7 Minutes in Book Heaven with Joshua Moehling and Where The Dead Sleep

This Queer Book Saved My Life

#Books #Arts #Lgbt Books; Lgbtq Books #Jp Derboghossian #Life Stories #Society #John Parker #LGBTQ #LGBT #Queer Book #J.P. Der Boghossian

51:57

On the Season 2 debut of Lost Cultures: Living Legacies , we travel to Bermuda, an Atlantic island whose history spans centuries and continents. Once uninhabited, Bermuda became a vital stop in transatlantic trade, a maritime stronghold, and a cultural crossroads shaped by African, European, Caribbean, and Native American influences. Guests Dr. Kristy Warren and Dr. Edward Harris trace its transformation from an uninhabited island to a strategic outpost shaped by shipwrecks, colonization, the transatlantic slave trade, and the rise and fall of empires. Plus, former Director of Tourism Gary Phillips shares the story of the Gombey tradition, a vibrant performance art rooted in resistance, migration, and cultural fusion. Together, they reveal how Bermuda’s layered past continues to shape its people, culture, and identity today. You can also find us online at ⁠travelandleisure.com/lostcultures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…

2 years ago 13:14

MP3•Episode home

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 their books, from new releases to classic mysteries.
In this new episode, Once Upon a Crime Books introduces us to Joshua Moehling and his new novel: Where The Dead Sleep which is available to buy in paperback in-store, or on their website, and it is also available as a digital audio book.
Joshua Moehling (he/him) is the author of the Ben Packard series. The first book, And There He Kept Her, was a Barnes & Noble monthly Mystery/Thriller pick and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ+ Mystery. His second novel, Where the Dead Sleep, was described as “a well-paced whodunit” and “devastating” by The New York Times. Joshua lives in Minneapolis and works in the medical device industry.
Buy Where The Dead Sleep
Visit Once Upon a Crime Books in-person or buy online: https://onceuponacrimebooks.indielite.org/book/9781728247922
Buy the first book in the series And There He Kept Her: https://onceuponacrimebooks.indielite.org/book/9781728275772
Also, in this episode, we talked about Five Decembers by James Kestrel, which is also available at Once Upon a Crime Books:
https://onceuponacrimebooks.indielite.org/book/9781789098679
Connect with Joshua Moehling
Website: joshuamoehling.com
Instagram: @jmoehling
Twitter: @JoshuaMoehling
Facebook: facebook.com/jmoehling
Credits
Presented by: Once Upon a Crime Books
Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Theme music: Summer Mood by lesfm
Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a

Support the show

117 episodes

7 Minutes in Book Heaven with Joshua Moehling and Where The Dead Sleep

This Queer Book Saved My Life

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published 2 years ago

MP3•Episode home

Support the show

117 episodes

#Books #Arts #Lgbt Books; Lgbtq Books #Jp Derboghossian #Life Stories #Society #John Parker #LGBTQ #LGBT #Queer Book #J.P. Der Boghossian

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This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
The Priory of the Orange Tree with Arden Harris, Emily Autenrieth, and Samantha Shannon 51:02

4 days ago51:02

51:02

This book sparked a five-year long career and life journey. In a first for us, we have two guests today! They are Arden Harris and Emily Autenrieth. We’re talking about the queer book that saved their lives: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon and she joins us for the conversation! Arden Harris is the buyer and lead bookseller for A Seat at the Table Books, an aspiring writer, and overall bookstore cryptid. They’re often found hiding in the shelves or crafting with their partner and four cats. Emily Autenrieth is the founder and owner of A Seat at the Table Books. Emily saw a need in the community for a space where people of all ages and identities could be themselves and learn about others. With eir spouse Ryan's support, Emily opened a pop-up and online bookstore out of the family's home in January 2020. After getting a lease on a former float spa in April 2021, Emily and Ryan opened the brick-and-mortar store that November. They have been featured by ABC10 as business of the year for 2022! Samantha Shannon is an award-winning and bestselling fantasy author. She studied English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. Her novel The Priory of the Orange Tree has sold over a million copies in English worldwide. At the age of 21, she published The Bone Season , the internationally bestselling first installment in a seven-book series of fantasy novels. The Dark Mirror , the fifth installment in the Bone Season series, just came out this past February. Special Limited Series This episode is part of a special limited series of episodes featuring only guests who are owners or staff at LGBTQ bookstores. Airing April-June 2025, these episodes will feature six bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom. Today's bookstore A Seat at the Table Books is a family-owned bookstore in Elk Grove, CA, that fosters community through representation in our curated book selection, eco-friendly coffee, and mission-driven events. They strive to be a third space that is safe and affirming for all identities. Connect with Arden, Emily, and Samantha website: aseatatthetablebooks.org bluesky: @seatbooks.bsky.social instagram: @ASeatattheTableBooks instagram: @bookstore.cryptid website: samanthashannon.co.uk instagram: @say_shannon Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change ) Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
The Gaily Show: LGBTQ Elder Law with David Rephan 47:24

