Me Time
The Sapphic Lit Community Was In the Zone at the GCLS Con in St. Paul
Wow! What an amazing (and exhausting) time. Everyone I know who attended the Golden Crown Literary Society conference last week is either sick or decompressing or both. But the social media posts I've seen are glowing. This was my first Con as a GCLS board member so I spent a lot of time behind the registration desk checking people in and assembling conference bags. Thanks to all the volunteers!
I did manage to attend some panels, including three focused on raising the visibility of under-represented communities: trans and non-binary, bisexual, and neurodiverse. I learned a lot, felt challenged in a good way, and came away feeling like many of us have work to do. Kudos to all those who spoke on these panels and bravely shared their truths.
Congrats to all the Goldie award winners, including many good friends Tig Ashton, Catherine Maiorisi, Jaycie Morrison, Kris Bryant as well as 5-star books I read by Macon Leigh, JE Leak, and Haley Cass.
Luckily, right before the Con, we spent a week in Cherry Grove relaxing, so I was able to get a lot of reading done. I can recommend three 5-star books I read and reviewed: Carrie Byrd's debut, Loser of the Year; the 8th book in Ali Vali's Cain Casey series, The Devil You Know; and (I know I'm late to the party with) Lee Winter's debut, The Red Files.
The photo is of the GCLS board at the end of our meeting right before the Con.
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
Forbidden Girl Author Kristen Zimmer Talks Sapphic Romance - Tagg Magazine
“Contemporary romance is the bread and butter of sapphic literature,” Zimmer affirms. “I would love for there to be more of a crossover of genres in the future. I hope the readers of my past two contemporary romance books will give dark romance a try with Forbidden Girl.”
'Unsuitable' Looks at the Dynamic History of Lesbian Fashion | Autostraddle
Fashion historian Eleanor Medhurst explores all this and more in her new book Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion.
Miriam Margolyes needs more than one memoir – The Forward
She is an outspoken, ribald, 82-year old feminist, a Cambridge University-educated Jewish lesbian. Her many appearances on “chat shows” and two recent memoirs — the new Oh Miriam: Stories from an Extraordinary Life, released recently in the U.S., is a sequel to the the previous This Much Is True
A Romance Bookstore Boom - The New York Times
There’s a boom in romance bookstores. More than 20 of them have sprung up around the United States in the past few years — up from just two in 2020 — and more are on the way.
Like It or Not, Publishers Are Licensing Books for AI Training—And Using AI Themselves | Jane Friedman
Publishers are beginning to differentiate between two types of AI use in the writing and publishing process. During a Book Industry Study Group panel about AI use, Gregory M. Britton, editorial director at Johns Hopkins University Press, discussed these two types. One is content creation, which publishers have legal concerns about, and the other is the content management, or the editorial tools, which JHU encourages. “I think it would be foolish for an author to submit a manuscript without running spell check on it before they turn it in,” and he sees AI editing tools as analogous.
Looking Back on 70s Lesbian Feminist Film, Sci-Fi To Reimagine the Future
in these texts “lesbian” was not just an identity category that described women who loved other women — it was a force with the potential to help us move towards a more liberatory future.
Why Diversity in Book Publishing Matters
sales departments largely dismissed them to focus on bigger (read: white) books. I tried my best to move the needle enough so attention was paid. It was and remains challenging.
How to Write Compelling Inner Conflict | Jane Friedman
how can we show a character’s inner turmoil in a way that reminds readers of their own experiences?
Top 10 Tips On Writing A Fantasy Novel - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
Here’s a few key conventions of fantasy novels
News You Can Use
The Lesbian Sex Scenes in 'Bound' Seemed So Real the Movie Was Almost Rated NC-17 | Them
The co-stars of the beloved 1996 film noir spoke to The Hollywood Reporter at length about filming their iconic love scene
Julia Fox Confirms She's A Lesbian
"Maybe my ex-boyfriends weren’t wrong when they were calling me a lesbian and complaining that I never wanted to have sex with them" —Fox, 2022.
Cameroon's lesbian First Daughter: 'Let my story change the law'
The lesbian daughter of Cameroon’s president wants her nation to stop jailing homosexuals.
Robin Roberts on her fear of coming out publicly: "People think you can’t be gay and a Christian" - Queerty
I received a letter, a beautiful letter from the National Office at the Presbyterian Church after I announced about Amber, fully supportive, fully supportive, and then I think about all those years I wasted, worried, needless worry.
