Link Round Up: Oct 3-9

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Danika Ellis

Malinda Lo posted September 2012 in Review: Photos.

Rae Spoon was interviewed at Media Mornings.

Golondrina Manga, Volume 1 by Est Em was reviewed at Okazu.

Dreaming in French: The Paris Years of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Susan Sontag, and Angela Davis by Alice Kaplan was interviewed at Lambda Literary.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson was discussed at Out on the Shelves Library and reviewed at Bonjour, Cass.

Link Round Up: September 11-18

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Danika Ellis

AfterEllen posted Queer Book Roundup: September.

Autostraddle posted Listling: Reasons You Should Read Santa Olivia Immediately and How About a Little LGBT History With Your Theater.

Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian posted My Fall Reading List: New Books by Mariko Tamaki, Rae Spoon, and Emma Donoghue.

Lambda Literary posted a mini link round up.

The Outer Alliance posted OA Podcast #24: Changing the Conversation (Recorded at WorldCon).

Queeries posted Forbidden Love 20 years later.

Sarah Diemer posted about the sexualization of lesbian fiction and Melusine, a Free YA Short Story — Part of Project Unicorn (A Lesbian YA Extravaganza).

Jewelle Gomez was interviewed at Curve Magazine.

Malinda Lo posted her Adaptation booktour schedule and was interviewed at Dorothy Surrenders.

Gayle Pitman, author of Fringe: On the Edges of the Mainstream Gay Community, was reviewed at Shelly’s LGBT Book Review Blog.

One In Every Crowd by Ivan Coyote was reviewed at Vancouver Desi.

Plenitude magazine was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

Out of the Past by Glenda Poulter was reviewed at Terry’s Lesfic Reviews.

Outlaw Marriages: The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples by Rodger Streitmatter was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

As always, check out even more links at the Lesbrary’s twitter feed!

Bottle Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittall was discussed at Bonjour, Cass!

Link round up: August 15-21

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danika Ellis

AfterEllen posted Batwoman #12: Happy anniversary, lesbian superhero! Here, have a Wonder Woman!

Autostraddle posted

Read a F*cking Canadian Book, Eh: Shani Mootoo’s “Cereus Blooms at Night”
Queer Ladies Speed-Dating at Strand Bookstore Happened, Was A Huge Success
Lez Liberty Lit: Your New Biweekly Guide To Queer Lady Literature (The Lesbrary is featured in this article!!)
Millennials Buy The Most Books, Will Save The (Publishing) World (not les/bi/etc related, but it’s Autostraddle, so.)

Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian posted New Stories by Mariko Tamaki and Zoe Whittall; Plus, Queer Feminist Read Dating in Toronto!

Lambda Literary posted

lesbian meets books nyc posted Hunting the Slipper: Bringing Back Out of Print Lesbian Books.

The Outer Alliance posted Coming Out #8: Barbara Ann Wright on The Pyramid Waltz.

Sistahs on the Shelf Literary Promo Blog posted Sistahs on the Shelf featured in reSOUND magazine! and SOTS Books 2 Check Out – August 2012.

Women and Words posted Upcoming event in the UK for LGBTQ readers & writers!

Ivan E. Coyote will be at the Vancouver Writers Fest (October 16-21 2012).

Malinda Lo posted Presenting…the official trailer for Adaptation!

Catherine Lundoff posted The Highs and Lows of Promoting Lesbian Fiction by Catherine Lundoff.

KG Macgregor was interviewed at Lambda Literary.

“Kung Fu Lesbian – Book Trailer” was posted at One More Lesbian.

Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino was reviewed at Good Lesbian Books.

OMGQueer edited by Katherine E. Lynch & Radclyffe was reviewed at Good Lesbian Books.

Sidecar by Ann McMan was reviewed at Good Lesbian Books.

Everything Pales in Comparison by Rebecca Swartz was reviewed at Winnipeg Free Press.

As always, check out even more links by following the Lesbrary on twitter!

Lesbrary Link Round Up: August 8-15

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Danika Ellis

The Advocate posted 21 LGBT Biographies or Memoirs You Should Read Now.

AfterEllen posted Batwoman and Batgirl team up for an epic battle of epicness in “Batgirl #12”.

Autostraddle posted Read a F*cking Book: 20 Best Young Adult Novels For Queer Girls.

Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian posted Montreal’s Queer Between the Covers Bookfair (August 18): Fun Times for Queer Nerds.

Elisa posted Particular Voices: Adrienne J. Smith (January 9, 1934 – August 10, 1992).

