This Queer Book Saved My Life

Latest Episodes:

Fun Home with Lara Lillibridge and Alison Bechdel Aug 09, 2022

Show notes

You can tell your story and live.
Welcome to our LGBT podcast! In this episode, I talk with Lara Lillibridge and Alison Bechdel!
Writer and teacher Lara Lillibridge (she/zher) shares the LGBT book that saved her life: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. Lara tells us, "There's two things about Fun Home that were huge for me. The first was just representation. I had never seen anything at all like my family in a book."
We are SO proud to welcome Alison Bechdel (she/her) to the podcast! We have a fascinating conversation about writing Fun Home, part of her coming out story, and reflecting on writing about our families. She told us her take that we shouldn't wait to write about people until after they are deceased. However, she said, "There is something monstrous when you turn people in your life into characters. There's no way around that. It’s an aggressive act no matter how loving or well written it is."
Episode transcript available at thisqueerbook.com/podcast/fun-home.
Learn more about Lara Lillibridge and her writing at her website: laralillibridge.com
Read more of Alison Bechdel's books and comics at: dykestowatchoutfor.com
Buy the books we discuss on this episode!
Visit thisqueerbook.com/bookshop to purchase Fun Home and Only Mama.
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.
E-Lending Library
Quatrefoil Library 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

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Bi America with Neil Aasve and William Burleson Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

What it really means to have a bi community.
Welcome to our LGBT podcast! In today's episode I talk with Neil Aasve and William Burleson!
Fundraiser and philanthropist Neil Aasve (he/him) shares the LGBT book that saved his life: Bi America: Myths Truths and Struggles of an Invisible Community by William Burleson. Neil recalls the first time he read Bi America, "I remember my heart pounding. I just remember saying the words out loud: I’m bisexual!"
William joins us to talk about how he saw writing Bi America as an opportunity to preserve history.
Become a donor to the Visibility Impact Fund: visibilityimpactfund.org/about-us
Shop Flexible Press book and view their submissions page: flexiblepub.com
Buy the books we discuss on this episode!
Visit thisqueerbook.com/bookshop to purchase Bi America and the other books we discussed.
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.
E-Lending Library
Quatrefoil Library 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

She's Not There with Ellie Krug and Jennifer Finney Boylan Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

This was exactly what I needed to pivot towards my gender transition.
Welcome to our LGBT podcast! In this episode we talk with ellie krug and Jennifer Finney Boylan!
Idealist, legal advocate, and author ellie krug (she/her) shares how the LGBT book She's Not There by Jennifer Finney Boylan saved her life. ellie told us, "I will say that the book caused me to pivot. It did. There’s no question about it. But it also helped me believe that maybe I can write a book."
Then we discuss writing She's Not There with Jennifer Finney Boylan (she/her) nearly 20 years after it was first published. Jenny shared, "Looking at it now, I think there’s a little bit of the aroma of apology to the book. There’s a certain sense in She’s Not There of trying to justify myself." Our conversation with ellie and Jenny range from cathartic writing vs. good storytelling, navigating loss while living authentically, and how trans narratives have changed over the past two decades.
Transcripts available at: thisqueerbook.com/podcast/shes-not-there
Buy the books we discuss on this episode!
Visit thisqueerbook.com/bookshop to purchase She's Not There, Mad Honey, and Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty, and Gender Change.
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.
E-Lending Library
Quatrefoil Library 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

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff with Zaylore Stout Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

There is strength in knowing about the struggles and triumphs.
In this episode, we talk with Zaylore Stout (he/him) about the book Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. Zaylore told us, "I was digging through the archives of the library, trying to see if there was anybody like me...and it’s like you have to piece these things together, on your own." Our discussion spring boards into Zaylore’s legal career, his coming out journey, and writing his own LGBT book: Our Gay History in 50 States which is an LGBTQI plus history book that highlights significant people places and queer facts on a state-by- state basis.
Transcripts available at: thisqueerbook.com/podcast/dontsweat
Buy the LGBT books on this LGBT podcast at our Bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbook
Buy Our Gay History in 50 States: www.gay50states.com

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Quatrefoil: A Modern Novel with Paul Kaefer Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

I'm part of a community that has always existed and will always exist.
In this episode, we talk with Paul Kaefer (he/him) about the LGBT book Quatrefoil: A Modern Novel by James Barr. We discuss how Quatrefoil: A Modern Novel helped Paul learn that he has the power to decide when and how to share his LGBTQ story. We also learn about Paul's plan to read a book from every country in the world!
Episode transcripts available at: thisqueerbook.com/podcast/quatrefoil.
Buy the books on this podcast at our Bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbook

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Stone Butch Blues with Suyane Oliveira Jul 05, 2022

Show notes

This is who we are and there is no stopping.
In this episode, we talk with Suyane Oliveira (she/they) about the LGBT book Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg. Suyane told us, "Books don't really make me cry and this book made me cry so many times. It just pulled something out of me. I've never cried so much while reading a book." We discuss how Stone Butch Blues opened up a whole new world for Suyane and how it inspired the work she does at the New Haven Pride Center.
Episode transcripts are available at thisqueerbook.com/podcast/stonebutchblues
Buy the books on this podcast at our Bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbook

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Giovanni's Room with Gary Nygaard Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

I'm not willing to lead a double life.
In this episode, we talk with Gary Nygaard (he/him) about the LGBT book Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. This novel is a classic of LGBTQ literature. For Gary, he read it as a cautionary tale of how destructive it can be to pretend to be straight and how damaging it can be for yourself not to live an authentic life. We discuss how Giovanni's Room shaped and reaffirmed the life decisions he was making, particularly as he attended seminary.
Episode transcripts are available at: thisqueerbook.com/podcast/giovannisroom
Buy the books on this podcast at our Bookshop: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbook

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In The Dream House with Nancy Agabian and Carmen Maria Machado Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

Queer people need warning stories too.
Welcome to our LGBT podcast! In this episode, we talk with Nancy Agabian and Carmen Maria Machado!
Writer and literary organizer Nancy Agabian (she/her) shares the LGBT book that saved her life: In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. It is a memoir about an abusive queer relationship Carmen had with an ex-girlfriend. Then we meet Carmen (she/her) to discuss the writing of her memoir and how it was like passing a kidney stone - something she needed to do to move on to get to the writing she wanted to do.
Episode transcripts are available at thisqueerbook.com/podcast/inthedreamhouse
Buy the books we discuss on this episode!
Visit thisqueerbook.com/bookshop to purchase In the Dream House and Nancy's novel The Fear of Large and Small Nations.
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.
E-Lending Library
Quatrefoil Library 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

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