson of London's Metropolitan Police Murder Investigation Team is no ordinary police officer. His remarkable gut instincts and relentless detective work have put him on a three-year fast track to becoming an inspector. When the murder of barrister Maria Curzon-Whyte lands in his lap, he finds himself drawn back into the insidious world of London's privileged elite where men like James's father possess wealth and power enough to hold the law in contempt. As James navigates the promiscuous, secretive and corrupt spheres of the rich, the murderer strikes again. Soon James begins to fear that these crimes lead dangerously close to his own heart and home.
Set against the backdrop of America emerging from World War I, Cakewalk provides an entertaining look at a small town straddling the Mason Dixon line, where the townsfolk remain split between good and bad, or love and sex, or male and female, or politics and sobriety, and the inimitable, irrepressible, distinctly free-thinking Hunsenmier sisters, Louise and Julia--otherwise known as Wheezie and Jutz--and their wide circle of equally indelible friends.
Tim Murphy follows a diverse set of characters whose fates intertwine in an iconic building in Manhattan’s East Village, the Christodora. The Christodora is home to Milly and Jared, a privileged young couple with artistic ambitions. Their neighbor, Hector, a Puerto Rican gay man who was once a celebrated AIDS activist but is now a lonely addict, becomes connected to Milly and Jared’s lives in ways none of them can anticipate. Meanwhile, Milly and Jared’s adopted son Mateo grows to see the opportunity for both self-realization and oblivion that New York offers. As the junkies and protestors of the 1980s give way to the hipsters of the 2000s and they, in turn, to the wealthy residents of the crowded, glass-towered city of the 2020s, enormous changes rock the personal lives of Milly and Jared and the constellation of people around them.
Club Arcana: Operation janus by Jon Wilson
Beneath librarian Angus McAslan’s respectable demeanor thrums the heart of an adventurer. He dreams of traversing the globe, exploring ancient ruins, and discovering amazing scientific breakthroughs. And unbeknownst to even his dear devoted mother, he’s just put the finishing touches on his own epic novel about a swashbuckler on Venus—complete with illustrations! But after inadvertently reciting a summoning spell, Angus finds himself thrust into an adventure beyond even his own wildest imaginings.
Death Goes Overboard by David S. Pederson
Gregor Slavinsky went overboard. Or did he? He was murdered. Or was he? It’s up to Detective Heath Barrington and his partner, police officer Alan Keyes, to find out as they search for clues and a missing twenty-five thousand dollars aboard an old lake steamer and throughout 1947 Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
A collection of works that opens with a heartrending sequence that imagines an afterlife for black men shot by police—a place where suspicion, violence and grief are forgotten and replaced with the safety, love and longevity they deserved here on earth.
Don't Feed the Trolls by Erica Kudisch
Gaming while female is enough to incur the wrath of the dude-bros, and they’ve come for me. Instead of fighting back, I’ve created an alternate account. Male name, male pronouns. And I’ve met this girl. I’ve always liked girls, and Laura’s adorable and smart and never gives up, and she likes me back. Or rather, she likes the man I’m pretending to be. But I can’t tell her I’m a woman without the mob coming after her too. And besides: I might not be a woman, not really. The truth is, I don’t know what I am anymore. I’ve spent my whole life being told how I’m supposed to act and what I’m supposed to be, but none of it feels right. And my lie is starting to feel truer than anything I’ve ever been.
Drowned: A Mermaid's Manifesto by Theresa Davis
A poetry collection to savor from an openly queer black woman. Her explorations of race and sexuality, feminism and love, are eloquent and leave a lasting impression. She opens by invoking her muses – Frida, Medusa, and Eve – and closes with the death of her father, with a stunning array of experiences in between.
The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis; Michael Lucey (Translator)
Growing up in a poor village in northern France, all Eddy Bellegueule wanted was to be a man in the eyes of his family and neighbors. But from childhood, he was different—“girlish,” intellectually precocious, and attracted to other men. Already translated into twenty languages, The End of Eddy captures the violence and desperation of life in a French factory town. It is also a sensitive, universal portrait of boyhood and sexual awakening.
Enigma Variations by André Aciman
Andre Aciman, who has been called “the most exciting new fiction writer of the twenty-first century” (New York Magazine), has written a novel in Enigma Variations that charts the life of Paul whose loves remain as consuming and covetous throughout adulthood as they were in adolescence. Whether in southern Italy, where as a boy he has a crush on his parents’ cabinet maker, or on a snowbound campus in New England, where his enduring passion for a girl he’ll meet again and again over the years is punctuated by anonymous encounters with men; on a tennis court in Central Park, or a sidewalk in early spring New York, his attachments are ungraspable, transient and forever underwritten by raw desire—not for just one person’s body but, inevitably, for someone else’s as well.
Everything Is Awful and You're a Terrible Person by Daniel Zomparelli
In these unconventional, interconnected stories of first-person narratives in an age of text messages and Instagram posts, gay men look for love, steal office supplies, hook up on Grindr, bake pies, see therapists, have threesomes with ghosts, and fear happiness. With wry abandon and a beguiling heart, Everything Is Awful and You're a Terrible Person is a deadpan, tragicomic exploration of love, desire, and dysfunction in the twenty-first century.
Fever in the Dark by Ellen Hart
A clever, compelling mystery following a lesbian couple turned media sensations and their friend, Jane Lawless, private investigator and Hart’s serial protagonist. Hart’s writing is rich and heavy on character, lending a delightful humanity to the subjects of her world.Clever, both playful, and riveting, to be enjoyed by fans of Rita Mae Brown and those already immersed in the world of gay mysteries.
Forget-Me-Not by Kris Bryant
Grace inherits a flower shop in Ireland from a Great Aunt she barely knew. This contemporary romance finds its protagonist eager to return to her life in Dallas but falling in love with both the Emerald Isle and the woman trying to help her sell the shop.
Hearts in Ireland by J. C. Long
Long’s latest novella begins with grief but leads to a satisfactory resolution. Ronan Walker’s beloved Irish mother dies and, deeply grieving and depressed and over his loss and the state of his life, he is persuaded to leave America to visit Ireland and his mother’s family. Once there, Ronan stays with his relatives and eventually meets Fergal Walsh, who works at his aunt’s bookstore. Sparks fly. Will Ronan finally be led by his heart rather than his head? The loving, supportive interactions between Ronan and his family are inspiring. The humor of the book make for an enjoyable read.
Capturing the distinct rhythms of Jamaican life and dialect, Nicole Dennis- Benn pens a tender hymn to a world hidden among pristine beaches and the wide expanse of turquoise seas. At an opulent resort in Montego Bay, Margot hustles to send her younger sister, Thandi, to school. Taught as a girl to trade her sexuality for survival, Margot is ruthlessly determined to shield Thandi from the same fate. When plans for a new hotel threaten their village, Margot sees not only an opportunity for her own financial independence but also perhaps a chance to admit a shocking secret: her forbidden love for another woman. As they face the impending destruction of their community, each woman–fighting to balance the burdens she shoulders with the freedom she craves–must confront long-hidden scars.
Kill Game by Cordelia Kingsbridge
Detective Levi Abrams is on shaky ground, at work and in his love life. It just gets worse when a serial killer is loose on the streets of Las Vegas. On top of that, he has to deal with bounty hunter Dominic Russo, who gets under his skin, professionally and personally. The unlikely duo have sizzling chemistry, the plot is twisty and compelling, and the ending is a cliffhanger that sets up strong expectations for the next book. It’s a police procedural, a thriller, and a romance… a great beginning to what will be a multi-book series.
Large Animals by Jess Arndt
At turns hallucinatory and thoroughly grounded, Arndt’s debut short story collection crackles with dark humor, body horror and astute observations on identity. Equal parts Maggie Nelson and William Burroughs, Arndt’s work is a must-have for fans of short fiction and transgressive literature.
