Me Time
So Much Stuff!
The amount of stuff I want to share with you keeps increasing exponentially to the point where I might have to publish this newsletter twice a month just to keep up with all the amazing content. We'll see.
It's been a difficult few weeks as an American Jew, following the horrible atrocities committed by Hamas and the worsening situation for Palestinians in Gaza. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's important to know that this incursion by Hamas marks the most Jews murdered since the Holocaust.
As my Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum wisely reminds us, it is important in this moment to hold multiple truths. Americans tend to want to focus on "good guys" and "bad guys" when really there are many truths here on all sides. I hope we'll all keep that in mind.
i continue to read up a storm of (mostly) Sapphic books, giving into a guilty pleasure of reading a number of Mafia Boss and Mafia Princess books. Great escapes and mostly fun. I'm in the middle of the last of these and then I'll move on. Lots of good stuff ahead, including a historical romance ARC I'm itching to get to...and soon, I hope, the release of J.E. Leak's final book in her fabulous series: In the Shadow of Victory, as well as Jen Lyon's final book in the series that began with The Senator's Wife. Oh, and Haley Cass has something new coming and I have to get my hands on the reissue of Linda Hill's Change of Heart. All that, plus the 300 or so books on my "want to read" list.
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
Academic Romance Books to Read This September - The New York Times
Congratulations to Anna Burke for this well-deserved visibility. First up is Anna Burke’s sapphic paranormal IN THE ROSES OF PIERIA (Bywater Books, ebook, $8.99), in which the historian Clara Eden leaves her dead-end college job for a post as an archivist, cataloging a private collection of artifacts for a mysterious woman named Agatha.
Celebrate the 8th annual Indie Author Day this November!
Each year, libraries and organizations around the world bring local indie authors, writers, and their communities together for a day of education, networking, writing, open mics, live panels, and so much more! Whether you currently have a similar event planned or would like to start one, registering with us is free and you gain access to all of our resources, workshop videos, promotional graphics, and support.
Amazon’s Orange Banner: The Anticlimax of Achievement | Jane Friedman
Turns out, the label of bestseller is, in many ways, fleeting. Books rise and fall on those lists, and the euphoria of hitting the top spot can quickly give way to the anxiety of maintaining that status or the realization that it hasn’t fundamentally changed much at all.
The 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature - The New York Times
hich have been the most influential in making and furthering queer culture? That was the question we posed to six writers — the essayist and novelist Roxane Gay, the playwright and educator James ljames, the playwright and actor Lisa Kron, the journalist and TV writer Thomas Page McBee, the novelist Neel Mukherjee and the fiction and nonfiction writer Edmund White
How Finding Her People Gave Author Lesléa Newman the Courage to Come Out
“I went and read my poems and the women in that room responded to my poetry in a way that nobody else ever had,” she remembers. “I thought, ‘these are my people.’ I came out through my poetry.”
Book Review: ‘Joanna Russ: Novels & Stories’ - The New York Times
a new collection of her most significant works, JOANNA RUSS: Novels & Stories (Library of America, 711 pp., $37.50), offers a valuable introduction to a pioneer who defied categories.
Jewelle Gomez: the Black lesbian writer who changed vampire fiction – and the world | Society | The Guardian
Her first novel was turned down by several publishers, then embraced by a feminist press. As an author, poet, playwright and activist, she has continued to claim space for queer storytellers
Eve Adams Was a Jewish Lesbian Trailblazer and Now There’s a Play About Her - Hey Alma
a Jewish immigrant trailblazer who ran a lesbian speakeasy in the West Village during prohibition, wrote and published the first written account of lesbian life in America (“Lesbian Love”) and — get this — wore pants.
Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich's Affair | Autostraddle
If McLellan’s mix of history and gossip is to be taken as fact then Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich acted in the movie Joyless Street together. And, as both would do many times throughout their careers, they had an affair with their co-star — each other.
This affair would end in heartbreak. The younger Garbo fell hard for Dietrich only to be seen as a mere fling as the German temptress gossiped about her all over town. After this soupçon of dyke drama, Garbo would require absolute secrecy from all of her future female lovers. She’d also request Dietrich’s silence moving forward, a demand that would be respected.
Mombian Database of LGBTQ Family Books Hits Milestone of 1,400+ Entries - Mombian
The Mombian Database is the largest, most current, searchable database of LGBTQ books for ages 0 to 12, with extensive reviews, and also includes LGBTQ parenting books, kids’ music, and more.
Marvel's VFX Team Refused To Cut The Gay Stuff From "Quantumania"
In MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, the authors describe some of the cuts made by Marvel to de-gay its films for the Chinese market, including “cutting a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it relationship in Wakanda Forever and excising the queer-friendly signs and flags in the background of the San Francisco scenes of Quantumania,”
Book bans are surging, taking an emotional and financial toll on authors | CNN
“I still don’t think most people grasp just how financially devastating this book banning era is to queer authors and authors from marginalized communities,” said Bildner, who runs the Author Village, a group that represents authors and illustrators for school visits. “And I know most people don’t grasp the emotional toll it’s having on the authors in the crosshairs.”
