Books

In the vein of Alice Hoffman and Charlie Jane Anders's own All the Birds in the Sky comes a novel full of love, disaster, and magic.

A young witch teaches her mother how to do magic--with very unexpected results--in this relatable, resonant novel about family, identity, and the power of love.

Jamie is basically your average New England academic in-training--she has a strong queer relationship, an esoteric dissertation proposal, and inherited generational trauma. But she has one extraordinary secret: she's also a powerful witch.

Serena, Jamie's mother, has been hiding from the world in an old one-room schoolhouse for several years, grieving the death of her wife and the simultaneous explosion in her professional life. All she has left are memories.

Jamie’s busy digging into a three-hundred-year-old magical book, but she still finds time to teach Serena to cast spells and help her come out of her shell. But Jamie doesn't know the whole story of what happened to her mom years ago, and those secrets are leading Serena down a destructive path.

Now it's up to this grad student and literature nerd to understand the secrets behind this mysterious novel from 1749, unearth a long-buried scandal hinted therein, and learn the true nature of magic, before her mother ruins both of their lives.

From Emmy Award winner Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye and #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Murphy comes a bighearted story about friendship, love—and discovering the secrets and beauty of your own hometown. 

Sully is ready to get out of Hearst, Pennsylvania. With a fashion internship secured, the gender-nonconforming eighteen-year-old is trading in their stifling small town for the big city. Sully even sells their beloved car, to Bread—er, Brad—the most boring (and maybe only other) gay kid in town.

When Sully’s internship goes up in smoke, they’re trapped in Hearst with no cash—and no car. Desperate, they go to the thrift store, their personal sanctuary. There, they discover a vintage bag—like "put this baby in an airtight case at the MET" vintage. If Sully can authenticate it, the resale value would be enough for a new life in the city.

But when they begin to investigate, Sully finds themself haunted. Literally. With the ghost of Rufus, a drag performer from the fifties with no memory of how he died standing—no, floating—in their bedroom, Sully’s summer has a new purpose: 1) help this ghostly honey unlock his past and move on and 2) make bank—after all, the Real Real doesn’t take poltergeist purses.

With Rufus in tow, and Brad—who’s looking pretty scrumptious these days—playing chauffeur, Sully delves into the history of the town they’re so desperate to escape. Only to discover that there might be more to Hearst than they ever knew.

(Abolitionist Papers)

What fuels and sustains activism and organizing when it feels like our worlds are collapsing? Let This Radicalize You is a practical and imaginative resource for activists and organizers building power in an era of destabilization and catastrophe.

Longtime organizers and movement educators Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes examine some of the political lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the convergence of mass protest and mass formations of mutual aid, and consider what this confluence of power can teach us about a future that will require mass acts of care, rescue and defense, in the face of both state violence and environmental disaster.

The book is intended to aid and empower activists and organizers as they attempt to map their own journeys through the work of justice-making. It includes insights from a spectrum of experienced organizers, including Sharon Lungo, Carlos Saavedra, Ejeris Dixon, Barbara Ransby, and Ruth Wilson Gilmore about some of the difficult and joyous lessons they have learned in their work.

Welcome to Volume two of Let's Say Gay!

We are an anti-censorship publication born from the suppression and silencing of LGBTQ+ narratives. Radical increases in book bans, discriminatory educational policies, and vitriolic waves of intolerance towards gender identity are stigmatizing queerness. But the LGBTQ+ community isn't going anywhere.

We are proud of our lives, proud of our identities, and we, this literary journal, are proud of our young artists. LSG! is devoted to creating space for queer youth to express themselves, share their art, and tell their stories - because we don't believe that anyone should have to choose between being true to themselves and being safe. 

Welcome to Volume two of Let's Say Gay!

We are an anti-censorship publication born from the suppression and silencing of LGBTQ+ narratives. Radical increases in book bans, discriminatory educational policies, and vitriolic waves of intolerance towards gender identity are stigmatizing queerness. But the LGBTQ+ community isn't going anywhere.

We are proud of our lives, proud of our identities, and we, this literary journal, are proud of our young artists. LSG! is devoted to creating space for queer youth to express themselves, share their art, and tell their stories - because we don't believe that anyone should have to choose between being true to themselves and being safe. 