Lay Your Sleeping Head by Michael Nava
This is much more than a rewrite of Nava’s The Little Death. True, the sex is new, but the writing is deeper as well. Henry Rios is a lawyer burnt by the system, on his way to alcoholism, in love with a white boy with big problems. When his lover dies of an overdose, Henry finds a new purpose, determined to prove it was murder. 1980s America was a place of racism, homophobia, and the powerful protecting themselves at the cost of everyone else, and Nava brings the reader right into the middle of it. This story is as timely now as when it was originally written decades ago.
When the body of a college friend is discovered twenty years after her disappearance, Judith, the only witness who can testify to the innocence of the chief suspect, is forced to confront dark secrets from her past that compromise the healthy life she has built for her family.
Hoping to placate their traditional South Asian immigrant parents, two college friends, Lucky (Lakshmi), a lesbian, and Kris, a gay man, enter into a marriage of convenience. Lucky’s family life becomes complicated when she returns home to care for her grandmother. SJ Sindu’s novel is a study of love lost, understanding, and family that is both sensitive and dryly humorous.
Statovici’s novel is really two stories entwined by family. His protagonist, Bekim, a gay man who immigrated with his family to Helsinki from Kosovo as a child, and the story of Bekim’s mother, Emine, a Muslim woman in an arranged marriage. Bekim inhabits a fantasy world of bigoted talking cats, while his mother’s story of abuse and war is told more conventionally. Both mother and son are outcasts in a difficult family in a changing world.
In a suburb outside Cleveland, a community of Indian Americans has settled into lives that straddle the divide between Eastern and Western cultures. For some, America is a bewildering and alienating place where coworkers can’t pronounce your name but will eagerly repeat the Sanskrit phrases from their yoga class. Harit, a lonely Indian immigrant in his mid-forties, lives with his mother who can no longer function after the death of Harit’s sister, Swati. In a misguided attempt to keep both himself and his mother sane, Harit has taken to dressing up in a sari every night to pass himself off as his sister. Meanwhile, Ranjana, also an Indian immigrant in her mid-forties, has just seen her only child, Prashant, off to college. Worried that her husband has begun an affair, she seeks solace by writing paranormal romances in secret. When Harit and Ranjana’s paths cross, they begin a strange yet necessary friendship that brings to light their own passions and fears.
No Other World by Rahul Mehta
From the author of the prize-winning collection Quarantine, an insightful, compelling debut novel set in rural America and India in the 1980s and `90s, part coming-of-age story about a gay Indian American boy, part family saga about an immigrant family's struggles each to find a sense of belonging, identity, and hope.
Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin; Bonnie Huie (Translator)
Set in the post-martial-law era of 1990s Taipei, Notes of a Crocodile depicts the coming-of-age of a group of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity while hardly studying at Taiwan's most prestigious university. Told through the eyes of an anonymous lesbian narrator nicknamed Lazi, Qiu Miaojin's cult classic novel is a postmodern pastiche of diaries, vignettes, mash notes, aphorisms, exegesis, and satire by an incisive prose stylist and countercultural icon.
Rainbow Gap by Lee Lynch
Jaudon Vickers and Berry Garland are polar opposites yet know they are meant to be together. Growing up in steamy backcountry Central Florida, they fight each other’s battles: Berry protects boyish Jaudon from bullies, Jaudon gives the abandoned Berry roots. They pledge that nothing will part them, not a changing Florida nor a changing America, not Berry’s quest for her spiritual path, nor Jaudon’s ambition for her family's business. When the war in Vietnam, politics, police, rough times, society itself, and other women threaten to come between them, their bond grows deeper. In the safety of their secluded tree house hideaway, they learn to dream, dance—and to make love.
Rank by Richard Compson Sater
Integrity. Service before self. Excellence in all things. The U.S. Air Force core values matter to Second Lieutenant Harris Mitchell, out and proud since the military ditched its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. But though the Air Force may be gay friendly, Harris isn't so sure about his demanding new boss, Brigadier General Seamus O'Neill--unit commander, cargo pilot, perfectionist, infidel--hiding behind bluster, a magnificent mustache, and a secret. Harris is certain that General O'Neill hates him. So what's a lieutenant supposed to do when he discovers that he's fallen in love?
Rogue. Libertine. Rake. Lord Courtenay has been called many things and has never much cared. But after the publication of a salacious novel supposedly based on his exploits, he finds himself shunned from society. Unable to see his nephew, he is willing to do anything to improve his reputation, even if that means spending time with the most proper man in London. Julian Medlock has spent years becoming the epitome of correct behavior. As far as he cares, if Courtenay finds himself in hot water, it’s his own fault for behaving so badly–and being so blasted irresistible. But when Julian’s sister asks him to rehabilitate Courtenay’s image, Julian is forced to spend time with the man he loathes–and lusts after–most.
Seven Suspects by Renee James
James’ third novel in her Bobbi Logan series, a hard-boiled thriller with an unapologetic yet empathetic trans protagonist in a genre where trans women’s bodies are still all too often used as evidence or plot device. A solidly compelling suspense novel for fans of the genre and a fun, if brutal, read for those who crave trans-centered narratives beyond “coming out”.
The adult DeShawn lives a high, artistic, and promiscuous life in San Francisco. But when he's called back to his cramped southern hometown for his uncle's funeral, it's inevitable that he'll be hit by flashbacks of handsome, doomed neighbors and sweltering Sunday services. Amidst prickly reminders of his childhood, DeShawn ponders family, church, and the men in his life, prompting the question: Who deserves love?
Summer Stock by Vanessa North
A visiting television star and a local handyman hook up for one drunken night. Vanessa North’s Summer Stock begins with that basic romance story trope and goes forth from there. Driven away by tabloid scandals, Ryan Hertzog, tv star, returns to North Carolina’s Outer Banks to do summer stock for his cousin. One tequila-filled night, he hooks up with local handyman Trey Donovan and while extricating himself from the fling, he ends up being photographed stark naked. The development of the relationship between these two is passionate and heartfelt. Equally important, the discussion about abusive relationships and the complex nature of the friendships make for an interesting read.
Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country by Chavisa Woods
A collection of 8 stories about queer folks, both in the LGBTQIA sense and in the strange and unusual sense. Rural America is made bizarre and hilarious by Woods, her magical realist style, and the well developed characters she has created. Darkly comedic and plausible, even when the plots veer off into the impossible – glowing green gas alien orbs?
Detailed exploration of what it means to have a gender non-conforming child sharing a story of a couple deeply in love and with a series of 5 sons, though Claude, their youngest, doesn’t see herself that way. Through loving family relationships and ordinary challenges of growing up, Claude is able to develop into the person they are.
This Is How It Begins by Joan Dempsey
A timely novel of a family with secrets. Ludka hid Jews from Nazis in Poland and is still traumatized by her past. Settled in Massachusetts as an art history teacher with her husband Izaak, she is horrified to find her gay son Tommy accused of discriminating against his Christian high school students.
In this ferocious and tender debut, Chen Chen investigates inherited forms of love and family -- the strained relationship between a mother and son, the cost of necessary goodbyes -- all from Asian American, immigrant, and queer perspectives. Holding all accountable, this collection fully embraces the loss, grief, and abundant joy that come with charting one's own path in identity, life, and love.
Witches for Hire by Sam Argent
Jeremy Ragsdale, recovering drug addict and witch, wants to get on to the next job without any further debacles. Alas, his temp agency assigns him to work with a motley group of misfits. Jeremy dodges his co-workers as best as he can, until the crew find a conspiracy to kill the magic superstar Desmond the Great. Jeremy has lots of secrets. Eventually, everything has to come out into the open, but will Jeremy survive the ramifications of his actions?
