Me Time
My Pride Holdings
I'm chiming in with everyone else to wish you all a Happy Pride Month! Tis the season for all things rainbow. And what would Pride Month be without the ongoing debate about the role of corporate support. Well, except this year we're talking about corporate retreat. So, I imagine the traditional opponents are wagging their fingers and saying, "We told you so. Capitalism giveth and capitalism taketh away." Very true, yet I have to admit I enjoy walking around Manhattan seeing all the windows and company signs festooned with rainbows. Ah, yet again, an issue in which I am holding multiple truths. Boy are my hands tired!
So in the spirit of Pride, I'll share 3 links--two to Sapphic books I read as Advanced Review Copies (ARCs) that I awarded 5 stars plus one request.
Book 1: Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales: a YA rich girl-poor girl/royalty-commoner romance set in a fictional European country. Great couple chemistry and the portrait of the Princess was incredibly well drawn.
Book 2: Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski: available June 10. A beautifully written second chance romance with a bisexual main character written from her POV. This is a romance wrapped in literary fiction. A long book that never felt long. I wanted it to go on and on.
Request: Thursday, June 5 is Give Out Day, the queer version of Giving Tuesday. You'll find all kinds of great LGBTQ groups to support, but I of course have to single out the Golden Crown Literary Society, our international organization dedicated to celebrating Sapphic literature. If you donate through Give Out Day, GCLS becomes eligible for bonus cash prizes. The site is now open for early gifts so you don't have to wait til June 5. Give to GCLS by going here.
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
The legend of the lesbian wolf girls at Vassar College - GayCities
While I was on campus, I’d occasionally hear jokes about the “Wolf Girls”—a kind of lesbian folklore passed down from the all-women’s college days. The story went something like this: a group of girls who wore wolf skins and howled at the moon, defiantly queer and unbothered by the rules. I assumed it was just myth until a friend sent me a copy of Wolf Girls at Vassar, a collection of alumni essays. Inside were firsthand accounts confirming the girls were real—and unforgettable.
The Practicing Writer 2.0: A Newsletter from Erika Dreifus | Substack
A fabulous monthly newsletter for writers with no-fee resources: contests, awards, calls for submissions, residencies. Practicing Writer 2.0: A Newsletter from Erika Dreifus
Melissa Febos Was Addicted to Romance. So, in ‘The Dry Season,’ She Went a Year Without Sex. - The New York Times
Ms. Febos with her wife, the poet Donika Kelly, whom she met toward the end of her year of abstinence.
Alison Bechdel Never Thought She'd Be This Successful | Autostraddle
Alison Bechdel’s new book Spent is like nothing she’s ever done before — and it’s like everything she’s done before all at the same time. A work of auto-fiction, Spent is about a cartoonist named Alison Bechdel who is writing a book about her relationship to money during the pandemic and whose closest friends are characters last seen in Bechdel’s iconic comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For.
Book Review: ‘Spent,’ by Alison Bechdel - The New York Times
Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel, “Spent,” is a domestic comedy about ethical consumption under capitalism.
The Annotated Nightstand: What Alison Bechdel Is Reading Now, and Next ‹ Literary Hub
My stack is a mix of books that serve as guides to the political moment (Schulman, and the late Urvashi Vaid with their maps for coalition-building), and books that offer enough escapism from the fascist onslaught to allow me to sleep at night
Refilling Your Creative Well with Artist Dates - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
Despite the perennial advice of butt in chair, sometimes we need to get away from our desks to find the solution to our writing frustrations. Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way recommends just that with her concept of Artist Dates–weekly, solo outings doing something that intrigues or enchants you.
2025 Unpublished Novel Award | The Black List
The Unpublished Novel Award celebrates stellar unpublished manuscripts in seven genres: Children's & Young Adult, Crime & Mystery, Horror, Literary Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and Thriller & Suspense. A panel of esteemed judges with backgrounds in book publishing, film, and television will select one exceptional manuscript in each genre to receive a $10,000 grant to support its journey to publication.
