Queer Books from Indie Presses You Need To Know About
Or; task #1 of the Queer Your Year 2024 reading challenge!
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Fellow Book Rioter Laura Sackton is hosting the Queer Your Year 2024 reading challenge, which has so many interesting prompts! I’ll likely return to this quite a few times throughout the year to inspire some recommendation lists. This time, I’m looking at task #1: Read a queer book published by a new-to-you indie press. I don’t know which presses you’re familiar with, but here are seven to choose from! I realized I’m much more familiar with US and Canadian presses, so let me know of any queer indie presses you like that are outside North America!
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Queer Books From Indie Presses
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom (Metonymy Press)
Kai Cheng Thom is a must-read author for me, whether she’s writing poetry or advice columns or novels or something else entirely. Unbelievably, this novel in the form of a surreal memoir was her first book, and it is beautifully written, experimental, and unforgettable. It’s published by Metonymy Press, a queer and feminist press in Tio'tia:ke (Montreal, QC).
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Arsenal Pulp Press (Vancouver, BC) is my favourite publisher, and I really struggled to just pick one book to highlight because they put out so many interesting queer books every year. This one, though, is an award-winning literary novel following two sisters, one of whom is queer, as they return to Lagos after a decade of estrangement from their mother to try to mend their relationship.
A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt (Two Dollar Radio)
This memoir explores life as a queer Indigenous person, including discussions of colonialism, grief, love, sex, art, and much more. Billy-Ray Belcourt is also a poet, and a poet’s memoir is always worth picking up. Two Dollar Radio is a family-run publisher in Columbus, Ohio.
Meanwhile, Elsewhere: Science Fiction & Fantasy from Transgender Writers edited by Casey Plett and Cat Fitzpatrick (LittlePuss Press)
I loved this anthology when it came out in 2017 from the trans indie publisher Topside Press. Unfortunately, Topside is no longer around, but this title has been picked up by the new feminist publisher LittlePuss Press, founded by this book’s two editors! The stories in this collection range widely, from dark dystopia to fun sci-fi romps, all with trans main characters.
The Gilda Stories: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition by Jewelle Gomez (City Lights Books)
I consider The Gilda Stories an essential queer classic…and a classic of vampire lit…and a significant title in the history of Black literature, too. It follows a queer Black vampire from 1850 to 2050, with each chapter as a short story in a new time period and place. It really offers a glimpse into what it would be like to live centuries and how sexism, racism, and heterosexism changes (and doesn’t change) over time. City Lights Books is the publishing arm of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, CA.
Glitter + Ashes: Queer Tales of a World That Wouldn't Die edited by dave ring (Neon Hemlock Press)
This anthology imagines queer joy and community even after the end of the world. It includes short stories, a couple of poems, and even a role-playing game! I learned about the speculative fiction publisher Neon Hemlock Press (Washington, D.C.) from Lyndsie Manusos’s article about them, so if you’d like to learn more, I highly recommend checking that post out!
Gnarled Hollow by Charlotte Greene (Bold Strokes Books)
I can’t talk about queer indie presses without addressing the queer publishers that have been doing this for decades, like Bold Strokes Books. Historically, they’ve focused on sapphic books, but that has broadened out in recent years. I really liked this sapphic haunted house story, which gave me Haunting of Hill House vibes.
For even more queer books from indie presses, check out 10 Queer Books From Indie Presses and Essential Indie Presses for Queer Book Lovers, and be sure to explore all these publishers’ catalogues, because most of them publish a ton of queer books.
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Queer Bookish Goodies
This rainbow woven rope mat is made from lobster net ropes, so it should stand up to a lot! $70+
That's it for me! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog, the Lesbrary. You can also hear me on All the Books, or you can read my Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Danika
This was a lovely surprise in my inbox this morning, and what a great list!