By Carly Kol: Hardcover; 32 pages / English [Interlink Publishing Group]

Let's Talk About Abortion is a groundbreaking, nonjudgmental, and gender-inclusive resource designed to help parents, caretakers, and providers compassionately discuss abortion with children ages 6 to 12. Let's Talk About Abortion is a groundbreaking and essential resource designed to help parents, caretakers, and providers discuss the topic of abortion with children ages 6 to 12. Authored and illustrated by experienced abortion doulas and vetted by early childhood educators, this book is crafted with the intention of fostering intentional, compassionate, and nonjudgmental conversations about abortion care. In a landscape where no other children's books discuss this topic, Let's Talk About Abortion fills a crucial gap. It provides a medically accurate, gender-inclusive, and nonjudgmental resource that acknowledges the diverse and complex nature of abortion care. The book's text is carefully constructed without gender-specific language or one specif

Is what I'm feeling normal? Is what my body is doing normal? Am I normal? How do I know what are the right choices to make? How do I know how to behave? How do I fix it when I make a mistake?

Let's talk about it.

Growing up is complicated.

How do you find the answers to all the questions you have about yourself, about your identity, and about your body? Let's Talk About It provides a comprehensive, thoughtful, well-researched graphic novel guide to everything you need to know.

Covering relationships, friendships, gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, sexting, jealousy, rejection, sex education, and more, Let's Talk About It is the go-to handbook for every teen, and the first in graphic novel form.

By: Alex Harper (Author), 2024, Paperback

Navigating LGBTQ+ Parenthood? This Empowering Guide Has Got You Covered

Are you dreaming of starting a family but feeling overwhelmed by the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ parents? Or perhaps you’re already a parent looking for guidance that truly understands your experiences. You’re not alone. Many LGBTQ+ individuals share these concerns, longing for resources that embrace and celebrate their identity as parents.

This empowering guide provides practical advice and compassionate support tailored specifically for LGBTQ+ families, helping you navigate the joys and challenges of parenthood while creating a loving, inclusive environment for your children.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Confidence-building strategies for overcoming challenges specific to LGBTQ+ parents, ensuring you approach parenthood with resilience and pride.

• Comprehensive paths to parenthood, including adoption, surrogacy, and insemination, with essential considerations and steps for each option.

• Tips for communicating with your children about being an LGBTQ+ family, including conversation starters and age-appropriate guidance.

• Tools for creating an inclusive and accepting home that celebrates diversity and fosters a sense of belonging.

• Essential legal advice every LGBTQ+ parent needs to be aware of, covering important areas like parental rights and family law.

• Real-life stories from diverse LGBTQ+ families, sharing their triumphs and challenges to inspire pride and connection.

• Practical resources for building a support network within and beyond the LGBTQ+ community so you never feel alone on your parenting journey.

This guide goes beyond generic parenting advice, offering a roadmap to navigate the unique and beautiful journey of LGBTQ+ parenthood. Click "Add to Cart" and embrace the parenting path with the support and knowledge you deserve!

By: Jason K. Friedman (Author), 2024, Paperback

Purchasing a historic Savannah home unlocks the sweeping story of a Southern Jewish family

As Jason K. Friedman renovated his flat in a grand townhouse in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia, he discovered a portal to the past. The Cohens, part of a Sephardic community in London, arrived in South Carolina in the mid-1700s; became founding members of Charleston's Jewish congregation; and went on to build home, community, and success in Savannah.

In Liberty Street: A Savannah Family, Its Golden Boy, and the Civil War Friedman takes the reader on a personal journey to understand the history of the Cohens. At the center of the story is a sensitive young man pulled between love and duty, a close-knit family straining under moral and political conflicts, and a city coming into its own. Friedman draws on letters, diaries, and his experiences traveling from Georgia to Virginia, uncovering hidden histories and exploring the ways place and collective memory haunt the present. At a moment when the hard light of truth shines on gauzy Lost-Cause myths, Liberty Street is a timely work of historical sleuthing.

By: Janaka Bowman Lewis

An engaging examination of Black Girl Magic and its significance in American literature

In Light and Legacies, author Janaka Bowman Lewis examines Black girlhood in American literature from the mid-twentieth century to the present. The representation of Black girlhood in contemporary literature has long remained underexplored. Through this literary history of "Black Girl Magic," Lewis offers one of the first studies in this rapidly growing field of study. Light and Legacies poignantly showcases the activist dimensions of creative literature through work by women writers such as Toni Morrison and Toni Cade. As vectors of protest, these stories reflect historical events while also creating an enduring space of liberation and expression. The book provides didactic and reflective portrayals of the Black experience—an experience that has long been misunderstood. In a work both enlightening and personal, Lewis brilliantly weaves accounts of her own journey together with the liberating stories that shaped her and so many others.

Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate.

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.