Working It by Christine d'Abo
A contemporary, M/M office romance set in Toronto, Working it is the first in a new series. Nolan Carmichael is trying to start anew after a terrible car accident scarred him mentally and physically. Zack Anderson, his new boss and the CTO at the company, has an ability to run away all four of his previous assistants. With office politics and personal shortcomings to overcome, both find that they are mutually attracted to each other. The story that captures the intensity of a forbidden romance and the sensitivity of having to work through one’s personal issues to find a satisfactory resolution.
You're the Most Beautiful Thing That Happened by Arisa White
A gorgeous, intelligent poetry collection from Lambda Literary Award-nominated White. These poems burst with emotion, soaring to ecstatically loving highs and capturing the sorrows of longing and black lesbian life in a vicious world. A beautifully realized and joyful read that deserves a place in poetry collections and the canon of lesbian literature.
The WWE Hall of Famer describes how he was rejected by his family for his sexual orientation and moved to the United States in the 1960s, where, in spite of language and discriminatory challenges, he applied his creative and athletic talents to climb to the upper ranks of sports entertainment.
Balls: It Takes Some to Get Some by Chris Edwards
A witty and refreshing memoir about transitioning, as told by Chris Edwards who corrects his gender from female to male. With a voice that is brave and bold, Edwards details his journey as a trans man living in a time before the term “transgender” even existed. He uses his marketing background to rebrand himself and in doing so, finds support from coworkers, friends, and family alike. This is an encouraging, entertaining, brazen, and moving memoir of someone who chooses to live as his true self.
Before Pictures by Douglas Crimp
Art Historian and critic, Douglas Crimp has written more than a memoir. It is a chronology of the author’s life lived in a variety of New York addresses, a collection of art and anecdotes from his experiences on the burgeoning Gay Liberation years of New York gay scene, as well as a book of art criticism spanning 1967-1977. These 10 years are his life before Pictures, an influential exhibition he curated in 1977. Crimp seamlessly moves from memoir to criticism. The book is beautifully designed. It is a remarkable work.
The Black Penguin by Andrew Evans
Andrew Evans pitches an idea for an article for National Geographic to travel primarily by bus from Washington, D.C. to Antarctica and live tweet his experience along the way. He meets various characters and has a few nail-biting travel experiences. Evans alternates between telling us about his bus journey and the challenges of accepting himself despite his experiences growing up as a gay Mormon.
In this collection of academic essays, the groundbreaking 1970 film The Boys in The Band (based on Matt Crowley’s off-Broadway play) is thoroughly examined. Fans of the film and students of queer cinema will rejoice at the multitude of issues explored, including gender, race, film theory, queer theory, alcoholism, politics, New York City, and gay love. It’s a perfect companion piece to the film, initiating debate, inviting sociological perspectives, and providing intellectual discussion.
The Case of Alan Turing: The Extraordinary and Tragic Story of the Legendary Codebreaker by Eric Liberge; Arnaud Delalande (Artist); David Homel
A moving look into the life of Alan Turing who is famous for creating a machine capable of decrypting German messages during World War II. The graphic novel flashes between Turing’s struggle with his sexuality, workplace challenges, and visualizes his thought processes in a captivating way.
The Disappearing L: Erasure of Lesbian Spaces and Culture by Bonnie J. Morris
Morris chronicles three decades of women-only concerns, festivals, bookstores, and support spaces, as a backstory to the culture lost to mainstreaming and assimilation. This insider story is an important piece of the cultural history of the lesbian-feminist era. As a veteran participant of women’s music festivals, Morris uses her own experience and interviews with older activists to document this history.
Doll Parts by Amanda Lepore
This coffee table book is almost as gorgeous as its subject. Amanda Lepore is one of the most famous transgender women in the world, having modelled for famous photographers and becoming a staple of the New York City’s Club Kids scene in the 80s & 90s. Acting, singing, and just being seen, Lepore is instantly recognizable with her numerous plastic surgery procedures to look like a living doll. This book flaunts her fabulousness with beautiful photographs, unbelievable tales, and choice words of wisdom on how to live life to the fullest.
The Ethics of Opting Out: Queer Theory's Defiant Subjects by Mari Ruti
Ruti uses some queer theorists’ rejection of gay marriage as a building block to explore “opting out” of normative narratives. She uses the influences of Jacques Lacan, a French psychoanalyst, to explore contemporary queer theory and its underpinnings.
Everywhere Home: a Life in Essays by Fenton Johnson
Harper’s Magazine contributor, Fenton Johnson’s collection spans the years 1989-2016. His roots are in the Kentucky mountains, but his home is writing as evident in this eclectic selection with themes ranging from boyhood, his sexuality, loss of his partner to AIDS, and politics to name a few. The writing is erudite and graceful, peppered with literary allusions and history. It will leave the reader searching back issues of Harper’s for more.
Gay Gotham: Art and Underground Culture in New York by Donald Albrecht
An accessible look into the history of queer art culture in New York City with beautiful photographs and artwork that ranges from 1910-1992. Albrecht provides a unique look into how New York artists have struggled with oppression, asserted their identities, and employed art to find strength.
Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation by Simon LeVay
LeVay is a neuroscientist who breaks down the science of sexuality into layman’s terms. In this edition, LeVay covers various studies on sexuality and includes chapters on traits during childhood, genes, and the body. The book is a solid introduction and collection of research on sexual orientation that acknowledges the limitations of research in this area.
Gender Bending Detective Fiction: A Critical Analysis of Selected Works by Heather Duerre Humann
Since the middle of the last century, views on gender norms have shifted dramatically. Reflecting these changing attitudes, storylines involving cross-dressing and transgender characters have frequently appeared in detective fiction--characters who subvert the conventions of the genre and challenge reader expectations. This examination of 20th and 21st century crime novels reveals what these narratives say about gender identity and gender expression and how they contributed to the evolution of detective fiction.
Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me by Bill Hayes
Grieving the death of his lover, Hayes uproots his life and moves to New York City where he finds healing through street photography and an unexpected romance. Entering into a second act of his life, Hayes falls in love with renowned neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, who ends up battling and losing his fight with cancer. This is an homage to Sacks – a celebration of his life, and the love that he and Hayes shared together.
Into the Light: Photographs of the NYC Gay Pride Day from the 70s Till Today by Stanley Stellar
Stanley Stellar is one of the seminal photographers who documented the early days of Gay Liberation in New York. This collection of black and white and color photographs of the parades and street scenes captures the mood of each decade: the hedonistic 70s, the AIDS crisis, to the era of marriage equality. His book is a worthy document of GLBTQ history.
Jane Crow: The Life of Pauli Murray by Rosalind Rosenberg
This thorough and deeply researched investigation of African American lawyer and activist Pauli Murray, documents the way in which Murray pursued an intersectional activism. Born in 1910 in the JIm Crow south, Murray fought the interconnection of race, gender and economic inequality throughout her life and ultimately altered the course of civil rights and women’s rights.
Listen, We Need to Talk: How to Change Attitudes about LGBT Rights by Brian F. Harrison; Melissa R. Michelson
This book examines the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ rights by individuals within social groups, and how the attitudes of perceived leaders of the group influence individual attitudes. The authors posit a Theory of Dissonant Identity Priming which they tested in four social groups (sports fans, members of religious groups, persons by self-identified racial groups, and political partisanship. Findings indicate individuals are more apt to support queer rights if leaders of their social group do, particularly if such support is unexpected. The take-away is that “political communication that primes a social identity can change attitudes” in unexpected, substantive, and positive ways.
Living a Feminist Life by Sara Ahmed
An accessible primer on feminism that explores what it means on a practical level. Ahmed intersperses her views about what it means to be feminist with anecdotes from her personal and academic life. In addition to having two conclusions, Ahmed’s text features three sections: Becoming Feminist, Diversity Work, Living the Consequences.
