TW: Mental illness, anxiety, and sexual abuse Let me start by saying that I really wanted to love this book. It’s categorized as sci-fi/fantasy, so I was excited to read a novel that blended same-gender loving characters and science fiction. Unfortunately, neither of these categories actually fit this novel all that well. The novel’s protagonistRead More
Stephanie reviews Her Sigh: A Lesbian Anthology by Victoria Zagar
As most of you know, I LOVE short story collections, so when I came across Her Sigh: A Lesbian Anthology by Victoria Zagar, I thought I’d give it a go. Short stories don’t get a lot of love in lesbian literature, (most folks want to read romance novels), so I’m always excited when I seeRead More
Stephanie reviews Don't Explain by Jewelle Gomez
Don’t Explain is a collection of short stories by Black lesbian author, activist, and philanthropist Jewelle Gomez. Most widely known for her Black lesbian vampire novel The Gilda Stories, Gomez’s Don’t Explain is a collection of nine stories that employ rich, sensual, language to introduce readers to several carefully constructed characters whose stories setRead More
Stephanie reviews The Dawn of Nia
I’m always hesitant to read books by people that I know personally, because I know at some point they’ll ask me what I thought, and I know that if I don’t love it, I’ll have to figure out how to say that without ruining the relationship. In this case, I can say without reservation thatRead More
Stephanie reviews Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
I can’t remember the last time I read a book in two days, but I have to admit that once I started reading Juliet Takes a Breath, I couldn’t put it down. I laughed, cried, raged, and wondered at Juliet’s antics and her naiveté, and fell more in love with this book every time IRead More
Stephanie Recommends Five Classic Black Lesbian Books You’ve Probably Never Heard of But Need to Read
I recently attended a literary conference focused on lesbian literature and was shocked at how many attendees didn’t know anything about Black lesbian literature outside of two or three authors. Most were familiar with Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and Audre Lorde, the consummate Black lesbian poet, butRead More
Stephanie reviews Blue Talk and Love by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan
Trigger warnings: Rape threats, mild violence, fat-shaming. As soon as this book was released I knew I had to have it. Stories about Black queer women written by a Black queer woman? Yes, please! I was a little worried that I wouldn’t connect to them; they are all set in and around New York City,Read More