This Queer Book Saved My Life

Latest Episodes:

7 Minutes in Book Heaven with Kelly Balch and Aphrodite's Sister Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to our Summer of Book Love series!
Every Tuesday this summer we will feature new episodes of 7 Minutes in Book Heaven which has your next summer read!
Today we meet Kelly Balch and their novel Aphrodite's Sister.
This novel series follows Petra Ambrosi, who is a Goddess with empathic abilities, though she is emotionless herself. Throughout the novel, and its subsequent sequel, she is sent down to earth, falls in love with a mortal woman, wrestles to understand her diminishing gifts, breaks Zeus' laws, and navigates an uprising against the gods.
Kelly Balch is an author of an adult queer-fantasy/fiction. Drawing on their passion for storytelling, Kelly brings a creative and empathetic approach to their photography, always striving to understand and convey the unique truths of their clients and couples. Their warm and compassionate demeanor has made them a trusted and beloved photographer in the industry.
Also, Kelly is an accomplished wedding and editorial photographer based in Los Angeles, California! With over 14 years of experience in the industry, Kelly has established themselves as a pioneering force in the queer wedding industry, having started their career before queer love was legalized in the United States. Visit their website below to see videos, photo galleries, and Human Capitol workshop.
Buy Aphrodite's Sister
Visit our Bookshop or buy directly right now: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9798218022143
Connect with Kelly Balch
Website: kellybalch.com
Instagram: @kellybalch
Facebook: facebook.com/kellybalchphoto
Vimeo: vimeo.com/kellybalch
Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook
Quatrefoil Library
Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1
Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.

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7 Minutes in Book Heaven with C.H. Williams and One of a Thousand Names Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to our Summer of Book Love series with our newest episode of 7 Minutes in Book Heaven! Every Tuesday we feature your next summer read.
Meet C.H. Williams and his new book One of a Thousand Names.
This fantasy novel follows Rose, who is on a mission to avenge her father's death. As she sacrifices her friends, she must make a decision about whether avenging her father is worth the increasingly steep price. With gods and shadows and betrayal after betrayal, Rose will have to decide whether coming face-to-face with the person who killed her father is really worth the high price of justice.
C.H. Williams is a fantasy author and illustrator living in the Mid-Atlantic with his husband. His writing couples the darker side of fairy tales with the radiance and joy of queer love. In addition to his fantasy fiction, C.H. published Gender and Personality Stereotyping in Collegiate Orchestras (Univ. of No. Colorado 2018) and Transition which is featured in Lockdown Literature: Anthology of Pandemic Literature.
Buy One of a Thousand Names
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781733356954
C.H. William's website: https://www.chwilliamsliterary.com/store/one-of-a-thousand-names-handbound-7shxg
Connect with C.H. Williams
Website: chwilliamsliterary.com
Instagram: @chwilliamsliterary
Newletter: chwilliamsliterary.com/stay-in-the-loop
Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook
Quatrefoil Library
Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1
Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Awen Briem, Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.

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Fag Hag with Clark Carlton and Robert Rodi Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

The book where your self-proclaimed fag hag decides to kidnap you.
Today we meet Clark Carlton and Robert Rodi!

Our guest is novelist, playwright, and producer Clark Carlton. You may know him from his sci-fi/fantasy novel Prophets of the Ghost Ants which launched his Antasy series.
Our featured author is Robert Rodi who has published seven novels, and he also writes comic books, nonfiction, as well as a spoken-word performer and jazz singer.
We’re talking about the book that saved Clark's life: Fag Hag by Robert Rodi.
Fag Hag is a cult classic. Set in Chicago, the novel is about Natalie who is obsessed with her gay best friend Peter. When Natalie’s attempts to sabotage Peter’s new relationship with the love of his life, Natalie is forced to resort to … let’s say extreme measures.
Connect with Clark and Robert

twitter: @clarktcarlton
website: clarkthomascarlton.com

website: robertrodi.com
Facebook: @RobertRodi
Visit our website for more links to Robert's and Clark's projects: thisqueerbook.com/fag-hag.
Buy Fag Hag
Visit our Bookshop or buy directly: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781469953168
Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook
Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.
Quatrefoil Library
Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1