11 days ago47:24

47:24

A new episode in our special limited series featuring owners/staff of LGBTQ bookstores drops next week on June 10th! In our off weeks, we air a recent episode of The Gaily Show which John hosts. The Gaily Show is the only daily LGBTQ progressive news and talk radio show in the country airing in Minneapolis (AM950-KTNF) and Chicago (WCPT 820). In this episode, our previous guest to This Queer Book Saved My Life, David Rephan, shares his area of professional legal expertise: Elder Law. As MAGA is cutting Medicaid, and threatening to roll back gay marriage and cut Medicare and Social Security, what laws and documents (medical power of attorney, wills, etc.) do we need as queer folks to protect us? David Rephan is a partner at Chestnut Cambronne. In his twenty-five years of practicing law, he has focused his practice primarily in the areas of elder law, disability law (including special needs trust law), government benefits law, and veterans law. Connect with David: https://www.chestnutcambronne.com/bio-drephan.html Listen to David's episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life: https://thisqueerbook.com/metes-and-bounds/ Watch on YouTube We're in video too! You can watch this episode at youtube.com/@thegailyshow Credits Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change ) Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Production and Distribution Support: Brett Johnson, AM950 Marketing/Advertising Support: Chad Larson, Laura Hedlund, Jennifer Ogren, AM950 Accounting and Creative Support: Gordy Erickson Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
Diving Into The Wreck with Kris Kleindienst 33:42

18 days ago33:42

33:42

I was hungry for language. And stories. And how to tell our stories. That's what this book gave me. But let's not make a Bible out of it. Today we meet Kris Kleindienst and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Diving Into The Wreck by Adrienne Rich. Kris is a 72-year old queer lesbian writer, bookseller, and activist. She owns Left Bank Books, a 56-year old progressive bookstore in St. Louis, Missouri. Kris edited a collection of activist essays titled This Is What Lesbian Looks Like: Dyke Activists Take on The 21st Century , published by Firebrand Press and winner of a Lambda Literary Award. She was a gold medal winning and 4-time participant in The Gay Games (also the co-founder of Team St. Louis). She has won multiple awards locally, regionally and nationally for my work with Left Bank Books. She is at work on a memoir about growing up in the 50s-60s with a Lesbian mother. Fun fact: She once got high with Armistead Maupin. Diving into the Wreck: Poems 1971–1972 was Adrienne Rich's seventh book of poetry, an anthology of poems described as provocative and which co-won the 1974 National Book Award for Poetry with Allen Ginsberg's The Fall of America. Adrienne Rich (1929-2012) was an award-winning poet and essayist. Special Limited Series This episode is part of a special limited series of episodes featuring only guests who are owners or staff at LGBTQ bookstores. Airing April-June 2025, these episodes will feature six bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom. Today's guest owns Left Bank Books . Opened in 1969 by a group of graduate students at Washington University who wanted to create a place where one could find all kinds of literature, Left Bank Books is the oldest and largest independently-owned full-line bookstore in St. Louis, Missouri. Open seven days a week, Left Bank Books offers a full-line of new and used books, gifts, cards, toys and services. Learn more and get shopping: left-bank.com Connect with Kris website: left-bank.com facebook: facebook.com/kleindienst Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change ) Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1 Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
The Murderbot Diaries with Esmé and Martha Wells 58:09

