Reposted from The HuffPost (via Jess T Dugan).

“A new photo book has just been released and it examines the power of identity, desire, and connection through the art of portraiture in 2015.

Every Breath We Drew is a striking collection of images from photographer Jess Dugan, who sought out subjects that exhibit, in her words, a form of “gentle masculinity.” Through this work, Dugan complicates traditional notions of masculinity by photographing individuals in intimate spaces as meaningful exchanges took place.”

morrison recommends…

I felt like I was opening up a body as I read these poems. Picking apart bones and untwisting veins. These poems are written in ways that re-imagine what a page is, what a body is, what gender is/means. I feel enlightened and full of so many questions. I’ve begun to reread to search for the hidden meanings behind each word. Wow.

» Recommend something. «

Reposted from Nia King.

“A collection of sixteen unique and honest conversations you won’t read anywhere else… Welcome to the future of QPOC art activism”

Someone recommends…

I love it because Miles Walser is a great poet. Miles wrote some very touching stuff about trans issues, and especially if you are FTM I bet you will love this, but no matter who you are you will love the writing of this cute as hell and intelligent writer.

You can find a nice blog of Miles, where there is a lot of poetry recommended…

» Recommend something. «

Zena Sharman recommends…

The Genderfork community might like an anthology on butch and femme called Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme. (Full disclosure: I co-edited this project with my partner, Ivan E. Coyote). We’re really proud of the book. It’s a beautiful and diverse collection of 40+ femme and butch voices including MtF and FtM butches and femmes — like Amy Fox’s piece “Changed Sex. Grew Boobs. Started Wearing a Tie.”, Rae Spoon’s “Femme Cowboy”, Elizabeth Marston’s “Rogue Femininity”, and S. Bear Bergman’s “Brother Dog”.

Our aim in creating this anthology was, as Audre Lorde says, to “broaden the joining” — to make space for a continuation and expansion of the butch femme conversation, to reflect on what femme and butch can mean in today’s ever-shifting gender landscape.

There’s also an interesting tumblr, though it’s no longer active.

» Recommend something. «

Joss/Ame recommends…

I found this gem of a collection whilst wandering through my university’s library — in particular, the few shelves tucked away on the seventh floor containing science fiction anthologies by women and queer people… The short stories it contains are all winners of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for science fiction and fantasy that explores the boundaries of gender and sexuality. Some are old favorites like Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Matter of Seggri”, while some I had never heard of before and instantly fell in love with, like Eleanor Arnason’s “The Lovers”. All of the pieces play with gender roles and expectations in settings at once fantastical and exquisitely human. If you like speculative fiction, I would highly recommend this book.

» Recommend something. «

Aubri recommends…

This digital book is like a gender 101. It would be very helpful to start the conversation with someone who doesn’t know anything about gender. It’s also very affirming to browse for someone who is gender non-conforming in one form or another. I also like that it’s open access and they encourage people to download and distribute it.

» Recommend something. «

Lexie Bean recommends…

“Attention: People With Body Parts” commenced as a drive to collect letters from folks who have written to one of their body parts. Our bodies are filled with histories and identities, which change the way people look at each other and look in the mirror. Together, we self-construct and self-destruct our bodies. This project is about accessibility of control, celebration, and space for connection to and from body parts. This project is about establishing safe spaces for anyone who has been told or forced to believe safety is not something he/she/ze/they can find within the home, the body.

» Recommend something. «

Arca recommends…

The universe of this book is where any queer can find a good home, a place to hide away in. You’ll get lost between the lines, you’ll never think of time the same way again.

The only way you can identify a person in this book is by their name. Sex and gender are irrelevant. Sex and gender are relevant. Sex and gender are skewed and warped and spat out in a way that makes so much sense.

You’ll feel good after reading it. You’ll feel validation, you’ll feel smarter, you’ll become more inquisitive. Maybe you’ll feel less lonely. Just read it. It’s an experience.

» Recommend something. «

Selena Anne (but Andy works, too) recommends…

Here is a whimsical, yet serious, poem from my book:

THE SATIN TREE

In Siberia
there is a tree
that oozes satin
Russian cross-dressers
make the arduous journey there
to pray and bathe
in its glory

One day
a man in angelic drag
cried out,
“There is no satin tree,
it is a fake”

“Pay no attention to him,”
said a soldier
in black bra and matching tap pants,
“his stockings have runs,
his wig is in tangles,
and his wings are made of cardboard”

“Still we must investigate,”
said a government official
in towering heels,
he took samples of the ooze
and headed back to Moscow

On his way back home,
the ooze seeped
out of his bag,
onto the streets,
underneath doorways,
and into master bedrooms

Even though
it was the dead of winter,
a strange joy
hovered over Moscow

» Recommend something. «

Tim Trace Peterson recommends…

As far as we know, this is the first-ever anthology of poetry by trans and genderqueer writers! “Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry and Poetics”, edited by TC Tolbert and me (Nightboat Books, 2013) gathers together a diverse range of 55 poets with varying aesthetics and backgrounds. In addition to generous samples of poetry by each trans writer, the book also includes “poetics statements”—reflections by each poet that provide context for their work covering a range of issues from identification and embodiment to language and activism.

