This Queer Book Saved My Life

This book isn’t about celebrity. It’s about queer heritage. And passing it on. Today we meet Brent Love and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile . Brent Love is the author of the memoir Leap which debuted in June 2024. He is also the host/producer of the podcasts Hope Works: A Surrogacy and You and Me and Everyone We Know . Brent currently resides in Ha...

No queer person is an island. Even if we start off that way. Today we meet Robin Jeffrey and we’re talking about the book that saved her life: Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand by Samuel R. Delaney . Robin Jeffrey is the author of the series of classic murder mysteries with scifi-twists, The Cadence Turing Mysteries and the paranormal romance series The Night . A former academic librarian, sh...

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. Visit them online: onceuponacrimebooks.com 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 11...

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-...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 repo...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)...

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 wor...

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 Huma...

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, spirit...

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 Fam...

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 L...

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 sta...

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! Banne...

It was such a catharsis that I took the book into the woods and acted out scenes from it. Today we meet Leon Acord and we’re talking about the book that saved his  life: The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren. Leon Acord is the author of the memoirs Expletives Not Deleted and Sub-Lebrity: The Queer Life of a Showbiz Footnote . Leon created, wrote, and starred in the TV series Old Dogs & New...

You go to his place to hook up. The book that saves your life is on his coffee table. Today we meet Philip Anthony and we’re talking about the book that saved his  life: The Homosexualization of America by Dennis Altman. And Dennis joins us for the conversation! Philip is based in Minneapolis and is host of the podcast The Downright Upright Show . Dennis is the son of Jewish refugees, and a writer...

Today, we meet Jeff Billington and his new novel: Summer's Second . In this novel, Asher Brock’s last summer of youth is far from ideal. His hopes for the future, including an escape from his constricting Ozark Mountains hometown, seem increasingly fragile as he faces hurdles of poverty and abuse, all while coming to terms with being gay. Jeff Billington is the author of Chicken Dinner News a...

My eighth grade brain was like: they're such great friends AND they kiss on the mouth?! That's great! Today we meet Maya Williams and we’re talking about the book that saved their  life: The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Maya Williams (ey/em, they/them, and she/her) is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who is currently an Ashley Bryan Fellow and the seventh Poet La...