Me Time
A Good Reading and Watching Year So Far
I write a lot here about books I've read that I really loved, and I'll continue to do so. 2026 has been a good reading year so far. Of the 18 books I've read to date, 8 of them are top notch, which is almost half! I want to recommend the book I just finished yesterday: Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, which will be available March 24th. In some ways, this book reminded me of Jen Lyon's brilliant award-winner, The Unfinished Line, in that it completely gutted me at the end. The writing is exquisite and engaging. It's a long book but it didn't feel too long since it covered nearly 40 years in the lives of its two main characters.
What I intended to write about here is what I watch on TV, mostly on streaming. I usually watch when I exercise at home on a recumbent bike. Right now I'm about 4 episodes into this fourth season of Bridgerton, eager for the sapphic plot line described in one of the links below. Before that, I finished the PBS American Experience documentary on the history of New York City, which begins with the Native Americans and ends with a sad final episode on September 11th. I learned a lot about my home city and found most of the episodes really well done.
I also watched the first episode of the new series written by Lisa McGee, the writer of the amazing Derry Girls series. This new show, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, takes place when the Derry Girls generation are 30ish adults and centers around the mystery of a long-lost school friend. While I miss the Derry Girls characters, there's still a good amount of quirky humor in this show, so I'll definitely watch the rest of it when I'm done with Bridgerton.
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
2026 Reader Survey: What Readers Want, Buy, and Expect - Written Word Media 2026 Reader Survey: What Readers Want, Buy, and Expect
Readers are voracious, with a third reading over 100 books a year Email newsletters are a top discovery channel, beating social media and even bookstores Price sensitivity is high — most readers spend under $5 per book Human connection matters — from narration to newsletters, authenticity is key Readers want to support indie authors, but it’s up to you to make it easy
Love Isn’t Vapid: Stop Dismissing the Romance Genre
So many people love to hate the romance genre, often dismissing it as vapid, silly, or even harmful — but it’s time to change our attitude toward romance.
Suzanne Collins’ 'Sunrise on the Reaping' Takes Top Honors at the 31st Annual Audie Awards Gala - Publishing Perspectives
At a star-studded gala held at New York’s Pier 60 on March 2, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) unveiled the winners of the 31st Annual Audie Awards, with Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping, narrated by Jefferson White, earning the top honor of the evening, Audiobook of the Year.
Human Authored Usage Guidelines - The Authors Guild
To use the Human Authored certification mark, an author or publisher must register the works they wish to certify as Human Authored and agree to the terms of the license.
The certification mark may only be used in connection with literary works for which the text itself was fully authored by one or more human beings and not generated by AI, except for a de minimis amount (such as through the use of AI-powered spelling and grammar check applications). Use of generative AI to create a table of contents, indices, or other auxiliary parts of a book, or for researching, brainstorming, outlining, or any purposes other than generating text does not disqualify a work from being Human Authored.
Writers Are Being Targeted by Scams. This Reporter Knows the Feeling. - The New York Times
It turns out that the fawning emails I’ve been receiving are mere specks in a virtual mudslide of fraud descending upon the publishing world. Scam artists overseas, using artificial intelligence, are impersonating publishing figures on illegitimate websites and in flattering emails, to hoodwink both fledgling and established authors into paying fees for services never to be rendered.
Dorothy Allison Authored a New Kind of Queer Lit
The novelist who wrote Bastard Out of Carolina passed away in November 2024. Her legacy includes lesbian literature that valued working-class voices
How Amy Spalding Built a Four-Book Sapphic Romance Universe
Amy Spalding has nothing but warm feelings as she releases the last book in her ‘Out in Hollywood’ queer adult romance series.
“I’m so happy with In Her Spotlight and where it leaves all of our characters — those you’ve just met, those you’ve known longer,”
8 Tips for Writing an Unreliable Narrator - WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
These characters can be tricky because if you don’t set them up properly, they won’t be sympathetic. And their lives typically spiral into confusion and chaos—a path many readers won’t want to follow unless they’re seriously invested.
Embrace Quirky: 5 Benefits of Using Animal Point-of-View Characters | Jane Friedman
What could an animal character bring to your story that a human character could not? From perspective, to takeaway lessons, to connecting with your ideal reader, using animal characters in fiction can work for novels of all age categories.
The Indie Author Bookstore |
The Indie Author Bookstore is a living showcase of Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) members’ books. Browse by genre, theme, and season—then buy direct from the author's preferred retailer. Every title comes from an ALLi member committed to ethical, professional self-publishing.
Bindery Books enlists 'bookfluencers' to choose its titles — is it working? - Los Angeles Times
Bindery Books, a startup founded by publishing veterans, uses social media book influencers as acquiring editors to champion underrepresented authors and build engaged reader communities. While not yet profitable, the startup has placed several titles on bestseller lists and is viewed as a potential model for industry innovation.
News For A Challenging Time
Out singer Brandi Carlile belts protest song while raising hundreds of thousands for Minneapolis - LGBTQ Nation
The concert benefited families affected by ICE’s occupation of the city.