5 weeks ago58:09

58:09

What would it feel like for other people to love me if they were to truly see me and truly know me as I am right now? Today we meet Esmé and we’re talking about the queer book that saved their life: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. And Martha joins us for the conversation! Esmé has been slinging radical books at Firestorm since 2019. They wear multiple hats including communications, event facilitation, and offsite sales. When she doesn't have her nose in a gay book, Esmé sings in a doom metal band and snuggles with the shop dog, an ancient dachshund named Julius Caesar Salad, as much as caninely possible. Martha Wells has written many novels, including the bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series, which was adapted into an Apple Original TV series debuting May 16, 2025. She also authored Witch King, City of Bones, The Wizard Hunters, Wheel of the Infinite, and the Nebula-nominated The Death of the Necromancer , as well as YA fantasy novels, short stories, and nonfiction. In All Systems Red , the first book in The Murderbot Diaries , a team of scientists are conducting surface tests on a distant planet, shadowed by their Company-supplied SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module. Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth. Special Limited Series This episode is part of a special limited series of episodes featuring only guests who are owners or staff at LGBTQ bookstores. Airing April-June 2025, these episodes will feature six bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom. Today's guest is a bookseller at Firestorm Books, a collectively-owned radical bookstore and not-for-profit event space in Asheville, North Carolina. Since 2008 Firestorm Books has supported grassroots movements in Southern Appalachia while developing a workplace on the basis of cooperation, empowerment and equity. Connect with Esmé and Martha website: firestorm.coop instagram: @angelicadoom website: marthawells.com bluesky: @marthawells.com instagram: @marthawellswriter Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change ) Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy t Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
Something That May Shock and Discredit You with Christina Neuwirth and Daniel M. Lavery 44:58

7 weeks ago44:58

44:58

What would it happen if I allowed my thoughts about my gender become known to me? Today we meet Dr. Christina Neuwirth and we’re talking about the queer book that saved their life: Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel M. Lavery. And Daniel joins us for the conversation! Dr. Christina Neuwirth is a writer, researcher and bookseller based in Edinburgh. Their 2018 novella Amphibian was shortlisted for Scotland’s National Book Awards. Their writing has been published in Gutter Magazine and The Skinny . At Lighthouse Bookshop, Christina runs the Bread & Roses Prize for Radical Publishing . Daniel M. Lavery is the “Dear Prudence” advice columnist at Slate , the cofounder of The Toast , and the New York Times bestselling author of Texts From Jane Eyre and The Merry Spinster . In 2024, he published his debut novel Women's Hotel . From a thoughtful analysis of the beauty of William Shatner to a sinister reimagining of HGTV’s House Hunters , and featuring figures as varied as Anne of Green Gables, Columbo, and the cast of Mean Girls , Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a hilarious and emotionally exhilarating compendium that combines personal history with cultural history to make you see yourself and those around you entirely anew. Special Limited Series This episode is part of a special limited series of episodes featuring only guests who are owners or staff at LGBTQ bookstores. Airing April-June 2025, these episodes will feature six bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom. Today's guest is a bookseller at Lighthouse Bookshop, a queer-owned and woman-led independent community bookshop. It is an unapologetically activist, intersectional, feminist, antiracist, lgbtq+ community space. In 2020 it was nominated Scotland’s Best Independent Bookshop. Connect with Christina and Daniel website: christinaneuwirth.com website: danielmlavery.com instagram: @daniel_m_lavery Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change ) Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1 Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
Dare Truth or Promise with Stephanie Beardslee and Paula Boock 48:58