Lambda Literary posted Chloe Sevigny, Justin Vivian Bond, and Eileen Myles Perform at Free Pussy Riot Public Reading and Watch Emma Donoghue Talk About Her New Play ‘Talk of the Town’.

Ivan E. Coyote was interviewed at The Rumpus.

Sarah Diemer posted Curse Cabin Confession, a Free YA Short Story — Part of Project Unicorn (A Lesbian YA Extravaganza).

Emma Donoghue was interviewed at Bay Times.

Bett Norris posted Do You Like Free Stuff?

Linda Hirschman (author of Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution) was interviewed at The Advocate.

“Jeanette Winterson at Sydney Opera House” was posted on Youtube.

Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino was reviewed at Good Lesbian Books.

Dare, Truth or Promise by Paula Boock was reviewed at Good Lesbian Books.

Being the Steel Drummer by Liz Bradbury was reviewed at The Rainbow Reader.

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi was reviewed at Lindy Reads and Reviews.

Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

Memory Board by Jane Rule was reviewed by Casey the Canadian Lesbrarian.

As always, check out more links by following us on twitter @Lesbrary!

Danika reviews The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Danika Ellis

I’ve seen The Dark Wife reviewed and recommended all over the place, and I’ve been following the author’s blogs for a while, so I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how I would actually like it. Luckily, it doesn’t disappoint.

Honestly, you’ve probably heard this all before: The Dark Wife is a teen lesbian retelling of the myth of ~~Persepolis~~ (oops!) Persephone and Hades. That pretty much tells you all you need to know! Once you’ve heard the basic blurb of the book, there isn’t too much that comes up to surprise you. It’s not a plot-driven book, really. It is just a slowly building love story, one that comes naturally. It doesn’t seem to drag (much, at least–I did want to hurry Persephone along at times), it just unfolds in its own time. The writing is easy-to-read and fits in with teen books, but at times it can be beautiful, too. The setting comes to life, and enough details are given to flesh out the world. It is a very satisfying story. The only complaint I had was that the end seemed rushed after the leisurely pace of the rest of the book, and didn’t quite fit with the tone of the middle portion of the book. That was a pretty minor quibble, however. I would definitely recommend this one.

Link Round Up

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Danika Ellis

Hey everyone! Here’s the link round up for the week, but I wanted to get your opinion. Do you think I should keep including reviews on the round ups, or just news/articles/lists/etc?

Do you click through to reviews? Is there anything else you’d like to see included in link round ups? Without feedback, I think I’ll probably stop including the reviews, because they don’t seem to get a lot of interest and they are the most time-consuming, but I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Another option is to post the articles and news I find most interesting in separate posts throughout the week, and include the rest in the round ups.

AfterEllen posted Across the Page: Mari SanGiovanni, Daphne Gottlieb, Adrienne Rich.

Bella Books posted Bennett, MacGregor and Robinson Honored by Alice B Readers.

Bold Strokes Books Authors’ Blog posted Lee Lynch’s The Amazon Trail.

Elisa posted LGBT Ebook and Print Releases January, 2012.

Good Lesbian Books posted An Anniversary Guest Posting Event: Calling All Lesbian Book Readers.

Kissed By Venus posted Venus Magazine Special!

Lambda Literary posted

lesbian meets book nyc posted Where are the lesbians?: We’ve come a long way but…

Rainbow Books announced the 2012 Rainbow List: GLBTQ Books for Children & Teens.

Readings In Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Fiction posted Readings welcomes Rrrose Carbinela.

Sapphire Books Publishing posted Is it F/F or Lesbian romance?

Sistahs On the Shelf Literary Promo Blog posted SOTS Books 2 Check Out – January 2012.

The Stonewall Awards for 2012 have been announced!

Women and Words posted Getting Some Action.

Sarah Diemer (aka Elora Bishop) posted

Fabulous Announcement!
Attention Book Bloggers, Lesbian Bloggers and Romance Novel Bloggers!
Excerpts Added (for Cage the Darlings and One Solstice Night)
She was also interviewed at Writing Objects.

KT Grant posted

Q. Kelly posted Men Writing Lesfic.

Malinda Lo posted Writing about lesbians when you’re not a lesbian.

Catherine Lundoff posted More info on my Loft Literary Center Class on LGBTQ writing and Kickstarter campaign for new zine and CFS (not mine).

Andi Marquette posted The power of humor.

Jeanette Winterson‘s writing was written about at Mildred Barya’s House of Life.