In this long-awaited memoir, the beloved author of the bestselling Tales of the City series chronicles his odyssey from the old South to freewheeling San Francisco, and his evolution from curious youth to ground-breaking writer and gay rights pioneer.
Making My Pitch: A Woman's Baseball Odyssey by Ila Jane Borders; Jean Hastings Ardell; Mike Veeck (Foreword by)
This memoir is the story of the first woman to win a men’s college baseball game. A pioneer for women in professional baseball, Jane Borders endured stalkers and death threats in an isolating environment as she also struggled with her sexual orientation while playing with a minor league team. This inspiring account is an important sports and LGBTQ memoir.
Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Manic Depression by David Leite
An entertaining memoir that details Leite’s life growing up in a Portuguese family and his struggle with mental health, career, and coming to terms with his sexuality. Leite takes an unexpected path as his study of acting eventually gives way to his very successful career as a food writer.
Gaines’ memoir of growing up gay and Jewish in midcentury New York is brimming with both wit and compassion even in its grittiest moments. From his family’s girdle store on the streets of Brooklyn to the Manhattan psychiatric hospital where he was hospitalized for a suicide attempt, Gaines’ narration is textural and effusive, capturing both love and pain without veering into seediness.
A Pornographer by Arch Brown
Arch Brown’s memoir was found in a desk after his death in 2012. In 1967, he was an out gay man in New York with a 16mm camera who discovered men and some women were eager to pose and perform on film. What began as a hobby became a career when Brown began working in the 1970’s hardcore scene. This is a fascinating story of an insightful filmmaker and a history of the pornographic film industry in the 1960s and 70s.
Queer Game Studies by Bonnie Ruberg (Editor)
This anthology centers on “exploring difference in games and exploring games as different”. Essays explore the intersection of gaming and queerness far beyond only representation and inclusion, challenging the stereotype both within and outside game studies and queer theory. Gender play, hybridity, mythology, policing, empathy games, technical and cultural systemic bias, role play, hostility faced by female gamers, the ‘bendiness’ of genre, the queerness in game design, play, and community, and more all covered in this extensive beginning of an expansion in how the queer in gaming, and the game in queerness, may be explored.
A Queer Love Story: The Letters of Jane Rule and Rick Bébout by Marilyn R. Schuster
This rich compilation of fifteen years of correspondence between the older lesbian public figure, Rule, and the gay male AIDS activist columnist, Bébout, chronicles the pressing queer social and political issues of the time; pornography, bath house raids, censorship, youth sexuality, public sex, and AIDS. Beyond the issues, the letters document a love of writing and a deep friendship.
Queering Families: by Carla A. Pfeffer: The Postmodern Partnerships of Cisgender Women and Transgender Men
A nuanced and well-researched study of the common and sometimes controversial phenomenon of relationships and family-building between cisgender women and transgender men. Pfeffer traces the connections between butch and femme, cis and trans, lesbian identification and identity “border wars” with compassion and thorough methodology. A substantial close read on expanding concepts of family and identity. Excellent for academic and queer theory collections.
The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy
Levy’s deeply personal memoir invites us to understand how she charts her own path, found her way into a marriage with an alcoholic wife and struggles to make her relationship work. In addition, Levy gives insight to her miscarriage that causes those around her to question her choices and forces her to find the strength to move forward.
Seeing Straight: An Introduction to Gender and Sexual Privilege by Jean Halley; Amy Eshleman
An accessible and optimistic primer on concepts of sexuality, gender, privilege and power written as an entry point for those who may not be familiar with intra-community language. Without defensiveness and using real life examples, Halley and Eshleman have written a necessary text comparable to “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. Highly recommended for general collections.
So Famous and So Gay: The Fabulous Potency of Truman Capote and Gertrude Stein by Jeff Solomon
A dense analysis of the careers of authors Gertrude Stein and Truman Capote, two queer icons in literature. Solomon compares and contrasts their careers as contemporaries, albeit in different countries and entirely opposing styles. The focus is on their works and how they, as authors and public figures, navigated the social mores and prevailing homophobia of their era.
This is the inspiring account of a young trans woman of color who reflects back on the trials and tribulations of her twenties and the lessons learned. Attending school by day and stripping by night, Mock winds up falling for one of her customers and discovering that she is worthy of love and more. Like any new adult, Mock navigates her 20s holding on to her secret, learning whom she can trust, and breaking hearts (including her own) along the way.
Teaching Queer: Radical Possibilities for Writing and Knowing by Stacey Waite
In this text, Waite, “…explore(s) the terrain where queer theory, writing, and pedagogy overlap, intersect, and move into one another.” In addition to employing queer theory, Waite shares practical experiences teaching a first-year writing course and includes insightful responses from her students.
For forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he records everything that captures his attention-overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, secrets confided by total strangers. These observations are the source code for his finest work, and through them he has honed his cunning, surprising sentences. Now, Sedaris shares his private writings with the world. Theft by Finding, the first of two volumes, is the story of how a drug-abusing dropout with a weakness for the International House of Pancakes and a chronic inability to hold down a real job became one of the funniest people on the planet.
Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan Coyote
Prolific writer, storyteller, and performer, Ivan E. Coyote’s memoir of a childhood in the Canadian Yukon is both joyous and bittersweet. They invite the reader into a personal, yet often uncomfortable place by recounting daily stresses of not fitting in their body or community while simultaneously dispensing sage advice for teens coming out. The book is illustrated with drawings of machines and tools and their instructions, as would be included in a conventional survival guide.
A searing account of her search for identity and true self, Tranny reveals the struggles and victories that Laura Jane Grace, the lead singer of the cult punk rock band Against Me!, experienced in her quest for gender transition.
Transitioning Together: One Couple's Journey of Gender and Identity Discovery by Wenn B. Lawson; Beatrice M. Lawson
Autism researcher and writer Wenn Lawson is joined by his wife Beatrice in this conversational, loving memoir about their relationship. The two explore aging, changing sexuality, gender transition and living with autism with both joy and honesty. An illuminating view into the lives of queer people on the autism spectrum from a standpoint of clarity and autonomy.
Truth to Power: The New York Native 1980-1997 by Charles Ortleb
An engaging read revolving around the small independent gay newspaper The New York Native and its role during the AIDS crisis during the early 80s. Publisher Charles Ortleb helped to sound the alarm about AIDS and its relationship to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with ruthless research and reporting. While trying to fight the good fight, he also dealt with the medical community trying to shut his paper down in order to quiet him. This is a riveting and important read that adds to the legacy of resistance and survival of the LGBTQ+ community and their history.
Understanding and Teaching U.S. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History by Leila J. Rupp (Editor)\
A volume of superb essays, tying LGBT content to the broader goals of teaching history, social sciences, and LGBT studies. Over twenty-five scholars offer classroom strategies and experiences.This second edition updates essays on the Supreme Court, samesex marriage, the Right, and trans history, with new material and references.
What the Mouth Wants by Monica Meneghetti
Growing up in an Italian-Catholic immigrant family as the baby, Meneghetti explores sensuality in all aspects of her life, diving into meals and romances with equal gusto. This memoir is a series of vignettes strung together to create a whole picture of her experience growing up and coming out, her bisexuality and polyamory. A delightful quick read that will stoke the appetite.
The partial inspiration for a forthcoming ABC television miniseries from Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, longtime LGBTQ and AIDS activist Cleve Jones' memoir is a sweeping, profoundly moving account of his life from sexually liberated 1970s San Francisco, through the AIDS crisis and up to his present-day involvement with the marriage equality battle.
Women and Gay Men in the Postwar Period by John Portmann
This study of the historical affinity between woman and gay men explores an oft-misunderstood phenomenon in public and private spheres with clarity and affection. Portmann makes it clear his work is “suggestive, not inclusive, and allusive, rather than empirical”. Despite his disclaimer, Portmann delivers an illuminating and accessible reflection on intimacies and solidarities throughout the mid-to-late 20th century.
