Jenn Shapland Names What Needs Naming in “My Autobiography of Carson McCullers”
It has taken over 50 years for us to get the full, queer truth about Carson McCullers’s life, and now I know why. We were waiting for Jenn Shapland.
Things I Read That I Love #305: How Various Plaid Shirts Made Their Way Into My Closet
Topics include hangovers, ArtPrize, the George Foreman Grill, Patriotic Millionaires, The Talented Mr Ripley, 100 books that defined the decade, fair food, the year in pivoting to video and so much more!!
Lez Liberty Lit: Don’t Read A Book A Week
Reading goals as a personal hell, memes as a new kind of formalism, a dare to not be productive and more.
Things I Read That I Love #304: I Want to Pretend That I’m Cooler Than Crying About The Velveteen Rabbit
It’s really hot in Phoenix, Tinder as small talk purgatory, Anna Delvey, Millennials not afraid of death, Instagram face, Hallmark Movies, racism in banking and more!
Lez Liberty Lit: The Word of the Year
“They” is the word of the year! Plus: when languages die, when bookstores unionize, when Hilton Als writes on Joan Didion and more.
8 Cute Queer Holiday Romances to Snuggle up with this Holigay Season
More than one book involves lesbians falling in love while bonding over a cute festive pet.
80 of the Best Queer, Lesbian and Bisexual Books of the Decade
It sure has been a decade! Mainstream publishing has become much more open to queer stories, especially perhaps in YA, and the drive and determination of indie and queer publishing projects has meant that less saleable work that is sometimes more resonant to our lives has been able to make it to our shelves. Here are some of the brightest highlights!
Lez Liberty Lit Is Drowning in “Best of” Lists
Queer pleasure as a form of resistance, finding your purpose, the best of the best of lists and more.
“I Am the Terrorist I Must Disarm”: An Interview with Staceyann Chin
I was in high school when I first saw Staceyann Chin perform, barefoot and incensed. She was fearless in her rage, her sexuality, her eloquence. Now, I feel the same reading her as I felt watching all those years ago — as if I’m being granted permission.
8 Amazing Books about Queer/Lesbian/Bi/Trans Women with Superpowers
Is it too obvious to say that reading books about queer women with superpowers can be very… empowering?
Things I Read That I Love #303: A Discontinued Snack Emits a Strange Aura
Topics include Donald Trump’s romancing of the religious right, looking back on the 2010s, POC writing POC, graphing calculators, Cheez-Balls, finding a house in the Bay Area and so much more!
55 of the Best Queer Books of 2019
From gorgeous graphic memoirs to epic fantasy tales, twisty thrillers, swoony romances, exceptional essay collections, and more, there’s an amazing queer book from 2019 on this list for everyone!
Things I Read That I Love #302: Cosmo Tutorials On How to Come Didn’t Make Much Of a Crack In The Bell Jar
Topics include the founding of Patreon, the founding of Poo-Pourri, the writer as influencer, housing discrimination, TurboTax, feminist performance art, disassociating, the Park Slope food co-op, the Zodiac Killer and more!
Lez Liberty Lit Is Reading in Translation
Is literary fiction a scam? How do you read the unread books you already own? Are you reading enough books in translation? Wanna read about baby penguins? Click through.
“March Sisters” Celebrates “Little Women,” But Stops Short of Queerness
This essay collection is a warm and personal tribute to the title characters of Little Women, in honor of the classic’s 150th birthday. But it left much to be desired in the way of queer content.
8 Great Books About Queer Monstrous Women
“Books about *monstrous women* of all varieties. Softhearted giantesses, feral shapeshifters, malicious sea creatures, lonely gorgons. Women with the strength of gods, women with fangs and fur, women formed of craggy rock or ice or fire.”
Things I Read That I Love #301: A Truly Raunchy Line Involving a Sandwich Bun and a Hairdresser
Topics include Phoebe Waller-Bridge, an Air BnB scam, tourism in Iceland, what even is Newsweek anymore, some deportations of history and more! Like an excerpt from Carmen Maria Machado’s new book!
Lez Liberty Lit Is in the Dream House
Carmen Maria Machado’s new gothic memoir, why reading is different from experiencing, new Elena Ferrante and more.
Is the Resurgence of Feminist Bookstores in the South a Moment or a Movement?
Visit five feminist bookstores across the south east that are creating community building and political organizing space as well as curating feminist literature written by authors from different backgrounds holding often marginalized identities.
“In the Dream House” Deconstructs the Nightmare of Abuse in Queer Relationships
Carmen Maria Machado’s first memoir, a deep dive into abuse between women both in Machado’s past relationship and in our world, is a wholly unique and wholly necessary text.