Trans Rights Readathon Day 2-- Did You Say Comics?
Good morning lovely people! Happy day #2 of the Trans Rights Readathon, where folks all over the bookish web are raising money for trans organizations and folks by reading trans books! I'm raising money for the Trans Health Legal Fund-- and you wonderful folks have already pledged a total of $56/book!!! Thank you!
My friend and I are doing a Trans Comics Swap this week (because why wouldn't we?), and I thought I would share with you some highlights of the books I'll be lending them!
When I Was Me: Moments of Gender Euphoria is a collection of one-page comics from trans creators all over the world celebrating moments of joy in gender. From the publishers's website: "100% of the team working on When I Was Me fits under the trans umbrella, from pre-press to artists. ... 50% of all sales of When I Was Me is donated to organisations that support young trans people in the UK." ... and to that I'll add... it feels precious and cozy and loving and I would like for it to be in every personal and public library everywhere. Want to read it this week? You can get the PDF here!
The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics. This is is another comfy comic anthology from a diverse group of authors, centered on the theme of acceptance. This one is specifically written with tweens/teens in mind, and I recommend reading it in your cushiest spot with a fuzzy blanket and tea/cocoa for the full delightful experience. I purchased The Out Side from the Kickstarter, and the Kickstarter version is still available... in addition to an expanded version that will be released Fall 2023 (available for preorder!)! So, you can take your pick of editions, or get them both.
The Woman of the Woods and Other North American Stories is part of the series "Cautionary Fables & Fairytales" by Iron Circus Comics. Several of the creators publicly identify as trans, non-binary, and/or Two-Spirit-- and you can buy a PDF copy from the publisher if you want to read it this week! These are not your Grimm's fairytales-- they're stories rooted in Indigenous cultures, 100% written/drawn by Indigenous artists. They're exciting and beautiful, chilling and ephemeral... Honestly, my only complaint about this anthology was that I wanted more. Hey Iron Circus Comics, do another of these?
I'm very excited to report that I read an ENTIRE NOVEL yesterday! The Fae Keeper (also available in ebook format!) was, in fact, just as intense and fabulous as I was hoping it would be. You know what I love most about H.E. Edgmon's writing? The way that traumatic things are treated as traumatic. The awful stuff that happened in The Witch King still impacts characters in this book. The awful stuff that happens in this book hurts people in ways that can't be neatly fixed. And awful things DO happen... but with purpose and gravitas and respect to the weight of them. Anyhow, if you want an upper YA read seething with trans, queer, anti-colonialist rage that centers Indigenous perspectives and weaves in climate change with faery politics, romance and revolution while somehow leaving you a little less heartbroken than you were when you started reading... this is a book for you.
Up next: Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution, by Kacen Callender.
Why I'm excited: Ummmm... it's Kacen Callender? You know, the person who gave us the gorgeous Caribbean fantasy Hurricane Child and the teen-flick-feels-for-queer/trans-kids YA magic of Felix Ever After? (Exciting news! Along with a bunch of other trans books, the audiobook for Felix Ever After is 35% off on Libro.FM this week!) I love their writing a LOT. Also, a book that directly addresses the pressures of social media feels... entirely relevant.
Will you share the link to any of my #TransRightsReadathon posts with at least one other person? If you do, let me know in the comments below for an extra entry in the giveaway! Folks who comment and/or donate are entered in a drawing to win one of the books I mention this week!