You're in the Wrong Bathroom!: And 20 Other Myths and Misconceptions about Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming People by Laura Erickson-Schroth; Laura A. Jacobs
In a well-researched and annotated compilation, 21 common misunderstandings about transgender or gender non-conforming individuals are explored and debunked. A solid introduction for folks about different aspects of the experience of transgender people.
Describes the unlikely friendship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Pauli Murray, a granddaughter of a mixed race slave and a lesbian, who became a lawyer and civil rights pioneer, and the important work they each did for justice and freedom.
For August, running into a long-ago friend sets in motion resonant memories and transports her to a time and a place she thought she had mislaid: 1970s Brooklyn, where friendship was everything. August, Sylvia, Angela, and Gigi shared confidences as they ambled their neighborhood streets, a place where the girls believed that they were amazingly beautiful, brilliantly talented, with a future that belonged to them. But beneath the hopeful promise there was another Brooklyn, a dangerous place where grown men reached for innocent girls in dark hallways, where mothers disappeared, where fathers found religion, and where madness was a mere sunset away.
In the Darkroom by Susan Faludi
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of Backlash, comes In the Darkroom, an astonishing confrontation with the enigma of her father and the larger riddle of identity consuming our age.
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff. Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle?
A richly crafted memoir about a gay son and his aging octogenarian mother. As her health declines, the son returns to the small Missouri town and the house he grew up in, from New York City, to care for her. Despite the passage of time and the decline of both Betty’s and the town’s health, not much has changed in their relationship.
A Body, Undone: Living On After Great Pain by Christina Crosby
One month after her fiftieth birthday, the author becomes a quadriplegic after breaking her neck in a bicycle accident. In this memoir, she writes about her changing feelings toward her body, her relationship, and her own sense of self.
Stand by Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation by Jim Downs
Downs has written an essential historical text on gay life during the “forgotten” time between 1969 and the beginnings of the AIDS crisis. Using documents from large metropolitan LGBT centers, he explores communities like the Metropolitan Community Church and those formed in book stores, proving the ‘70s were more than pride marches, sex, and discos.
This guide to sex, love and life for girls who like girls is useful whether you're a lady-dating veteran or still trying to come out to yourself. Seasoned advice columnist and queer chick Lindsay King Miller cuts through all of the bizarre conditioning imparted by parents, romantic comedies, and The L Word to help queer readers live authentic, safe, happy, sexy lives. With advice on every aspect of life as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer woman--from your first Pride to confronting discrimination in the workplace--there is guidance for some of the most major parts of living in a world that can vacillate between supportive and cruel.
Boy Erased by Garrard Conley
Conley, a son of a pastor, tells how his struggle with his sexuality brought him to checking into an ex-gay conversion therapy program during his late teens in 2004. He gives a stark look into how he survives the abusive program, struggles with his faith, and comes to terms with his sexuality.
The Imitation Game by Jim Ottaviani & Leland Purvis
Explores the complicated life of brilliant mathematician and code-breaker Alan Turing from his early childhood to his untimely death.
*The full book list for 2017 was not published on the website.
Fiction
After the Parade by Lori Ostlund
From Flannery O’Connor and Rona Jaffe Award winner Lori Ostlund, a debut novel about a man who leaves his longtime partner in New Mexico for a new life in San Francisco, launching him on a tragicomic road trip and into the mysteries of his own Midwestern childhood.
Breathing Lessons by Andy Sinclair
The story of Henry Moss, a homosexual everyman whose life knows none of the limitations or abuses his predecessors experienced.
The Café of Our Departure by Priscilla Atkins
This collection of lyric poems is a fugue of friendship: a straight girl and a gay boy coming of age in early 1970s America. Interwoven with a lifetime of intimacies shared, the narrative tracks a second life of grief, when a soul-mate dies. There is a sense of private humor perfectly matched, and a sense of every thing holy.
City of Starlings by Daniel Nathan Terry
Poetry that delves into the author’s loss and life and challenges readers to find beauty in the ordinary.
Dash #1: The Case of the Mysterious Zita Makara by Dave Ebersole; Delia Gable
Los Angeles, 1940: Private investigator Dash Malone can’t shake the feeling his lover, Johnny, is hiding something. Strange deaths start occurring throughout the city while a mysterious woman named Zita Makara begs Dash to take her case. When a grisly murder connects all three, a terrifying mystery unfolds.
The Devastation by Melissa Buzzeo
A book length poem that imagines two lovers surviving a shipwreck and lying together at the bottom of the ocean. A complex exploration of language and the power of the sea.
Erebus by Jane Summer
A poetic expose of a plane crash that took the life of the author’s friend.
Fanny Says by Nickole Brown
A biography of a fiesty, bawdy, grandmother told through the poetry of her granddaughter. Funny, powerful, and steeped in truth and love.
Foucault, in Winter, in the Linnaeus Garden by Michael Joyce
A fictional account of Focault’s 1956 stay in Sweden told through imagined letters in multiple languages.
Ardeevin, County Clare, Ireland. 1980. When her oldest brother Dan announces he will enter the priesthood, young Hanna watches her mother howl in agony and retreat to her room. In the years that follow, the Madigan children leave one by one: Dan for the frenzy of New York under the shadow of AIDS; Constance for a hospital in Limerick, where petty antics follow simple tragedy; Emmet for the backlands of Mali, where he learns the fragility of love and order; and Hanna for modern-day Dublin and the trials of her own motherhood. When Christmas Day reunites the children under one roof, each confronts the terrible weight of family ties and the journey that brought them home.
Hook by Peter LaBerge
A book of poetry seeking beauty in nature and in our bodies, despite the threat of violence. Powerful and beautiful.
A dynamic and compulsive debut, Jam on the Vine chronicles the life of trailblazing African American woman journalist, Ivoe Williams, through the start of the twentieth century. In unflinching prose, we follow Ivoe and her family from the Deep South to the Midwest. Jam on the Vine is both an epic vision of the injustices that defined an era and a compelling story of a complicated history we only thought we knew.
The Listener by Rachel Basch
The story of a student and his professor/psychologist and the way their lives are intertwined through issues of gender and difference. Explores issues of self-definition, trans* identity, and relationships.
Lost Boi by Sassafras Lowrey
A queer punk reimagining of the classic Peter Pan story, told from the point of view of Tootles, Pan’s best boi.
The New Testament by Jericho Brown
A deep and provocative story told through poetry revealing memories and trauma that continue through generations. Deeply haunting and beautifully written.
Pelvis with Distance by Jessica Jacobs
A biography of Georgia O’Keefe written in poetry that reads like a beautiful, subtle novel.
Sphinx by Anne Garréta; Emma Ramadan (Translator)
A romance set in Paris that mixes sexes and blurs genders. This is the first English translation of Garreta’s debut novel.
Teaching a Man to Unstick His Tail by Ralph Hamilton
A collection of poetry about relationships, emotions and love lost and found.
A young Nigerian girl, displaced during their civil war, begins a powerful love affair with another refugee girl from a different ethnic community until the pair are discovered and must learn the cost of living a lie amidst taboos and prejudices.
A Useless Man by Sait Faik Abasiyanik; Maureen Freely (Translator); Alexander Dawe (Translator)
Sait Faik Abasiyanik was born in Adapazari in 1906 and died of cirrhosis in Istanbul in 1954. He wrote twelve books of short stories, two novels, and a book of poetry. His stories celebrate the natural world and trace the plight of iconic characters in society: ancient coffeehouse proprietors and priests, dream-addled fishermen and poets of the Princes’ Isles, lovers and wandering minstrels of another time.