Outwrite Books is permanently closing. Covered at Creative Loafing, ajc, and Publisher’s Weekly.

“Voice To Voice: Ellen Hart And Val McDermid Discuss Lesbian Literature” was posted at Huffington Post.

“Yearly LGBTQ Book Review” was posted at Neutrois Nonsense.

History of Gay People in Alcoholics Anonymous: From the Beginning by Audrey Borden was reviewed at Shelly’s LGBT Book Review Blog.

Nothing But the Girl: The Blatant Lesbian Image: A Portfolio and Exploration of Lesbian Erotic Photography edited by Susie Bright and Jill Posener was reviewed at Shelly’s LGBT Book Review Blog.

Beautiful Game by Kate Christie was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme edited by Ivan Coyote and Zena Sharman was reviewed at Prism Magazine.

For The Love Of Miss Bard by P Crow was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

Truth Behind the Mask by Lesley Davis was reviewed at Loving Venus- Loving Mars.

After The Night by Rachel Dax was reviewed at Terry’s Lesfic Reviews.

The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue was reviewed at For Books’ Sake.

Milk and Honey: A Celebration of Jewish Lesbian Poetry edited by Julie R. Enszer was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Flashpoint by Katherine V. Forrest was reviewed at Good Lesbian Books.

Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden was reviewed at Writing For Keeps.

Tats by Layce Gardner was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

L As In Love Book One by Ruth Gogoll was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

L As In Love Book Two by Ruth Gogoll was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

Tropical Storm by Melissa Good was reviewed at C-Spot Reviews.

Like Lovers Do by Lori L Lake was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

Glass Houses by Ciarán Llachlan Leavitt was reviewed at C-Spot Reviews.

Disturbed by Her Song by Tanith Lee was reviewed at Kissed By Venus.

Golden Gate by Erin Jennifer Mar was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

The Moonbane Mage by Laurie J. Marks was reviewed at Good Lesbian Books.

The Mystic Market by Ruth Perkinson was reviewed at C-Spot Reviews.

Petra’s Canvas by Ann Roberts was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

Deadly Intersections by Ann Roberts was reviewed at Terry’s LesFic Reviews.

Deviations: A Gayle Rubin Reader by Gayle S. Rubin was reviewed at Lambda Literary.

Taking My Life by Jane Rule was reviewed at Lindy Reads and Reviews.

Affinity by Sarah Waters was reviewed at We Be Reading, Medieval Bookworm, and The Whispering of the Pages.

Batwoman by J.H. Williams III, Greg Rucka & W. Haden Blackman was reviewed at The Rainbow Reader.

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson was reviewed at a daily masochist.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson was reviewed at Persephone Magazine, Vancouver Sun, and So You Need a Good Book to Read?

Danika reviews Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme edited by Ivan Coyote and Zena Sharman

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Danika Ellis

I’ve been a fan of Ivan Coyote for years, so I had high expectations for this collection. It absolutely delivered.

It’s hard to sum up Persistence other than using its own subtitle. It contains a huge array of different kind of butches and femmes (and a futch, and some switches, and…), embodied by many different genders and sexualities.

The writing it top-notch, and there are a lot of big names: Ivan Coyote, Jewelle Gomez, S. Bear Bergman, Joan Nestle, Sinclair Sexsmith… The content ranges from academic essays to poem and short stories. Some are incredibly personal, and some are political declarations. I really appreciated the amount of essays that approached how race intersects with butch/femme, and a few that also address class.

If I could guarantee one thing, it’s that at least one entry in this collection will piss you off. There are opinions all over the spectrum in this collection, and there is a lot to be debated. For example: do butch and femme constitute each other, or can you be a butch without a femme and vice versa? Are femmes more privileged by having “passing privilege”, or are they invisibilized, or are people just not looking hard enough for femmes? Is the concept of “butch” too tied to whiteness to be used in an antiracist way? Can other sexualities and genders by butch or femme, or only lesbians? Where do butch and femme fit into the trans spectrum, or vice versa, or are they unconnected? It is the trans questions that are particularly divisive. But I think this range is the strength of the collection: it is a good attempt to encapsulate a broad-ranging community that is entirely in flux. And the voices are strong, so even the essays that were actively angering me were still compelling.

I definitely recommend Persistence, even (especially?) if you’re not butch or femme or know very little about butch and femme. It is an important part of the queer community as a whole today, and lesbian history as well. There are quite a few contributors that I will now be seeking out in a longer format.