Kehlani Reminds Us All That They Are, Blessedly, A “Raging Lesbian” | Them
The “After Hours” singer, whose pronouns are she and they, posted two videos to TikTok on Sunday discussing their sexuality, and how their priorities have shifted. She stated that she had been “bisexual my entire life, then came out as a lesbian almost four years ago now.” But it was only recently that Kehlani realized “all of the fucking elevation in my life that has come from decentering men in every fucking area of it.”
Conversation with Leisha Hailey & Jenna Lyons - Coveteur: Inside Closets, Fashion, Beauty, Health, and Travel
Two decades after the premiere of the iconic series, the friends catch up at Cubbyhole with Coveteur.
Fans Certain WNBA's Kate Martin Has Come Out | Autostraddle
In her instagram stories, Kate posted a mirror selfie with likely girlfriend Claire Gransee with the message, “switched coasts for the weekend.”
Louisa Jacobson celebrates her "joyful new era" by coming out (on her mom Meryl Streep's birthday!) - Queerty
In an Instagram post shared on June 22, which marked Streep’s 75th birthday, The Gilded Age star shared a series of candid pictures with the caption, “blessed to be entering the Joyful New Era bb ❤️🔥🏳️🌈.”
Sharon Kleinbaum gets stellar send-off after 32 years as rabbi at CBST
The evening was hosted by veteran lesbian comedian Kate Clinton, who noted that Kleinbaum was the first full-time Rabbi at the synagogue.
EXCLUSIVE: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on speaking out and showing up
America’s first Black and first openly queer White House press secretary.
40 Sapphic Artists of Color to Listen to During Hot Lesbian Pop Summer | Them
Have you heard the good news? The lesbian pop renaissance is upon us.
10 Facts About 'Go Fish' from Guinevere Turner and Rose Troche | Autostraddle
A room full of dykes of all ages watched and reacted to this thirty year old film with pained and delighted recognition. We may no longer use cassette tapes and corded phones, but who among us doesn’t have a friend who makes bad romantic decisions? (Or maybe we’re the friend who makes bad romantic decisions.)
Lily Gladstone Is Remarkable as a Butch Lesbian in 'Fancy Dance' | Autostraddle
Surprising no one, Fancy Dance offers another incredible, strong-willed performance from Lily Gladstone. As Jax, they embody that cool lesbian aunt you always wanted to have who is so chill, dresses in plaid and tanks, and tries to handle everything independently, despite her decisions being impulsive and questionable.
In the Queer Coming-of-Age Film ‘My Old Ass,’ Aubrey Plaza Guides Her Younger Self | Them
A struggling queer teenager juxtaposed with a near-40 version of the same character is a welcome spin on the genre.
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution Review: Netflix Doc Is Searing
An ambitious, informative film unites Lily Tomlin, Margaret Cho, Sandra Bernhard, Robin Tyler and many more
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Being a “Late-Blooming” Lesbian | Them
The awkward late-blooming lesbian moment has arrived, but better now than not at all.
Dakota Johnson Is a Late-Blooming Lesbian in the Trailer for ‘Am I OK?’ | Them
Co-directed by Tig Notaro and her wife, fellow comedian Stephanie Allynne, Am I OK? stars Johnson as Lucy, a 30-something Angeleno who just can’t figure out why she’s not connecting with any of the guys she dates. Cut to her engaging in a well-worn queer rite of passage: Googling “Am I a lesbian quiz” at an inopportune moment.
(12) Lesbian Dad, Butch Body - by Heather Hogan - Cattywampus
"butch" isn’t just a masculine aesthetic. It's an energy. It's a temperament. It's a demeanor. It's a thing you just know, and the best feeling in the whole world is when you can finally own it
She was looking for a retirement project. She found ‘lesbian paradise.’ - The Washington Post
In “The Pagoda,” Rose Norman details a lesbian-feminist community that thrived in Florida for over 20 years.
Helpful Tools
How the ‘Everywhere Is Queer’ App Is Helping LGBTQ+ People Find Queer-Owned Businesses | Them
Founder Charlie Sprinkman spoke with The 19th about their idea to launch a digital map and directory of over 13,000 resources, from bookstores to salons and therapists.
A Terrific Quote
Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.