When Everything Feels Like the Movies by Raziel Reid
A gay teen who fantasizes about being a movie teen reimagines his world as a movie set. He tells his own story of the need for acceptance and love.
Nonfiction
The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage: An Evangelical's Change of Heart by Mark Achtemeier
In the early 2000’s, Mark Achtemeier embarked on a personal journey with the Bible that led him from being a conservative, evangelical opponent of gay rights to an outspoken activist for gay marriage and a fully inclusive church. In “The Bible’s Yes to Same-Sex Marriage,” Achtemeier shares what led to his change of heart.
Bordered Lives: Transgender Portraits from Mexico by Kike Arnal
A richly evocative collection of photographs by internationally renowned photographer Kike Arnal, Bordered Lives seeks to push back against the transphobic caricatures that have perpetuated discrimination against the transgender community in Mexico. Despite some important advances in recognizing and protecting the rights of its transgender community, including legislation against hate crimes targeting transgender people, discrimination still persists, and the majority of the often appallingly violent attacks against the LGBT community are against transgender women.
Bowie on Bowie: Interviews and Encounters with David Bowie by Sean Egan (Editor)
Bowie on Bowie presents some of the best interviews Bowie has granted in his near five-decade career. It includes well known news outlets as well as smaller sources and provides a wealth of material about the entertainer.
Course Correction: A Story of Rowing and Resilience in the Wake of Title IX by Ginny Gilder
Gilder recounts the physical and psychological barriers she overcame as she transformed into an elite athlete who reached the highest echelon of her sport. Set against the backdrop of unprecedented cultural change, Gilder’s story personalizes the impact of Title IX, illustrating the life-changing lessons learned in sports but felt far beyond the athletic arena.
Fat Gay Men: Girth, Mirth, and the Politics of Stigma by Jason Whitesel
To be fat in a thin-obsessed gay culture can be difficult. Despite affectionate in-group monikers for big gay men-chubs, bears, cubs-the anti-fat stigma that persists in American culture at large still haunts these individuals who often exist at the margins of gay communities. In Fat Gay Men, Jason Whitesel delves into the world of Girth & Mirth, a nationally known social club dedicated to big gay men, illuminating the ways in which these men form identities and community in the face of adversity
Gaming at the Edge: Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture by Adrienne Shaw
A discussion of gamer culture, specifically sexuality and gender through a feminist, queer, postcolonial lens.
A detailed historical look at the surprising ways in which the uninhibited urban sexuality, sexual experimentation and medical advances of pre-Weimar Berlin created and molded our modern understanding of sexual orientation and gay identity
Gay Directors, Gay Films?: Pedro Almodóvar, Terence Davies, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, John Waters by Emanuel Levy
An in depth look at five contemporary gay male film directors that sets up a framework for what it means to make a gay film or adopt a gay point of view.
Geisha of a Different Kind: Race and Sexuality in Gaysian America by C. Winter Han
Addresses Asian American gay men in the American gay mainstream. The author travels from West Coast Asian drag shows to the internationally sought-after Thai kathoey, or “ladyboy,” to construct a theory of queerness that is inclusive of the race and gender particularities of the gay Asian male experience in the United States.
I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves to Get through Our Twenties by Ryan O'Connell
A funny, yet poignant view of life and accomplishment through the eyes of the Millennial generation. The author focuses on becoming an adult in the midst of insecurity and doubt.
Julie Sondra Decker outlines what asexuality is, counters misconceptions, provides resources, and puts asexual people’s experiences in context as they move through a very sexualized world. It includes information for asexual people to help understand their orientation and what it means for their relationships, as well as tips and facts for those who want to underhand their asexual friends and loved ones.
Irrepressible: The Jazz Age Life of Henrietta Bingham by Emily Bingham
The biography of a nearly forgotten member of one of Louisville, Kentucky’s most notable families. Deeply researched and beautifully written by her great niece, the book tells a story that is intriguing and heartbreaking.
I Will Say This Exactly One Time by D. Gilson
A set of essays that explores what it means to be a poet and cultural theorist in the world. These essays are deeply personal and address the concept of “queer” as an identification.
Living Large: Wilna Hervey and Nan Mason by Joseph Eckhardt
The biography of silent film actress and visual artist Wilna Hervey and her lifelong partner, fellow artist Nan Mason. Includes family photos, stills from several of Hervey’s films and images of the couple’s art work.
Lyudmila and Natasha: Russian Lives by Misha Friedman
A year in photographs depicting the lives of a gay couple living in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Massive by Anne Ishii (Editor); Graham Kolbeins (Editor); Chip Kidd (Editor); James Kobleins (Editor)
An introdution to comic artists making work for a gay male audience in Japan. Addresses the hyper-masculine world fo Japanese gay manga.
Not Gay:Sex Between Straight White Men by Jane Ward
frank and sometimes difficult discussion of sexual practices of men who identify as straight but have homosexual encounters. The author argues that sexuality is complex and fluid and presents a new take the complexities of heterosexuality.
Paths to Recovery for Gay and Bisexual Drug Addicts by Paul Schulte
Provides practical advice on the problems that confront counselors, friends, and family members in our efforts to help gay or bisexual men with drug and alcohol addiction.
Queer Brown Voices: Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism by Uriel Quesada (Editor); Letitia Gomez (Editor); Salvador Vidal-Ortiz (Editor)
Personal narratives that share the experiences of lesbians, gay men, and trans activits from a variety of Latina/o communities.
The Queerness of Native American Literature by Lisa Tatonetti
Tatonetti carefully describes the ties between queerness and Native American literature while showing how they critique understandings of indigeneity and sexuality.
Seeing Sodomy in the Middle Ages by Robert Mills
Explores the relationship between sodomy and motifs of vision and visibility in medieval culture, on the one hand, and those categories we today call gender and sexuality, on the other.
Snapshots of a Girl by Beldan Sezen
In this autobiographical graphic novel, Beldan Sezen revisits the various instances of her coming of age, and her coming out as lesbian, in both western and Islamic cultures.
Story/Time: The Life of an Idea by Bill T. Jones
Acclaimed African American dancer, choreographer, and director Bill T. Jones reflects on his art and life as he describes the genesis of Story/Time, a recent dance work produced by his company and inspired by the modernist composer and performer John Cage.
Lesbian. Bisexual. Queer. Transgender. Striaght. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who’s ever dared to wonder.
Transgender Persons and the Law, 2nd edition by Ally Windsor Howell
An updated version that takes into account recent changes in the law. Intended to educate and inform practitioners on the various laws and landmark court cases involving transgendered individuals in a number of legal situations, including housing, veterans benefits, family law, health care, employment, criminal justice, and more.
Untangling the Knot: Queer Voices on Marriage, Relationships & Identity by Carter Sickels (Editor)
Anthology of essays and non-fiction discussing marriage equality and LGBTQ rights
A View from the Bottom: : Asian American Masculinity and Sexual Representation by Tan Hoang Nguyen
An in-depth look at Asian American male sexual representation that uses the concept of bottomhood rather than masculinity to help portray gay Asian American men.
What Color Is Your Hoodie?: Essays on Black Gay Identity by Jarrett Neal (editor)
Essays detailing the status of black gay men in the new millennium, examining classism among black gay men, racism within the gay community, representations of the black male body within gay pornography, and patriarchal threats to the survival of both black men and gay men.
For years, Matthew Greene and Daniel Rosen have enjoyed a quiet domestic life together in Northampton, Massachusetts. Opposites in many ways, they have grown together and made their relationship work. But when they learn that Daniel's twin brother and sister-in-law have been killed in a bombing in Jerusalem, their lives are suddenly, utterly transformed. In dealing with their families and the need to make a decision about who will raise the deceased couple's two children, both Matthew and Daniel are confronted with challenges that strike at the very heart of their relationship.