9 weeks ago48:58

48:58

I was 8,000 miles from home asking is it ok to be gay? That's when I wandered into a shop found this book. Today we meet Stephanie Beardslee and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Dare Truth or Promise by Paula Boock. And Paula joins us for the conversation! Stephanie Beardslee is the owner of Wolf & Wyld’s Queer Bookstore, an online and pop-up bookstore based in Manitou Springs, Colorado. She is a Front Range (of Colorado) native that is really hacked off that the Pikes Peak Region doesn’t have a queer bookstore and is busy making the change she wants to see in the world. Her alter-ego slings books in the nearby Libraryland and has the pleasure of serving the county’s patrons via the bookmobile. Paula Boock (she/her) is an award-winning New Zealand scriptwriter, producer and author. Her screen credits include story lining and writing on the The Strip , the internationally acclaimed drama series The Insiders Guide to Happiness and its 7-part prequel The Insiders Guide to Love . She won the 2003 AFTA Best Drama Script (with Kathryn Burnett) for The Strip. She has written five young adult novels and was a publisher and founding partner of Longacre Press. In Dare Truth or Promise , self-assured Louie is gearing up for another successful year in high school. In the meantime Willa, who was kicked out of her last school, wants to be left alone. But each girl unexpectedly finds that plans mean nothing when it comes to love. Louie discovers acceptance, faith, and identity are not what they had seemed. And Willa finds herself suddenly willing to take another chance. Special Limited Series This episode is part of a special limited series of episodes featuring only guests who are owners or staff at LGBTQ bookstores. Airing April-June 2025, these episodes will feature six bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom. Today's guest owns Wolf and Wyld's Queer Bookstore an independent online & pop-up bookstore based in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Wolf and Wyld's specializes in LGBTQ+ books. You can shop online at: wolfandwyld.com Buy Paula's book at Wolf and Wyld's Queer Bookstore Use this link: https://wolfandwyld.com/products/dare-truth-or-promise Connect with Stephanie and Paula website: wolfandwyld.com bluesky: @wolfandwyldbooks.com website: lippypictures.com/paula-boock Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change ) Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
Mostly Dead Things with Casey Holland and Kristen Arnett 47:02

11 weeks ago47:02

47:02

How was I going to reshape my life into something new after this fundamental part of me had been buried? Today we meet Casey Holland and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett. And Kristen joins us for the conversation! Casey is one of the owners of Wayfaring Booksellers, a queer bookstore in MI. She's worked in bookstores for the last six years and is a lover of all things spooky and weird. When she's not slinging books, you can find her spending time with her cat, Nemo, whose hobbies include hunting Casey for sport. Kristen Arnett is the queer Floridian author of With Teeth: A Novel which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and the bestselling novel Mostly Dead Things . She just published STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE , about a lesbian birthday party clown. Mostly Dead Things tells the story of Jessa-Lynn Morton. In the wake of her father's suicide, Jessa has stepped up to manage his failing taxidermy business while the rest of the Morton family crumbles. Special Limited Series This episode is part of a special limited series of episodes featuring only guests who are owners or staff at LGBTQ bookstores. Airing April-June 2025, these episodes will feature six bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom. Today's guest owns Wayfaring Booksellers, a queer/women-owned bookstore in Lansing, MI. Their mission is to celebrate and amplify queer books and stories while uplifting the LGBTQIA+ community. Visit them at 1023 S. Washington Avenue inside the REO Town Marketplace and at wayfaringbooksellers.com . Bluesky: @wayfaringbooks.bsky.social Buy Kristen's books at Wayfaring Booksellers Use this link: https://www.wayfaringbooksellers.com/s/search?q=Kristen%20Arnett Connect with Casey and Kristen website: wayfaringbooksellers.com bluesky: @caseyholland.bsky.social website: kristenarnettwriter.com bluesky: @kristenarnett.bsky.social instagram: @kristen__arnett Become an Associate Producer! A professionally recognized credit, gain access to Associate Producer meetings to guide our podcast into the future! patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change ) Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
The Once and Future King with Max Yeshaye Brumberg-Kraus 54:38

