June marks the start of Pride Month – the perfect opportunity to celebrate all the incredible contributions from the LGBTQ+ community.
Diverse representation matters in every industry, and LGBTQ+ authors bring a bright and necessary light to the bookshelves of many. From authentic sapphic love stories, to illuminating tales of gender identity, these voices can help us better understand queer realties better than anyone.
We’ve highlighted a group of talented authors from the LGBTQ+ community that deserve recognition throughout Pride Month, and beyond.
Bryan Washington
Bryan, who identifies as gay, published his first debut short story collection, Lot, in 2019. The collection centres on a young man of mixed African American and Latino American descent who works in his family’s restaurant while coming to terms with his sexuality. Winner of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction, Lot is an enthralling, must-read collection of tough and tender stories.
Bryan, from Texas, released his critically acclaimed debut novel, Memorial, which has been purchased by A24 for a television adaptation.
Meredith Russo
Meredith is a trans author who expertly explores the themes of gender identity, sexuality, poverty, and trauma in her writing. Her novel Birthday follows Morgan and Eric once a year on their shared birthday, as the two are forever bonded by coming into the world on the same day, at the same time, in the same hospital.
As the years pass, they constantly drift apart and come together, the story soaring as we watch Morgan and Eric embrace and slowly become their true selves. Meredith captures a brutally honest and ultimately heartwarming story about exploring our identities.
In addition to her literary efforts, Meredith campaigns heavily for HIV awareness and de-stigmatization.
Carmen Maria Machado
Carmen, who identifies as queer, is best known for her short story collection Her Body and Other Parties. The collection blends science fiction, queer theory and horror and has been critically acclaimed, winning the Shirley Jackson Award in 2017.
Carmen, from Pennsylvania, also spent years trying to tell the story of her same-sex abusive relationship, and she does it skillfully in her memoir In the Dream House. Addressing her religious upbringing, she highlights the stereotype of physical safety within lesbian relationships while demonstrating the effects of abuse on a person’s memory, reality, and voice.
Anita Kelly
Anita Kelly, a nonbinary author from Pennsylvania, wrote Love & Other Disasters for queer romance readers to find a hopeful escape. This adorable queer romance follows London Parker, the first openly nonbinary contestant on a popular cooking show who falls for their recently-divorced competitor, Dahlia Woodson.
A teen librarian by day, Anita writes romance that celebrates queer love in all its infinite possibilities.
Bryan Washington
Bryan, who identifies as gay, published his first debut short story collection, Lot, in 2019. The collection centres on a young man of mixed African American and Latino American descent who works in his family’s restaurant while coming to terms with his sexuality. Winner of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction, Lot is an enthralling, must-read collection of tough and tender stories.
Bryan, from Texas, released his critically acclaimed debut novel, Memorial, which has been purchased by A24 for a television adaptation.
Meredith Russo
Meredith is a trans author who expertly explores the themes of gender identity, sexuality, poverty, and trauma in her writing. Her novel Birthday follows Morgan and Eric once a year on their shared birthday, as the two are forever bonded by coming into the world on the same day, at the same time, in the same hospital.
As the years pass, they constantly drift apart and come together, the story soaring as we watch Morgan and Eric embrace and slowly become their true selves. Meredith captures a brutally honest and ultimately heartwarming story about exploring our identities.
In addition to her literary efforts, Meredith campaigns heavily for HIV awareness and de-stigmatization.
Carmen Maria Machado
Carmen, who identifies as queer, is best known for her short story collection Her Body and Other Parties. The collection blends science fiction, queer theory and horror and has been critically acclaimed, winning the Shirley Jackson Award in 2017.
Carmen, from Pennsylvania, also spent years trying to tell the story of her same-sex abusive relationship, and she does it skillfully in her memoir In the Dream House. Addressing her religious upbringing, she highlights the stereotype of physical safety within lesbian relationships while demonstrating the effects of abuse on a person’s memory, reality, and voice.
Anita Kelly
Anita Kelly, a nonbinary author from Pennsylvania, wrote Love & Other Disasters for queer romance readers to find a hopeful escape. This adorable queer romance follows London Parker, the first openly nonbinary contestant on a popular cooking show who falls for their recently-divorced competitor, Dahlia Woodson.
A teen librarian by day, Anita writes romance that celebrates queer love in all its infinite possibilities.
Becky Albertalli
Becky is a bisexual author best known for her 2015 debut novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which was adapted into the 2018 film Love, Simon.
Becky came out as bisexual in August 2020, in response to people who had criticised her for writing about gay characters as a presumed heterosexual. She stated that coming out was not an “attempt to neutralise criticism of [her] books” and asked her critics to acknowledge that “carelessness in these discussions has caused real harm”.
If you liked this post then read Why the rise in LGBTQ+ romance is important or From Me Before You to Moby Dick: How books represent disability next.
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Sophie Olejnik
sophie.blotmag@gmail.com
Sophie is a trainee journalist at The University of Sheffield who specialises in feature writing. She has a keen passion for books and would love to work in the publishing industry in the future. She’s particularly passionate about how our ever-changing planet is represented in the books we read.
Favourite genres: Thrillers and Contemporary Fiction.