Free-to-use Picture Resources for Writers
You have options other than Generative AI to illustrate your work (Thanks to Erika Dreifus for this link.)
Writing 101: Point of View Basics - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
The viewpoint you choose determines who tells the story, how much the reader knows, and how deeply they connect with the characters. From first-person to third-person omniscient, your decision about point of view can make or break how your story unfolds and how readers experience it.
3 Keys to a Successful Writing Accountability Partnership | Jane Friedman
In one year of having a writing accountability partner, or “writing buddy”, I’ve accomplished more on my creative writing than I have in nearly a decade
The Curious Case of the AI-Generated Summer Reading Roundup
Most of the books on the list don’t exist and were not written by the authors mentioned in the piece. Isabel Allende didn’t write “Tidewater Dreams.” Rumaan Alam didn’t write “The Longest Day.” Rebecca Makkai didn’t write “Boiling Point.” Those books don’t exist. Maggie O’Farrell didn’t write “Migrations” (Charlotte McConaghy did). The list, compiled by Marco Buscaglia, was generated by AI
News For A Challenging Time
19 companies pulling back their support for Pride
Numerous corporations that have previously presented themselves as champions of the LGBTQ community have pulled their support for Pride parades this month, a Popular Information investigation reveals.
"These Colors Don't Run": HRC Launches Defiant Protest Campaign For Pride
The image of an eagle with feathers the colors of the progress pride flag went viral
The Internet Has Some Strong Words For Target's "Embarrassing" Pride Collection - GO Magazine
the 2025 Pride collection—as a safe play meant to appear inclusive without upsetting anyone who might complain.
Pride Month 2025: Why Florida ranks last for LGBTQ+ people safety
Home security and safety blog SafeHome.org released their annual report of the best and worst states for LGBTQ+ safety, noting hate crimes have risen for the fourth year in a row and 71% of LGBTQ+ adults have avoided a public space due to fear of discrimination or violence.
Reneé Rapp Says Her Home is a “Lesbian Frat House” Full of Queer Friends | Them
She said that, even in her group of friends, they have an agreement to help protect the most marginalized and vulnerable among them. “We kind of have a pact among certain friends of mine that’s like, ‘I can take a way bigger blow than you can. Let me do that shit,’” she said. “I’m not going to let my friend who exists in a trans body go out and put themselves at risk because they immediately have a way bigger target on their back.”
Supreme Court rejects appeal of Massachusetts student who wanted to wear ‘only two genders’ T-shirt
the justices left in place a federal appeals court ruling that said it would not second-guess the decision of educators in Middleborough, Massachusetts, to not allow the T-shirt to be worn in a school environment because of a negative impact on transgender and gender-nonconforming students.
LGBTQ+ physicians sue HHS, NIH over grant cuts | STAT
Plaintiffs argue termination of more than $800 million in research funding endangers lives
Bluesky Is Plotting a Total Takeover of the Social Internet | WIRED
All the lefties fled to Bluesky following Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. But CEO Jay Graber says the app is for everyone—and could revolutionize how people communicate online.
Lesbian Teen Attacked at Illinois McDonald’s Wants Hate Crime Charges Pressed | Them
“How it started was because I’m a lesbian — just because I walked into the woman’s bathroom, and I looked the way I look,” Grass added.
Tariffs hit hard, but queer-owned brands push back with transparency and community - News Is Out
Queer-owned businesses have begun speaking out about the effect of the tariffs and what they are doing to combat rising costs, or at least how to bring consumers’ attention to them.
Culture and Joy
Cynthia Erivo Doesn’t Want You to Hide: “That is Exactly What They Want” | Them
The Wicked star opened up about her own coming-out journey in a new interview.