13 weeks ago54:38

54:38

How do you get out of a spiral of shame and guilt and try to make the world a better place? Today we meet Max Yeshaye Brumberg-Kraus and we’re talking about the queer book that saved their life: The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Max studied classics and theatre at Beloit College, received their MA in Theology and the Arts from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. They are the author of The(y)ology: Mythopoetics for Queer/Trans Liberation with Punctum Press and the collection of poems Visions of Divine Love with AC Books, which brings together Julian of Norwich with Divine the Drag Queen. Their work explores memory, historiography, gender/sexuality, and myth through embodied practices. Terence Hanbury "Tim" White was an English writer. He is best known for his Arthurian novels, which were published together in 1958 as The Once and Future King . One of his best known is the first of the series, The Sword in the Stone , which was published as a stand-alone book in 1938. Despite leading a single and very private life, Sylvia Townsend Warner argued in her definitive 1967 biography of white that he was gay. The Once and Future King retells the saga of King Arthur, a fantasy classic as legendary as Excalibur and Camelot, and a poignant story of adventure, romance, and magic that has enchanted readers for generations. Connect with Max website: maxyeshaye.com facebook: facebook.com/max.brumbergkraus instagram: @cicadalamour For ticket info for Incident at Peckerpah Ridge on March 21 and 22 head to: squirrelhausarts.com/events 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/thisqueerbook Buy your own copy of The Once and Future King : https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780441627400 Buy The(y)ology: Mythopoetics for Queer/Trans Liberation : https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781685710866 Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change ) Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/li Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
The Persian Boy with Blair Fell 41:45

15 weeks ago41:45

41:45

When a queer book elevates our own expectations of ourselves and moves us to honor ourselves by saying: we deserve something more. Today we meet Blair Fell and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: The Persian Boy by Mary Renault. Blair Fell’s television work includes Queer as Folk , and the Emmy Award–winning California Connected . He’s written dozens of plays including the award-winning plays Naked Will and the downtown cult miniseries Burning Habits . He’s a two-time winner of the prestigious Doris Lippman Prize in Creative Writing from the City College of New York. His first novel The Sign For Home was long-listed by the Center For Fiction’s First Book Award. His upcoming novel Disco Witches of Fire Island comes out May 6, 2025. Mary Renault was a British lesbian writer famed for her historically precise novels of the ancient world, including The Last of the Wine (1956), Fire From Heaven (1969), and The Persian Boy (1972). US publishers initially refused to publish her novel The Charioteer due to its positive portrayal of homosexuality and its happy ending. It was eventually published in 1959 and was a bestseller. The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander’s life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas was sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but found freedom with Alexander after the Macedon army conquered his homeland. Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots. After Alexander’s mysterious death, we are left wondering if this Persian boy understood the great warrior better than anyone. Connect with Blair website: blairfell.com bluesky: @blairfell.bsky.social instagram: @blair.fell 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/thisqueerbook Buy your own copy of The Persian Boy : https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780394751016 Pre-order Disco Witches of Fire Island (arrives May 6, 2025): https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9798892420341 Buy The Sign For Home : https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781982175962 Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: John Parker Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these bo Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
The Gaily Show: Queer Poetry for Valentines Day 47:20

16 weeks ago47:20

47:20

A new episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life drops next week on March 5! In our off weeks, we air a recent episode of The Gaily Show which J.P. hosts for AM950 Radio. The Gaily Show is one of the only daily LGBTQ news and talk shows in the country. In this episode, author and teacher Belo Miguel Cipriani brings students from his writing courses at Metro State University in St. Paul, MN to read their work and talk about that queer writing life. Watch on YouTube We're in video too! You can watch this episode at youtube.com/@thegailyshow Credits Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Production and Distribution Support: Brett Johnson, AM950 Marketing/Advertising Support: Chad Larson, Laura Hedlund, Jennifer Ogren, AM950 Accounting and Creative Support: Gordy Erickson Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You with Seth Anderson-Matz and S. Bear Bergman 52:12

17 weeks ago52:12

52:12

Ok, I've started to embody my transness. Now what? Today we meet Seth Anderson-Matz and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You by S. Bear Bergman. And Bear joins us for the conversation! Seth Anderson-Matz is a queer & trans community organizer and minister. He has lived and worked in the Twin Cities area all his life, and currently resides in South Minneapolis with his wife (Jenn), one big dog (Roxie), one tiny dog (Saul), and one weird cat (Lucy). S. Bear Bergman is the author of nine books, founder of Flamingo Rampant press, and frequent consultant in equity and inclusion to business and government. Bear began his work in equity at the age of 15, as a founding member of the first ever Gay/Straight Alliance and has continued to help organizations and institutions move further along the pathways to justice ever since. Alternately unsettling and affirming, devastating and delicious, The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You is a collection of essays on gender and identity that is irrevocably honest and endlessly illuminating. With humor and grace, these essays deal with issues from women's spaces to the old boys' network, from gay male bathhouses to lesbian potlucks, from being a child to preparing to have one. It offers unique perspectives on issues that challenge, complicate, and confound the "official stories" about how gender and sexuality work. Connect with Seth and Bear instagram: @s.andersonmatz website: sbearbergman.com instagram: @bearbergman bluesky: @sbearbergman.bsky.social 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/thisqueerbook Buy your own copy of The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You : https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781551522647 Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1 Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
Ruby Fruit Jungle with Louisa Hext 48:10