All the Heat We Could Carry by Charlie Bondhus
Written from the point of view of gay soldiers and their partners, these poems reveal the horror of the recent wars and the lasting effects on the men who participate in combat.
Amorcito Maricón by Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano
With subject matter that is brimming with desire, love, romance unfulfilled, sex and pleasure, these poems are not romantic or sentimental. Herrera y Lozano’s poems speak of brown-on-brown joto love in a unique queer Xicano voice.
Artificial Cherry by Billeh Nickerson
Poems and brief observations on life and places are funny and fresh.
Bruceville by Robyn Vinten
In a farmhouse in New Zealand, Petra pulls out a hidden box and leafs through its contents as she waits nervously for two old schoolfriends to arrive for her wedding. Sandy now photographs the gender outlaws of London, while athlete Claire has run all the way from Bruceville to the Olympics. A lot has changed since the three of them last met, but their intense reunion will stir up memories that refuse to go back in the box.
Follows ninety-two-year-old Anna Madrigal, the legendary transgender landlady of 28 Barbary Lane, as she joins her former tenant Brian on a road trip to Nevada where she attends to unfinished business she has long avoided.
The Erotic Postulate by Matthew Hittinger
Poetry that explores historical and mathematical themes within a gay context.
Fairytales for Lost Children by Diriye Osman
Short stories about immigrant queer Somalis written in a lively style.
Daniel believed that his parents were enjoying a peaceful retirement on a remote farm in Sweden. But with a single phone call, everything changes. His father tells Daniel that his mother has had a psychotic breakdown, and been committed to a mental hospital. Before Daniel can board a plane to Sweden, his mother calls to say that everything his father told him was a lie. Caught between his parents, Daniel becomes involved in secrets, lies, a crime-- and a conspiracy that implicates his own father.
For Today I Am a Boy by Kim Fu
Told from the perspective of Peter as he grows from a child into a young adult identifying as a girl, despite his Chinese immigrant family’s traditional gender expectations.
Burlesque dancer Blanche Beunon tries to discover who murdered her friend Jenny, who was shot through a window in a railroad saloon in 1876 San Francisco, amidst a record-breaking heatwave and smallpox epidemic.
The God of Longing by Brent Calderwood
Calderwood’s poems speak to the longing for the love of one’s life only to discover that it is a minefield filled with faults and fractures.
Hild by Nicola Griffith
A fictional account of the woman who would eventually become St. Hilda of Whitby; this book is full of descriptions of the daily life of women and the spectrum of their relationships with one another in 7th-century England.
A History of the Unmarried by Stephen S. Mills
Refreshing, brutally real poetry that is honest in its depiction of contemporary relationships and love.
Hysterical: Anna Freud's Story by Rebecca Coffey
A fictional memoir by the queer, youngest daughter of Sigmund Freud, who became a renowned psychoanalyst in her own right.
If This Be Sin by Hazel Newlevant
This brief collection of three short comics tells of queer women who express themselves through their music and dance.
Joy Exhaustible: Assaracus Presents the Publishers by Bryan Borland (Editor); Seth Pennington (Editor)
Eighteen gay small press publishers and editors show how talented they are in these memoirs, poetry and fiction.
Las Hociconas: Three Locas with Big Mouths and Even Bigger Brains by Adelina Anthony
With great strength of the written and dramatic words, these three theatrical comedies of Xicana artist Adelina Anthony’s live work are outrageous and irreverent, honest and fearless portraits.
Like a Beggar by Ellen Bass
Bass makes the ordinary extraordinary with images of love and nature which illuminate what one sees differently.
Told through a series of letters and novels by her friends, lovers, biographer, and acquaintances, the life of Lou Villars, athlete, cross-dressing lesbian, race car driver, spy and more, comes to life against the backdrop of Paris from 1932 through the end of WWII. The literary construction plays with what is remembered and what is real.
The Medici Boy by John L'Heureux
Set against the backdrop of Florence in the 15th Century, Luca, writing from prison, tells the life of his half brother Agnolo, who is Donatello’s muse and lover and model for the famous David sculpture.
Mr. Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo
74-year-old Barrington Jedidiah Walker, a member of Britain’s Caribbean community, is still trying to decide how to leave his wife of 50 years and move in with the man he has loved since childhood.
Nefarious by Emanuel Xavier
Using his life as the subject, Xavier reflects on his past as well as his present state, looking at love, sex, family, writing, and life.
On Loving Women by Diane Obomsawin; Helge Dascher (Translator)
Simple comics illustrate the moments when a series of young women realize that they also love women.
Palmerino by Melissa Pritchard
Writer Sylvia Case returns to Villa il Palmerino after her divorce to write a biography of Violet Paget, late 19th century writer, only to channel Violet’s spirit in her former home.
It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned, the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa, a large silent house now bereft of brothers, husband and even servants, life is about to be transformed, as impoverished widow Mrs Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.
Prairie Ostrich by Tamai Kobayashi
When the death of her brother turns her family upside down, Egg tries to cope. Being Japanese-Canadian in a rural community, she is isolated, bullied, and misunderstood, but her older lesbian sister is her strength and support.
"With impressive grace, Saeed Jones situates the queer black body at the center, where his visibility and vulnerability nurture emotional strength and the irrepressible energy to claim those spaces that were once denied or withheld from him. Prelude to a Bruise is a daring debut." - Rigoberto Gonzalez
Prime: Poetry & Conversation by L. Lamar Wilson; Rickey Laurentiis; Saeed Jones; Phillip B. Williams; Darrel Alejandro Holnes; Jericho Brown (Introduction by)
Poems and conversations among gay, African-American poets reveal much about their work, mentoring, and their theories of poetry. Prime features poems by and dialogue between poets Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Saeed Jones, Rickey Laurentiis, Phillip B. Williams, and L. Lamar Wilson.
QU33R by Robert Kirby et al.
A graphic anthology of 33 different contributors telling stories of first dates, rejection, dreams, passions and what “queer” means to them.
Straight Razor by Randall Mann
Often using a formalized structure, Mann’s poetry delivers creative images of growing up gay in Florida, the San Francisco gay scene, sex, and longing.
This Life Now by Michael Broder
Poetry on the relationships between men focus on loss, love, and lust. The author draws the reader in with pop culture references and the demonstration of the universal desire for companionship in this gritty collection.
This Way to the Sugar by Hiéu M. Nguyen
A Midwest Asian-American poet beautifully captures the queer American experience. This bruising collection of poems puts a blade and a microscope to nostalgia, tradition, race, apology, and sexuality, in order to find beauty in a flawed world. His work has been described as an astounding testament to the power and necessity of confession.
It is the summer of 1940, and Lisbon, Portugal, is the only neutral port left in Europe--a city filled with spies, crowned heads, and refugees of every nationality, tipping back absinthe to while away the time until their escape. Awaiting safe passage to New York on the SS Manhattan, two couples meet: Pete and Julia Winters, expatriate Americans fleeing their sedate life in Paris; and Edward and Iris Freleng, sophisticated, independently wealthy, bohemian, and beset by the social and sexual anxieties of their class.
Very Recent History: An Entirely Factual Account of a Year (c. AD 2009) in a Large City by Choire Sicha
Set in New York during the fallout of the financial crisis, this novel follows a group of gay men in work and life.
The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton
Lesbian Ava Lee, forensic accountant and martial arts expert, tracks stolen money through Hong Kong, Bangkok, Guyana, and the British Islands, while engaging formidable foes.
When I Was Straight by Julie Marie Wade
Hilarious and heart-breaking, the author shares her story of her life before she came out and the reactions of those around her on learning she is a lesbian.
Nonfiction
100 Crushes by Elisha Lim
Compilation of the works of queer comics artist Elisha Lim; part memoir and part biographies of friends.