Reneé Rapp Addresses Criticism Of Coming Out As Lesbian
if you don't allow people to change and to evolve and grow and grow into themselves — I'm so sorry, I grew up in the South where...let me stop myself because I will start crying. I grew up in the South, where you don't do that."
Towa Bird Wooed Reneé Rapp With a Pegging Joke | Autostraddle
When talking to Reneé in the interview proper, one of the things she asks is how she met her girlfriend Towa Bird. After joking about having a rolodex of everyone sexy, she says she asked to be introduced to Towa, and that Towa was actually “such a bitch” the first time they met. And one of the next times they met, they were talking about cars and Reneé said, “I wouldn’t peg you as someone who would drive that kind of car” and Towa didn’t miss beat before responding, “Oh, you don’t wanna peg me?” Reneé admits that in that moment she was out-flirted, and she was into it.
Rosie O'Donnell On How Her Child Came Out As Nonbinary
"They said to me, 'Mommy, I'm nonbinary. I'm not a boy and I'm not a girl.' I said, 'Okay, fantastic.'"
'The Pitt' Breakout Star Supriya Ganesh Comes Out As Queer, Inspired by Lily Gladstone | Autostraddle
27-year-old actor Supriya Ganesh played Dr. Samira Mohan on The Pitt — the addictive HBO Max medical drama which has one asexual and two seemingly-queer women characters in it (you know the ones). Although unfortunately neither of those two seemingly-queer women characters are Dr. Samira Mohan, you will be pleased to learn on this very day that Supriya Ganesh herself is queer, and uses she/they pronouns.
Bella Ramsey Is Alive and Well | Them
The Last of Us star opens up about exploring gender through video games, managing their rising public profile, and reconnecting with their craft.
10 Hot Lesbian Movies To Prepare for a Hot Lesbian Summer | Autostraddle
And if you want even more lesbian movies check out Autostraddle’s Encyclopedia of Lesbian Cinema.
An all-lesbian film festival in western Kentucky is thriving
Cinema Systers is a declaration that lesbian voices belong, and they deserve to be heard in rural places too.
Sapphism Was the Big Winner at Sunday’s American Music Awards | Them
several erotically charged sapphic moments and saw quite a few queer artists, including Billie Eilish and Doechii, take home trophies. AMA winners are all determined by fan votes, meaning that plenty of people wanted to see #QueerWomenWinning on screen.
Meet All 36 Gay WNBA Players of the 2025 Season | Autostraddle
we find ourselves here, today, with 36 definitively out gay players. There are also four players I’ve seen mentioned elsewhere as gay but can’t find additional sources to confirm, and some rookies who could come out as the season progresses, perhaps! I will update this post as events warrant.
Why Brittney Griner has been ‘rejuvenated’ since joining Atlanta Dream - The Athletic
Griner and her wife, Cherelle, are parents to 10-month-old son, Bash, who is wide-eyed, curious and learning to walk. Parenting responsibilities are not the only difference in Griner’s life this spring. (No gift link so not sure if this is behind a paywall.)
Meet the Cast of Netflix's ‘The Ultimatum: Queer Love’ Season Two | Them
The show returns on June 25.
A gala for Jewish Queer Youth celebrates untold, queer Jewish stories – The Forward
“While I am proudly Jewish and queer, I never aspired to be an icon,” Sussman said, “I see this award as an opportunity to live up to the status of icon, to be a role model to the young people of JQY that I wish I had growing up, to motivate them to pursue their biggest, boldest dreams and believe in their magic. If a cis, Jewish queer lady can win a Tony while raising a tiny human with her wife, then maybe I can, too. This award holds me accountable to them.”
How the West Village's Henrietta Hudson thrives as other lesbian bars shutter - Gothamist
their prioritization of making everyone feel safe, comfortable, and well represented, significantly by hiring regulars who know how to make patrons feel welcome
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A Terrific Quote
Daily Inspiration | Inspiring Quotes
A good friend is a connection to life — a tie to the past, a road to the future.