Support the show

Edith Can Shoot Things And Hit Them with Nick Bussett and A. Rey Pamatmat Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

Queer kids have to grow up so fast to protect ourselves.
Our guest todays are Nick Bussett and A. Rey Pamatmat!
Nick is the co-host of Gay Talk 2.0 and the Director of Development at the Shubert Theatre. Rey is an award winning playwright and writer. He is a GLAAD and Lambda nominee and the co-Director of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab.
We’re talking about the play that saved Nick's life: Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them by A. Rey Pamatmat.
Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them is about three kids - Kenny, his sister Edith, and their friend Benji – who are all but abandoned on a farm in remotest Middle America. With little adult supervision, they feed and care for each other, making up the rules as they go.
We’re going to talk about seeing yourself represented on stage for the first time, having too grow up to fast, and rebuilding relationships with our family.
Connect with Nick and Rey

Instagram: @Nbussett
Instagram: @gaytalk2.0
website: gaytalk20.com

Twitter: @AReyP
Instagram: @a_rey_p
Buy Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them
Visit our Bookshop or buy directly: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780573700163
Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook
Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.

Support the show

The Waves with Steph Colbourn Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

All of the queer futures that we can build for ourselves.
Our guest today is the CEO and founder of editaudio, Steph Colbourn.

editaudio is a podcast production company with a mission to hire more women, nb and trans people in media. Founded in 2014, Steph put together an amazing queer team of producers and staff to make the audio industry more representative of what the word actually looks like. And it looks queer!
Steph (they/she) shares with us the book that saved her life: The Waves by Virginia Woolf. And what are we exploring in this episode? What’s that feeling when you read an unrequited love story from decades before your time? How does that feel to know we were there, queer people falling in love? And how does it feel feel to read on the page your queer life being normalized, even your anxiety?
The Waves is one of Woolf's most experimental novels. Some say, her masterpiece. It begins with six children—three boys and three girls—playing in a garden by the sea, and follows their lives as they grow up, experience friendship and love, and grapple with the death of their beloved friend.
Connect with Steph
Twitter: @steph_colbourn
Instagram: @stephcolbourn
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/steph-colbourn-52b11212a
email: hello@editaud.io
website: https://editaud.io
Buy The Waves
Visit our Bookshop or buy immediately: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780156949606
Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook
Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.

Support the show

7 Minutes in Book Heaven with A.J. Irving and The Wishing Flower Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

Meet A.J. Irving and her new book The Wishing Flower!

An LGBTQ-inclusive story about understanding your peers, your feelings, and yourself, The Wishing Flower is a love letter to longing, belonging, and longing to belong. With stunning illustrations by Kip Alizadeh, The Wishing Flower will inspire readers to honor their wishes and show the world their truest selves.

A.J. Irving grew up in Boise, Idaho, writing stories and daydreaming about becoming an author. Now, she writes picture books and poetry beneath an old elm tree in Salt Lake City. A.J. reads kidlit every day and dances every chance she gets. She is also the author of Dance Like a Leaf (Barefoot Books, 2020).
Buy The Wishing Flower
Head to our Bookshop store or buy directly: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780593430446
Connect with A.J. Irving
Website: ajirving.com
Twitter: @aj_irving
Instagram: @aj_irving
Facebook: facebook.com/ajirvingauthor
Show links
As promised in the episode, links to:

Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook
Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.

Support the show

I Am Not Myself These Days with Nathan Eckstein May 30, 2023

Show notes

Drag. Vodka. 90s subculture. And knowing you're gonna be ok.
Our guest today is Nathan Eckstein (he/they) who is a writer, playwright, and graduate student at the University of Minnesota pursuing a Masters degrees in Architecture. They are also a candidate for another masters degree in Science Research Practices.

Nathan shares with us how the memoir I Am Not Myself These Days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell saved his life. What’s extra special about this episode is that it was recorded live in front of an audience at Lush Lounge and Theater in Northeast Minneapolis. This was a Drag Edition of our podcast with performances by the Haus of Taylor: Connie Taylor, Maiden Taiwan, and a special performance by Eduardo (Nathan!).