1960s Gay Pulp Fiction by Drewey Wayne Gunn (Editor)
These thirteen well-documented essays outline the history of gay pulp fiction and the role it played in the lives of gay men through the 60’s, providing a look at authors and publishers and analyzing representative pulp fiction works.
Alice + Freda Forever: A Murder in Memphis by Alexis Coe; Sally Klann (Illustrator)
An engaging account of the shocking 1892 murder of a teenaged girl by her spurned lover, also a teenaged girl.
The founder of POZ magazine and AIDS and LGBT activist, the author looks back on his life and career in the midst of the 1980s AIDS epidemic.
A Cup of Water under My Bed by Daisy Hernandez
The daughter of Cuban and Colombian immigrants, Hernandez recounts growing up bilingual and bisexual.
Double Pregnant: Two Lesbians Make a Family by Natalie Meissner
Both Meissner and her wife get pregnant in quick succession in this beautifully written memoir about starting a family.
Dr. A. G. by Christopher Logan
Drag has become a diverse form of expression that challenges, entertains, and educates by pushing boundaries, while embracing beauty, comedy and glamour. The performers in this book are evidence of that diversity, captured by some of the top photographers working in today's world.
Eating Fire: My Life as a Lesbian Avenger by Kelly J. Cogswell
This behind-the-scenes look at the Lesbian Avengers speak to the activists’ efforts in making a difference and Cogswell’s persistent struggle to raise awareness and effect change outside of this organization.
The End of Eve by Ariel Gore
Ariel finds it hard to live according to her values as she becomes a caretaker for a very challenging mother who is dying of cancer, moves to New Mexico, ends a relationship, and raises her son and daughter.
Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive by Julia Serano
An in-depth look at problematic elements of feminist and queer movements, with suggestions on how to address those issues.
Falling into Place by Catherine Reid
Essays on nature and place, blended with reflections on relationships and politics.
New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow mines the compelling poetry of the out-of-time African-American Louisiana town where he grew up--a place where slavery's legacy felt astonishingly close, reverberating in the elders' stories and in the near-constant wash of violence.
Gender Failure by Ivan E. Coyote; Rae Spoon
A collection of personal essays, song lyrics, and drawings recounting Coyote’s and Spoon’s lifelong experiences understanding and challenging gender.
Ham: Slices of a Life, Essays and Stories by Sam Harris
Harris’s essays recount growing up gay in the Bible belt of Oklahoma, his search for fame on the music and Broadway stage, his battle with alcoholism, and his finding love and family are both laugh-out-loud hilarious and poignantly heartfelt.
Hold Tight Gently by Martin Duberman
Using the lives of Michael Callen, gay activist and singer, and Essex Hemphill, Black gay activist and poet, Duberman traces the history of the AIDS crisis illuminating the struggle during this era and the injustices which occurred.
The Homoerotics of Orientalism by Joseph A. Boone
In this academic, yet accessible book, Boone reviews 400 years of Middle Eastern and the Western literature, travel writings, historical works, art, photography, and cinema to illuminate the degree that male homosexuality has been associated with and/or manufactured about Middle Eastern culture.
In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court by Brittney Griner
WNBA player recounts a childhood and college basketball career in a homophobic environment.
The Invisibles: Vintage Portraits of Love and Pride by Sebastien Lifshitz
This collection of photographs shows an unexpected glimpse of same-sex couples in the early 20th century.
Law and the Gay Rights Story: The Long Search for Equal Justice in a Divided Democracy by Walter Frank
In a highly readable and personable style, Frank chronicles the legal fights for gay rights over the last 50 years, highlighting the individuals involved and the social, cultural, and political issues surrounding them.
A Little Gay History: Desire and Diversity Across the World by R. B. Parkinson
Objects ranging from Ancient Egyptian papyri and the erotic scenes on the Roman Warren Cup to images by modern artists provide insight into the range, diversity and complexity of same-sex experiences.
Living Out Islam documents the rarely-heard voices of Muslims who live in secular democratic countries and who are gay, lesbian, and transgender. It weaves original interviews with Muslim activists into a compelling composite picture which showcases the importance of the solidarity of support groups in the effort to change social relationships and achieve justice. It is about finding ways to live out Islam with dignity and integrity, reconciling their sexuality and gender with their faith and reclaiming Islam as their own.
In this thoughtful memoir, McBee recounts and confronts both childhood abuse and a more recent act of violence.
Mommy Man by Jerry Mahoney
Mahoney recounts the process of surrogacy and the obstacles facing gay parents with wit and humor.
Pee-Shy by Frank Spinelli
Abused as a child by his Scoutmaster, Frank, now a successful doctor, partner, and author, is determined to see some resolution to the horrors of his abuse by confronting his abuser.
A ... memoir from the first Latino and openly gay inaugural poet, which explores his coming-of-age as the child of Cuban immigrants and his attempts to understand his place in America while grappling with his burgeoning artistic and sexual identities.
A Queer History of Fashion by Valerie Steele (Editor)
A look at LGB (and some T) history from the perspective of fashion, looking at how fashion contributes to movements and perceptions of groups of people.
Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders by Jacob Anderson-Minshall; Diane Anderson-Minshall
Told in dual narratives, the journey of committed queers Diane and Suzy as Suzy transitions to Jacob illustrates their difficulties, as well as the rewards of their loving and supportive relationship.
The Queer South: LGBTQ Writers on the American South by Douglas Ray (Editor)
A poetry anthology exploring lesbian and gay experiences in the American South.
Radical Relations: Lesbian Mothers, Gay Fathers, and Their Children in the United States since World War II by Daniel Winunwe Rivers
Based on extensive archival research and 130 interviews conducted nationwide, this book documents the stories of lesbian mothers and gay fathers from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
In 2011, Marie Claire magazine published a profile of Janet Mock in which she stepped forward for the first time as a trans woman. Those twenty-three hundred words were life-altering for the People.com editor, turning her into an influential and outspoken public figure and a desperately needed voice for an often voiceless community. In these pages, she offers a bold and inspiring perspective on being young, multicultural, economically challenged, and transgender in America.
Sexual Discretion: : Black Masculinity and the Politics of Passing by Jeffrey Q. McCune
Academic yet accessible, McCune takes to task the media’s contemporary discourse on the “down low” by examining the issue through interviews and surveys of 60 DL men, the media’s fascination and handling of the subject, and a look at the subject in the context of the “passing” literature.
Sexual Diversity in Africa: Politics, Theory, and Citizenship by S. N. Nyeck; Marc Epprecht
Well-documented and scholarly, these eleven essays shed light on the complex nature of sexuality, sexual practices and gender performance in Africa and dispute oversimplified tropes including homosexuality versus heterosexuality, modern versus traditional, and Africa versus the West.
Soldier of Change by Stephen Snyder-Hill
Snyder-Hill’s conversational account of his days in the army under DADT, his continued fight for equality in the armed services, and the elimination of DOMA brings home the reality of the “closet” in the military.
Teaching the Cat to Sit by Michelle Theall
Chapters in this memoir alternate between Theall’s memories of growing up queer and Catholic and her decisions about religion as she and her partner raise an adopted child together.
A detailed look at the life, family, work, and loves of renowned playwright Tennessee Williams.
There Goes the Gayborhood? by Amin Ghaziani
Focusing on Chicago’s gayborhoods of Andersonville and Boystown, Ghaziani looks at the origins of these enclaves and the impact on the future prospects, character, and composition of these neighborhoods in this “post gay” era due to changes in political and societal acceptance of GLBT individuals.
By examining the marriage equality successes, religious approaches to changes in gay acceptance, scientific research of homosexuality, and other areas of social change, Walters argues for equality, deep integration and civil inclusion rather than just acceptance and tolerance that is contingent upon the heterosexual majority deeming it so.
TransCuba by Mariette Pathy Allen
A collection of photographs and conversations with trans women in contemporary Cuba.