You can order the book at Small Press Distribution.

» Recommend something. «

Someone recommends…

The story begins as a simple one, a plane full of contestants in the Miss Teen Dream beauty pageant crashlands on a seemingly deserted island. The girls must now learn to survive with each other while either holding on to the competition or building a community. Things get more complicated as the girls explore themselves (and each other) in the context of their new found freedom.

The enchanting story is set to a background of satirical footnotes, “commercial breaks,” and sponsor’s notes. The book, like everything else in the dystopic society the girls left, is sponsored by The Corporation.

An overall great read from an overall great author.

» Recommend something. «

Someone recommends…

Though primarily a fantasy story based in ancient China, the main character is a boy called Eon — who is actually a biological female. While at first sie is “pretending” so that sie can train with the other boys, the book has some very thoughtful moments where Eon starts to wonder whether it really is acting, or whether sie actually feels male at heart. Even the synopsis of the book online calls hir “he”, even though it is never actually clarified in the first book whether sie feels male or female or other.

There are other characters that tackle gender issues such a trans woman, who is treated respectfully as truly female. The book, overall, handles gender issues very well even though they aren’t the focal point of the novel and I’d really recommend reading it for any genderqueer lover of fantasy novels.

» Recommend something. «

Someone recommends…

A great book with a unique twist on the Werewolf genre! This book is full of LGBT*Q characters, focusing on Devon Andrews, and her death and re-birth into this underworld which she never expected (or even knew existed). There’s some great gender play in here, and I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, but if you’re a fan of horror or werewolves, this has a great cast of characters for readers to identify with.

» Recommend something. «

DonC recommends…

‘Annabel’, by Kathleen Winter, is the story of a child born in 1968 on the edge of the Canadian wilderness. The child is born a hermaphrodite. Shortly after birth, the decision is made to raise the child as a boy, christened Wayne. The child’s true biological status is kept a secret by the parents and the local medical community. Maintaining this secret causes many problems for the child and parents.

» Recommend something. «

tigr recommends…

“Breakfast on Pluto” is a wonderful tale, following the adventures of Patrick “Kitten” Braden (Cillian Murphy! <3) from close-minded small town, via a run-in with the IRA, to London in search of Kitten’s lost mother. Fabulous! With darker parts dotted throughout, but really heart-warming in the end. :)

The film is based on the book with the same title (but I only saw the film; haven’t yet read the book).

There’s also a pretty cool official site (flash only, unfortunately).

» Recommend something. «

Anna May recommends…

“Here, We Cross” is a collection of queer and genderfluid poetry from issues 1-7 of Stone Telling magazine. It includes poems about both trans* and genderqueer identities and issues, and all of them are powerful, amazing poems. The chapbook is available via Amazon.

» Recommend something. «

Erica recommends…

Though it deals with trigger-warning worthy topics such as homophobia, transphobia, and sexual abuse, Justin Bond’s memoir about v’s childhood in small-town Maryland is definitely worth reading. Bond, a “boy”, is obsessed with old-time Hollywood stars like Rita Hayworth, listens to Elton John with his best female friend, and dances like Ginger Rogers. All of these interests are treated by v’s family as if they were symptoms of a shameful secret. Struggling with difference in a world out of the reach of the 1969 Stonewall riots, v and his grade and high school friends stumble through homosexual desire, sexual abuse, and trans issues while on boyscout trips, in tree houses, or in middle-class girl’s rooms lined with stuffed animals.

The lies that simmer under the surface of tranquil suburbia aren’t a new theme in literature, but Bond takes a trope usually used in midlife crisis stories and reworks it as aggressively queer. This isn’t a coming out story so much as a portrait of what LGBT looked like before gender theory and the Internet age busted these secrets wide open.

» Recommend something. «

tigr recommends…

a+e 4ever is the story of two gender/queer teenagers in high school, their friendship, and their exploration of their gender and sexuality. Black and white and dark and still really sweet. Beautiful and heartwrenching. Not for everyone [tw: rape, bullying, sex/nudity], but an amazing read. I didn’t manage to put it down till I finished it crying bittersweetly…

(The book has its playlist at the very back, if you’d like a soundtrack while reading!)

» Recommend something. «

Soo recommends…

“Roland Humphrey is Wearing a WHAT?” is a picture book for children from the perspective of a young child who can’t understand why kids must be dressed according to their gender. Roland Humphrey loves hockey, but also ballet; Roland Humphrey wears pants but also lavender shoes, tiaras and sparkly butterfly pins. When friends criticize Roland for breaking the “boy rules,” the child tries to conform. But eventually Roland Humphrey decides being true to one’s self is all that matters. For readers of “My Princess Boy” and “10,000 Dresses” who are looking for another addition to their children’s book library and/or recommendations.

» Recommend something. «