My Books Have Been Banned or Challenged in 16 States — Malinda Lo
In the last two years, my books have been banned, challenged, or restricted in 44 cases in 40 communities across 16 states. Last Night at the Telegraph Club receives the most attention, but Ash, Huntress, A Line in the Dark and A Scatter of Light have also been targeted by book banners. The book bans have increased over time, and in the last couple of months I’ve learned about a new one almost every week.
Book Banning Impacts IBPA Member Publishers, and How You Can Help This Banned Books Week - Independent Book Publishers Association
As a partner of Unite Against Book Bans, a national initiative to empower readers to stand together in the fight against censorship, IBPA recently polled our members about their experiences with book banning. The results are telling: 17 percent of the IBPA member publishers who responded said they’ve had a book challenged or banned. And more than double that number – 40 percent – believe book bans are impacting their business.
Librarians Didn’t Sign Up to Be Queer Activists—but This Year, They Are | The New Republic
Anti-LGBTQ activists are increasingly targeting public reading spaces—and librarians are our best defenders.
San Diego Library Protest Against Pride Books Draws a Backlash - The New York Times
Stacks of Amazon boxes containing new copies of the books the protesters checked out started to arrive at the library after The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on the protest. Roughly 180 people, mostly San Diegans, gave more than $15,000 to the library system, which after a city match will provide over $30,000 toward more L.G.B.T.Q.-themed materials and programming, including an expansion of the system’s already popular drag queen story hours.
‘Knowledge is power’: new app helps US teens read books banned in school | US news | The Guardian
It functions through GPS-based geo-targeting; by typing in your zip code, you are shown the complete list of titles prohibited in your area. Once you download the Palace e-reader app, these books are available to download.
California governor signs law barring schoolbook bans based on diversity issues : NPR
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Monday prohibiting school boards across the state from banning books, instructional materials or curricula categorized as inclusive or diverse.
Students and authors sue Florida school district over book ban
The school district outside Orlando restricted a children’s book about two male penguins who decide to start a family together.
"Rosie, this is NOT a gay thing": New book spills all the tea on Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna & 'A League of Their Own' - Queerty
In one particular chapter, Rosie O’Donnell reveals that director Penny Marshall “made a choice not to deal with the women’s sexuality. It was very interesting when we met [the players] and they all had partners . . . some absurd statistic percentages of those women were, in fact, lesbians.”
News You Can Use
Laphonza Butler Takes Feinstein’s Senate Seat, Becomes First Out Lesbian and POC To Serve - GO Magazine
“An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate,”
Melissa Etheridge’s Broadway Show Opened Last Night -
Melissa Etheridge’s new Broadway show, My Window, officially opened last night and will play through November 19. Aptly named after her most famous song, the show is an autobiographical journey through song.
Christine Vachon, Hollywood’s Greatest Anomaly | Vanity Fair
Vachon is in an overdue class of her own. She has produced films that have won top critics’ best-picture prizes, like Haynes’s Carol and Safe; films that have won major Oscars, like Boys Don’t Cry and Still Alice; cultural landmarks like Hedwig and the Angry Inch; and hidden gems like I Shot Andy Warhol. Her résumé ranks among the best and deepest of any living producer. Her lack of an Oscar nomination is more glaring by the year.
In “The Aunties,” Farmers Donna Dear and Paulette Greene Continue Harriet Tubman’s Legacy | Them
the couple are the subject of a forthcoming short film co-directed by their niece, urban farmer and activist Jeannine Kayembe-Oro and artist Charlyn/ Magdaline Griffith/ Oro. Titled “The Aunties: From the North Star to the Poplar,” the short documentary traces the couple’s origin story, their relationship to Tubman’s legacy, and the ongoing work they do on the farm promoting climate justice in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay.
Lesbian Travel Influencers Kirstie Pike and Christine Diaz Are Hardly On Airplane Mode - Tagg Magazine
They document their adventures and give advice to fellow queer travelers on their LGBTQ+ travel platform, On Airplane Mode
Ashlyn Harris Ali Krieger Divorce Devastates Lesbian Community | Autostraddle
Lesbians with a deep investment in women’s soccer and the relationships between women’s soccer players have been concerned about Ali and Ashlyn’s relationship health for some time now, as the two had begun attending events separately and were no longer appearing together on social media.
The Dinah Taught Me It's Not About Fitting In
at The Dinah, there were queer women and nonbinary folks of every body type, and with myriad clothing, hair, and other aesthetic styles. And amid this range, it seemed everyone had an air of confidence,
(1) 50 Years of 'Lesbian Connection' - by Kira Deshler
Lesbian Connection, a grassroots, community-driven lesbian magazine that has been in publication bimonthly since 1974.
‘Herstory’ walking tour highlights historic lesbian sites in the Village
NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, a non-profit dedicated to preserving and memorializing LGBTQ history throughout the city, with an ever-expanding interactive map of over 450 notable places
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