Intersectionality – Page 3

On Writing Aromantic Characters in YA

By Marilla|2020-03-28T13:41:09-05:00February 19th, 2016|Categories: Archive, Guest Blogs|Tags: Aromantic, Intersectionality, Representation|

Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week Series: Day 4 – Previous Posts: Introduction to Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week Series – The Excitement and Frustration of Being “Alone” – Actual Love - Being Surrounded by Something You’ve Never Quite Understood by Denali Leone Describing my fictional characters to people is often like coming out again. While discussing my manuscript with a coworker, I mentioned my main character is on the aromantic spectrum. After explaining that aromantic individuals experience little or no romantic attraction, my coworker frowned and said, “I don’t give a damn. Readers want romance.” I struggled with how to [...]

Comments Off

On Love in a Dystopian Time: A Call to ([White] Queer) YA Authors About #BlackLivesMatter

By Marilla|2020-03-28T13:41:31-05:00August 5th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Guest Blogs|Tags: Black, Intersectionality, Representation|

by Jennifer Polish As authors (us too, fan fic writers!), aspiring authors, and readers of YA literature, many of us are often thinking about the meanings of love in dystopian societies. Katniss’s protectiveness of Rue, of Prim. Peeta’s devotion to Katniss. Tris and Christina. Tris and Four. Lucky and Digory. Loup and Pilar. David and Callan. But, as YA enthusiasts, it is also our responsibility to think long and to think hard on love in this dystopian time. Because if you go to buy Skittles while Black, or if you love someone who does; if you attend a [...]

Comments Off

Review: Street Dreams by Tama Wise

By Marilla|2020-03-28T13:41:32-05:00June 26th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Book Review|Tags: gay, Intersectionality, PoC, Queer Guys, Realistic|

by Nathaniel Harrington Street Dreams (Bold Strokes Press 2012) From Goodreads: Tyson Rua has more than his fair share of problems growing up in South Auckland. Working a night job to support his mother and helping bring up his two younger brothers is just the half of it. His best friend Rawiri is falling afoul of a broken home, and now Tyson's fallen in love at first sight. Only thing is, it's another guy. Living life on the sidelines of the local hip-hop scene, Tyson finds that to succeed in becoming a local graffiti artist or [...]

Comments Off

Author Interview: Corinne Duyvis

By Marilla|2020-03-28T13:41:34-05:00June 22nd, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Interview|Tags: Fantasy, Intersectionality, LGBTQIA, Queer Girls, Representation, Speculative|

We're so psyched to have the chance to talk with Corinne Duyvis, author of the fantastic queer YA fantasy Otherbound, about world-building, the work she's done with DisabilityinKidLit, her queer SF/F wishlist, and much much more. :) Amara is never alone. Not when she’s protecting the cursed princess she unwillingly serves. Not when they’re fleeing across dunes and islands and seas to stay alive. Not when she’s punished, ordered around, or neglected. She can’t be alone, because a boy from another world experiences all that alongside her, looking through her eyes. Nolan longs for a life uninterrupted. Every time he blinks, [...]

Comments Off

Graphic Novel Review: Lumberjanes.

By Nadia|2020-03-28T13:41:48-05:00May 16th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Book Review|Tags: Fantasy, graphic novel, Intersectionality, LGBTQIA, Middle Grade, PoC, Queer Girls|

Lumberjanes (Boom! Studios, 2014) One of the biggest challenges I face when reading, reviewing and now, publishing, is to find balance in the types of queers stories I read/review/publish. It often feels to me that the vast majority of what is out there - and what is made more visible when it comes to reviewing and award-winning - are the stories that deal with violence, homophobia, or the ones where being queer is the story. Don’t get me wrong, because those? Are super important and should be told, read and talked about. But equally important in [...]

Comments Off

Tanuja Desai Hidier’s “Dimple Lala/ GayYA Bday Party Playlist”

By Vee|2020-03-28T13:41:49-05:00May 7th, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog, Fun Things, Guest Blogs|Tags: Intersectionality, Minor Queer Characters, Other Media, PoC, Queer Girls, Realistic, South Asian|

4 original songs from Tanuja’s ‘booktrack’ albums When We Were Twins (songs based on her first novel, Born Confused) & Bombay Spleen (songs based on her new novel, sequel Bombay Blues) to celebrate GayYA’s 4th birthday! And for now, and always, I knew: Love had to be allowed in wherever, whenever, and in whatever form it took. We didn’t have to shrink to fit it, box it to casket. And even then, when we found it dying, could opt for ashing down rather than burial, scatter it to all five corners of the earth and ether. Whatever could [...]

Comments Off

Writing an Intersex, Agender Character

By Katie|2020-03-28T13:42:03-05:00March 23rd, 2015|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog, Guest Blogs|Tags: agender, Intersectionality, Intersex, LGBTQIA, Speculative|

“...before you go on, yes, most likely whatever you’re about to ask is very rude. If you’re wondering about what’s under my clothing, it’s very rude. If you’re wondering about my genetics, my hormones, my biology… there’s a pretty damn short list of people for whom any of that is actually relevant. Having said that, for the sake of simplifying things: you and I would not be able to have children together, for example, unless we were to adopt or employ some extremely invasive medical science...” Ellis’ face showed that ey was unperturbed, perhaps familiar with impolite questions, [...]

Comments Off

On Queer Characters of Color

By Shelly|2020-03-28T13:42:20-05:00December 17th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Guest Blogs, Teen Voices|Tags: Black, Intersectionality, PoC, Representation|

Black Lives Matter Series: Day 3 – Previous Posts: Black Lives Matter, But Where Are We? - I Was Made To Believe There Was Something Wrong With Me – Introduction to Black Lives Matter Series by Aleah Things have grown and changed drastically in the literary world over the years, leading authors to write characters with more racial and sexual freedom. As a straight African-American young woman in support of Gay Rights, I love to see YA novels featuring intertwined sexual and racial diversity. Sadly, while the publication of LGBTQ books is constantly on the rise, those featuring teens of color are few. (When [...]

Comments Off

I Was Made to Believe There’s Something Wrong With Me: Why #BlackLivesMatter in YA Lit

By Shelly|2020-03-28T13:42:20-05:00December 14th, 2014|Categories: Archive, Guest Blogs|Tags: Black, Intersectionality, PoC, Queer Girls, Representation, Trans|

Black Lives Matter Series: Day 1 - Previous Posts: Introduction to Black Lives Matter Series by Nakiya I’ve been reading LGBTQ YA fiction for almost five years and I’ve never read a book focused on a black LGBTQ woman. When I was in elementary school, one of my favorite books was Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. In middle school two of my favorite series were The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin and Animorphs by K. A. Applegate, both of which had a central black female character. I grew up in a town that [...]

2

Considering Intersectionality

By Everett Maroon|2020-03-28T13:43:05-05:00May 23rd, 2011|Categories: Archive, Author Guest Blog, Writers on Writing|Tags: Class, Intersectionality, Race, Representation|

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about creating multi-layered characters as one of my goals as a transgender writer. I was talking about LGBT characters at the time, but pulling back a bit on those parameters, I think the dedication to crafting believable, complex characters should extend to every personality in the narrative. And if we're going to support well rounded character development as writers, we should remember to support intersectionality while we're at it. All I mean here about intersectionality is that I want to include a liberatory understanding of the differently positioned, race, ethnic, class, [...]

1