Queer people have always existed. In every era, in every culture, even when the world around us refused to see it, we’ve been here. And wherever queer life was forced underground, queer language finds a way to surface. Sometimes it’s in coded gestures or private diaries. Sometimes in poems, letters, or novels that seemed innocent … Continue reading Queer people have always found each other
Tag: Writing
Why Fan Fiction Matters to the Queer Community
I’m a big fan of fan fiction, both as a pastime and as a general concept. My introduction to fan fiction came in the 1990s, when I stumbled onto an online forum where people were writing alternate storylines for a popular TV show. At first, I thought it was just a fun way to imagine … Continue reading Why Fan Fiction Matters to the Queer Community
Storytelling & Resilience
Stories aren't just for entertainment - they're integral to our survival and humanity. And now, more than ever, we need storytellers. The Ancient Secret to Resilience (That Science Is Only Now Catching Up To) Long before there were research papers and data charts, there were stories. Stories told around fires. Stories sung in ceremonies. Stories … Continue reading Storytelling & Resilience
Queer book review: Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson
Writers can learn a lot by reading. This novella is a great study in plot and character arcs, pacing, feminine horror, representing less represented queer identities, and toxic relationship dynamics. Overview Bloom by Delilah Dawson is the story of Ro, a very new assistant professor of literature, and her obsessive relationship with Ash, an artisan … Continue reading Queer book review: Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson
Doubt
I saw this movie back in 2008 in the theater, and really liked, but I haven't seen the whole thing start to finish since then. This morning it happened to be on, and I sat and watched it and was amazed all over again. It's actually quite good, and it's a great movie for a … Continue reading Doubt
Misogynistic characters vs misogynistic writing
I've talked about this with a number of women who write over the past few years, as we have been exposed to stories where misogyny is featured and stories where the narrative itself - and often the writer - is actually misogynistic. Conflating those two things is dangerous. One is a way of exploring and … Continue reading Misogynistic characters vs misogynistic writing
Institutions will not save us
To all my fellow writers: There was a book published back in the late 1970s about the Holocaust, in which the author concluded that while there were a lot of individuals who did speak out and attempt to do what they could to push back on Nazi policies and protect Jewish people and others who … Continue reading Institutions will not save us
Post-liminality
The last six months of my life have been turmoil. They've also been weirdly productive. And I don't mean productive the the corporate American work ethos sense of the word, but in the sense that things were flowing, and I handled what I had to handle, and I was fairly calm the entire time. You … Continue reading Post-liminality
“Kill what you can’t save”
I'm a long time admirer of Margaret Atwood and her work, but I'm not as familiar with her early poetry, which I've only recently begun to delve into. Atwood the author behind The Handmaid's Tale, which was initially thought to be a dystopian novel but is actually a prophetic look into future of the U.S. … Continue reading “Kill what you can’t save”
Resistance through representation
As I troll through my various islands of internet camaraderie and outrage, I'm seeing the word "resistance" a lot. There is certainly a spewing plethora of negative impulses and cruelty and just plain stupidity out there that needs to be resisted in various ways. Through the ages, writers and artists of various kinds have done … Continue reading Resistance through representation
Mental Wanderings: Art, Nature, Life 