I Am Not Myself These Days follows Josh's life, as well as his drag persona Aqua's life. By day, he works at a So-Ho advertising agency. By night, he performs drag throughout New York. His is a life of vodka and a new relationship with Jack, a BDSM sex worker. The memoir is a tragic-comedy-romance, charting Josh's, Aqua's, and Jack's life as they navigate love, substance abuse, and New York's 90s subculture.

Donate to the ACLU's Drag Defense Fund
During our live event, we fundraised for the ACLU's Drag Defense Fund. Join us by donating here: https://action.aclu.org/give/support-drag-defense-fund

Buy I Am Not Myself These Days
Visit our Bookshop or buy it here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780060817329

Connect with Nathan and the Haus of Taylor
On Instagram:
Nathan Eckstein: @notstraightnate
Connie Taylor: @connie_taylormn
Maiden Taiwan: @maiden.taiwan

Also, shout out to photographer Nick Lents who shot the live event! Follow him on Instagram: @nicklents
Watch Nathan's Play: Technically Love
https://youtu.be/ZTBW3irw-_I

Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olilla, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Awen Briem, Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.

Support the show

7 Minutes in Book Heaven with Mário César and Blessed Cure May 23, 2023

Show notes

Meet four-time HQ MIX Trophy winner for best Webcomic, Mário César and his new book Blessed Cure.

Like Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, César's Blessed Cure uses comics to explore queer life.
In this book, our hero, Acacio do Nascimento, knew he was a different boy from others. He would rather be playing with dolls than playing soccer. The hula hoop interested him more than cowboy pistols. Scared by the possibility of their son being a homosexual, Acacio's parents begin conversion therapy, starting when he was five years old, to make him a "normal boy" like the others.

Mario Cesar is an awarded comic book's author from Brazil. He has published comics since 2006 and he was one of the first openly gay authors to address issues of sexual and gender diversity in Brazilian comics with the book Ciranda da Solidão (2013). He is also one of the creators and producers of POC CON, the first brazilian LGBTQ+ Comic Con.

Buy Blessed Cure
Head to our Bookshop store or buy directly: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781908030542

Connect with Mário César
Twitter: @mas_que_mario
Instagram: @mas_que_mario

Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Awen Briem, Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.

Support the show

The Glass Menagerie with Jonathan Fried May 16, 2023

Show notes

I read it as a teenager. Then starred in it with Olympia Dukakis.
Our guest today is writer, actor, and teacher Jonathan Fried. Jonathan shares with us how the play The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams saved his life. What’s extra special about this for Jonathan is that not only did this play have life-saving features for him as a teenager, he went on to star in it in a production with Olympia Dukakis!

The Glass Menagerie follows the lives of the dysfunctional Wingfield family, son Tom, mother Amanda, daughter Laura. Tom longs to escape from his stifling home, wanting to be a poet and escape the realities of working in a shoe warehouse. While he "goes to the movies" every night, his mother struggles to find a husband for Laura who lives with a disability.

Buy The Glass Menagerie
Visit our Bookshop or buy it directly right now: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780811214049

Support the show

7 Minutes in Book Heaven with A.J. Bermudez and Stories No One Hopes Are About Them May 09, 2023

Show notes

Meet A.J. Bermudez and her darkly playful (and Lambda Literary Award nominated!) story collection: Stories No One Hopes Are About Them.
These short stories explore characters who are ni de aquí, ni de allá—neither from here nor there—straddling competing worlds, disrupting paradigms, and transitioning from objects of other people’s stories to active subjects and protagonists of their own.
Big things happen in this collection. But it’s also a collection of small intimacies: misremembered names, chipped teeth, and private rituals; unexpected alliances and barely touched knees beneath uniform skirts; minutiae of the natural world; incidents that quietly, achingly, and delightfully transgress the familiar.
Buy Stories No One Hopes Are About Them
Head to our store at thisqueerbook.com/bookshop or click: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781609388638

Connect with A.J. Bermudez
Twitter: @AmandaJBermudez
Instagram: @a.j.bermudez
Website: https://amandajbermudez.com

Check out this Lambda Literary award (Lammy) finalist:
We shout out Gods of Want by K-Ming Chang in the show. Here's where you can buy it: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780593241585

Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook

Credits
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, Natalie Cruz, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Awen Briem, Stephen D., Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.
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