This Queer Book Saved My Life
Fans of On Being and Los Culturistas love this 2024 GLAAD Media Award nominee for Outstanding Podcast. Featuring Carmen Maria Machado, Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Finney Boylan, Greg Louganis, Becky Albertalli, and so many more, guests from across the rainbow tell these authors how their books helped them overcome alienation, gender dysphoria, familial homophobia, and being outed. Essayist and Lambda Literary Fellow J.P. Der Boghossian hosts the conversations with a gentle and energetic style, standing in as conversational partner for posthumous authors. Stay tuned to off-weeks which features new episodes of 7 Minutes in Book Heaven and The Gaily Show.
Episodes
You love your parents because they’re your parents. But would you if they weren’t? This and other queer stories from the Middle East to Canada.
Today we meet Mike Z. and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: The Clothesline Swing by Danny Ramadan. And Danny joins us for the conversation!
Mike Z. lives in Lebanon and works in art therapy.
Danny Ramadan is a Lambda-award winning Syrian-Canadian...
A new episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life drops next week on July 23rd! In our off weeks, we air the most recent episode of The Gaily Show which J.P. hosts for AM950 Radio.
Today, Jennie Garner and Andrew Frisbie join us from North Liberty Library to talk about book bans, how to support public libraries, and libraries as spaces for belonging and connection.
Connect with North Liberty Library
website: nort...
When the adults in your life are this reckless and dangerous, what do you do?
Today we meet Rex Ogle and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs.
Rex Ogle is an award-winning author and the writer of nearly a hundred children’s books, comics, graphic novels, and memoirs—most notably Free Lunch, which won the ALA/YALSA award for Excellence in Non-Fiction. He ha...
This is the recording of our live episode at Twin Cities PRIDE on June 29 from the tent of AM950-KTNF Radio. Guests were Mia Lucky, showrunner of the web series Transplant. Patrick Nathan, author of the novel The Future Was Color. And Paul Kaefer, board member of Quatrefoil Library.
Connect with Transplant and Mia Lucky
Watch the pilot here: youtube.com/@watchtransplant
instagram: @watchtransplant
Connect ...
After reading about the characters in this book, I made it my mission to have their kind of life for myself.
Today we meet David Ciminello and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: More Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.
David Ciminello is a Lambda Literary Fellow and author of The Queen of Steeplechase Park. As an actor, David guest starred on Seinfeld (“The Barber”), Murder She Wrote, Matlock, a...
Here is the recording of our live stream we held on Instagram on June 18! We talk about impactful episodes. We had a couple of trivia questions for the audience. We got into our book ban episodes. Then we shared about upcoming shows!
Our Bookshop
Visit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/this...
This book made me think about how my relationship to myself is lifelong.
Today, we meet Saraid de Silva and we’re talking about the book that saved her life: Paul Takes The Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor. And Andrea joins us for the conversation!
Saraid de Silva is the author of Amma and is a screen writer on the TV series Shortland Street.
Andrea Lawlor teaches writing at Mount Holyoke College and has rece...
A deep dive into LGBTQ book bans with two of the nation's leading researchers.
Today, we are joined by Sabrina Baêta and Tasslyn Magnusson. They are leading researchers in the United States on LGBTQ book bans in our schools. They led efforts to research and write the new 2024 PEN America report Banned in the USA: Narrating the Crisis.
Here is part of the official description: "This report provides data, ...
When I read his work, I feel like he is a close friend that I lost. That’s how much he resonates with me.
Today we meet Kim Hines and we’re talking about the book that saved her life: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin.
Kim Hines is a playwright, actor, director, and author. Her plays have been produced across the United States, including tours at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Kim has performed at m...
Today, Once Upon a Crime Books presents 7 Minutes in Book Heaven, the podcast where we interview LGBTQ authors about the new books they have coming out for us to love and cuddle up with.
Once Upon a Crime Books is an independent bookstore specializing in mystery fiction. Located in Uptown Minneapolis, you can shop in their store Monday through Saturday 11am – 5:30pm. Or, visit their website! There, you can browse all of th...
Seriously though. When you're life is hyphenated, how do you put it altogether to live the life you want?
Today we meet Natalie Cruz and we’re talking about the book that saved her life: We Are All Armenian edited by Aram Mrjoian and featuring eighteen essayists.
Natalie lives in Philly, is the managing editor of the Queer Armenian Library, teaches Art History at Camden County College, and is a PhD candidate ...
They say what matters most is love. But for a lot of us...that’s not what matters most.
Today we meet Jake Mier and we’re talking about the book that saved their life: Loveless by Alice Oseman.
Jake lives in the Twin Cities and works in restorative justice.
Loveless is the funny, honest, messy, completely relatable story of Georgia, who doesn't understand why she can't crush and kiss and make ou...
That moment when you meet kindred queer spirits in podcasting.
Today we have a special cross-pollination episode with the Queer Spirit podcast. The Queer Spirit podcast has conversations with embodied artists, practitioners and activists who care for, enliven and empower our 2SLGBTQ+ communities to thrive + flourish. Their hosts are Nick Venegoni, MA (he>they) and TanyaMarck Oviedo (they/them).
Nick is a holis...
All the love in our queer families.
Today we meet Archie Arnold and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family by Rowan Jetté Knox.
Archie is a grant writer working at a community college in Minnesota. His career in grants and fundraising spans twenty years.
Rowan Jetté Knox is an author, speaker and human rights advocate. His work in LGB...
As gay kids we have to get through so much that we end up not remembering a lot of our childhoods.
Today we meet K Jason Bryan and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: Becoming A Man: Half A Life Story by Paul Monette.
Jason is a Sr Client Consultant for corporate insurance, and used to chair his company’s LGBT & Allies ERG. He is a former member of the Governors Board at the Human Rights Campaig...
No one ever told me that I could be divine. That my sexuality was a gift.
Today we meet Sandy Hope and we’re talking about the book that saved her life: Swinging on the Garden Gate by Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew. And Elizabeth joins us for the conversation!
Sandy is a licensed mental health counselor whose practice focuses Internal Family Systems theory. She works with people around sexuality, spirituality, couples t...
Everyone calls me ma'am on the phone. I love it.
Today we meet Jacob Budenz and we’re talking about the book that saved their life: Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.
Jacob is a true multi-hyphenate: musician, author, performance artist, director, and witch. Jacob published their new book Tea Leaves in 2023 and is the front person for the band Moth Broth.
Dress Your Family In C...
When a closeted queer kid meets his fairy godfather what does he wish for?
Today we meet Ricardo Galaviz and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: Am I Blue? by Bruce Coville. And Bruce joins us for the conversation!
Ricardo (all pronouns) is the Associate Director of the Milwaukee LGBT Center.
Bruce (he/him) is the author of over 100 books including My Teacher is an Alien, Into the Land of U...
A tomboy who wants to be Perry Mason (and has a crush on Della) included this book on job applications.
Today we meet Jean M. Gustafson and we’re talking about the book that saved her life: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Jean M. Gustafson is a seasoned attorney who specializes in various branches of law, including employment law, elder law, criminal and family law. She is licensed in the states of Minnesota,...
Are you ready to un-ban LGBT books in real time?
I share with you about The Banned Book Club and then I sit down with the head of the project: John Bracken who is the Executive Director of The Digital Public Library of America.
How to start reading:
- Download the Palace Project App for iOS or Android in the Apple App store or Google Play.
- Open the app
- Select Banned Book Club
- Start reading!
Banned Book Club website: the...
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