19 weeks ago48:10

48:10

When you find the book that gives you the resilience, strength, and willingness to be yourself. Today we meet Louisa Hext and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Ruby Fruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown. Louisa is a transformational coach, speaker, and mediator with over 30 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate forgiveness, healing, and personal growth. Drawing from her research and nearly 13 years as the curator of a highly regarded traveling photographic exhibition on forgiveness, Louisa has been privileged to guide countless individuals through profound emotional healing. Her coaching practice is built on empathy, deep curiosity, and a non-judgmental approach, creating a safe space for her clients to explore their unique stories and unlock their potential for growth and transformation. Ruby Fruit Jungle is a ground-breaking coming-of-age novel from one of America's most distinctive voices. It is a transformative work which tells the story of Molly Bolt, an adopted daughter of a Southern couple who boldly forges her own queer path in America. Connect with Louisa Website: embraceforgiveness.com 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/thisqueerbook Buy your own copy of Ruby Fruit Jungle : https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781101965122 Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1 Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
History Is All You Left Me with Edwin Santos Lepiz and Adam Silvera 48:15

21 weeks ago48:15

48:15

How do I keep going when my one support person isn't there for me anymore? Today we meet Edwin Santos Lepiz and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. And Adam joins us for the conversation! Edwin is a gay first-generation Mexican-American graduate student at the University of Utah College of Social Work. Edwin is pursuing a Master of Social Work degree to pursue work at the intersection of language justice and suicide prevention utilizing stories such as those found in today's book as a tool to meet this goal. Adam Silvera is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End , The First to Die at the End , More Happy Than Not , History Is All You Left Me , the Infinity Cycle trilogy, and the What If It's Us duology with Becky Albertalli. His novels have received many starred reviews. He previously worked in children’s publishing and bookselling. History Is All You Left Me is a novel in which Griffin's first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident. Even though Theo had moved to California for college, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he's been imagining for himself has gone far off course. The only person who truly understands his heartache is Theo's new boyfriend, Jackson. Griffin's losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he's been keeping are tearing him apart. If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life. Connect with Edwin and Adam linkedin: linkedin.com/in/edwinsantoslepiz/ instagram: @esantoslepiz website: adamsilvera.com Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/adamsilvera.bsky.social instagram: @adamsilvera 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/thisqueerbook Buy your own copy of History Is All You Left Me : https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781641293174 Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://lib Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

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Harriet the Spy with Dean Backus 38:47

23 weeks ago38:47

38:47

Is the loss of innocence the beginning of compassion and wisdom? Today we meet Dean Backus and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Dean is a playwright, essayist, screenwriter, journalist, filmmaker, and high school English teacher. He is the author of Darts and Flowers and the forthcoming The Deep End of the Pool . Harriet the Spy is a timeless YA classic by queer author Louise Fitzhugh. In it, Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she's written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together? Connect with Dean website: deanbackusauthor.com instagram: @deanbackusauthor facebook: facebook.com/deanbackusauthor 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/thisqueerbook Buy your own copy of Harriet The Spy : https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780440416791 Become an Associate Producer! Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook Credits Host/Founder: J.P. Der Boghossian Executive Producer: Jim Pounds Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard. Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson Quatrefoil Library Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1 Join us in helping Lambda Literary raise $20k for The Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices to ensure all writers can attend. Donate here: http://bit.ly/3RjW51a Support the show…

This Queer Book Saved My Life

1
7 Minutes in Book Heaven with Lev AC Rosen and Rough Pages 11:39

26 weeks ago11:39