In the Northwest, Polyamory Finds Something New: Legal Protection - The New York Times
The initiative in Olympia, Wash., to ban discrimination based on “diverse family structure,” for example, grew out of a drive to bolster the city’s sanctuary laws, which already included immigrants, to cover the L.G.B.T.Q. community when Mr. Trump returned to office last year.
Trump removed LGBTQ+ questions from hundreds of federal surveys - LGBTQ Nation
Approximately 360 federal data collections have removed at least one sexual orientation or gender identity question.
Culture and Joy
Anna Camp Comes Out Publicly as Bisexual (Exclusive)
The ‘Scream 7’ actress opens up on a new episode of the podcast 'I've Never Said This Before
Wanda Sykes Plays a Jacked Butch in This New Sports Drama and We’re Going Feral | Autostraddle
Co-written and directed by queer filmmaker Tamika Miller, the film follows Cheryl “No Mercy” Stewart as she attempts to reconnect with her son by becoming his boxing trainer.
Fans are obsessed with new sapphic storyline in Bridgerton season four -
In a tense scene in the second half of the latest season, Francesca and Michaela are seen to have a heightened conversation together which ends in a mutual decision to be “friends”. We’ll see about that…
Audiences were also quick to fall in love with a scene in which Francesca and Michaela gleefully dance together.
For a Lesbian Twist on ‘Cyrano,’ They Enlisted an Indigo Girl - The New York Times
Opening a decade after “Fun Home” debuted on Broadway, the new musical “Starstruck” has a lesbian protagonist and a female creative team. That still seems radical.
11 lesbian landmarks to visit this Women's History Month -
If you’re looking to connect with the lesbians of yesteryear this Women’s History Month, why not check out some of these key historical lesbian landmarks?
The queer suffragette known for scandalous affairs, bold protests & writing famous operas - LGBTQ Nation
Smyth’s name rarely comes up in conversations about suffragettes. Yet in the 1910s, she was deeply involved in every aspect of women’s fight for the right to vote in Britain. Tall and often donning tweed suits and men’s hats while riding her bicycle, she was an eye-catching figure on the streets of London. In the words of fellow suffragist and writer Sylvia Pankhurst, there was “little about her that was [traditionally] feminine.” Nevertheless, she attracted admirers of both sexes wherever she went.
This Victorian era teen lesbian love affair ended in murder, consumption... & an opera - Queerty
“When you tell anybody the story about two young women who fell in love, and we’re gonna run off together…then you tell him it’s 1892, people get very interested, and you start telling the story where they were struggling, and they get to the point where it’s a tragedy or one of them killed the other out of jealousy, out of heartbreak, or paranoia or whatever it was,” said Memphis Opera director Ned Canty, who commissioned the opera some years back, “It’s just very operatic to its very core
A Lesbian Film Trailblazer Remembered: ‘Barbara Forever’ Wins In Berlin - GO Magazine
In the 1970s, Hammer began producing works that highlighted lesbian desire, nudity, and erotic intimacy, at a time when such images were largely absent from screens. “I’m creating a lesbian history in a world where we’re invisible,” Hammer says early in the film.
The Black Feminist Collective That Gave Us Identity Politics
As Barbara Smith, a co-author of the statement, said of its significance: “The concept of the simultaneity of oppression is still the crux of a Black feminist understanding of political reality and, I believe, one of the most significant ideological contributions of Black feminist thought. We examined our own lives and found that everything out there was kicking our behinds — race, class, sex, and homophobia. We saw no reason to rank oppressions or, as many forces in the Black community would have us do, to pretend that sexism, among all ‘isms,’ was not happening to us.”
Q&A: Leigh H. Mosley's 'Pioneers for Justice' Documentary
The artist and activist has been photographing an ever-changing city for more than six decades.
All Things LGBTQ Interview Show: Margie Adam - YouTube
VIDEO: All Things LGBTQ Interview Show: Margie Adam
"Am I too bold, Eve—tell me?": This lesbian first lady's steamy love letters were way too hot for 1890 - Queerty
Rose Cleveland was a brilliant and unusual first lady for a few reasons. Most notably, she wasn’t actually married to the president during her time as First Lady, for the very good reason that he was her brother. Also, she was a lesbian
Unsung heroes: 6 queer moms who revolutionized LGBTQ+ family building - LGBTQ Nation
The queer moms featured in this story have spent years (decades in some cases) expanding representation and pushing for greater equity in how LGBTQ+ people create and raise families. They are not politicians, celebrities, or the heads of national organizations. Several are better known through their work than by their names. But within queer parenting and family-building circles, they have become deeply trusted and widely relied upon.
First Lesbian History Day to take place on 6 September -
will be celebrated every single year with the creation of Lesbian History Day. Celebrated on 6 September, this new annual observance will bring together communities around the world to honour this rich and diverse history. Founded by DIVA Charitable Trust trustee Marie-Helene Tyack, Lesbian History Day is a reminder that lesbians have, and always will be, here.
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We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. Carlos Castaneda