What are a few of your favorite essay or memoir writers? Why or what do you love about their work?
I recently read “Eye Of The Heart,” by Cynthia Bourgeault. It was an amazing read, and I have to read it again. She goes deep into the study of other realms and makes a case for humanness being a necessary component of grace, disproving the more common belief that the trappings of being human should be transcended. She is devoutly Christian, but her open-minded approach and memoir format is broad enough to include me, who is not.

Why do you think people should buy and read the anthology?
The stories in the anthology take me on such beautiful and profound journeys, I can’t choose one to highlight. I am humbled to be among this group of writers. Seriously, some are brilliant because of the artistry in the writing, others are raw and vulnerable windows into another world.

Did culture or identity play a role in your piece? Can you share more about how that cultural or identity experience has changed or been a part of your pandemic experience?
In my piece as well as through the pandemic, my queer identity is a backdrop. I’m never quite sure how it plays into my experience of motherhood. Very few of my gay friends became parents; most of my mom-friends I met through my kids. I wonder how this impacts my sense of community. Do we not have another family to pod with because our family doesn’t fit the moms-in-the-kitchen, dads-in-the-den thing? Are other straight moms as isolated as I am? It’s easy to blame being gay, but I think community is more complicated than that.

What is the theme in your piece (grief, love, hope, etc.) and how does it come through? Is that an ongoing theme in your work?
My anthology piece is about the struggle to remain connected to and supportive of my kids, which is an ongoing theme for me. I am perplexed by how open and connected we are with infants, and how that feeling erodes over time. I’m struck by this from my experience as a kid as well as a mom. I write about it a lot.

Did the pandemic affect your career? How?
The pandemic has totally stalled my writing career. My upcoming book publication has been cancelled with the same lack of a plan as my kids’ school reopening. Truthfully, the peril our country is in, between the pandemic, climate change and human rights, makes my book about having kids feel a bit off-topic. Then again, a story about human connection might be just what is needed right now. Anyway, I have to remember it’s not my job to judge, it’s my job to get it done.

How will your life be different than before the pandemic?
A lot has changed over the past year. Between the pandemic, politics, moving to a new home and peri-menopause, I can’t remember what life was like before. It will be a whole new era once we’re able to move on. Just like with every evolution, I hope to keep the good things I’ve learned and let go of the bad. Like – I’ve had more time to listen to my own voice, which is a double-edged gift, but I hope to keep the clarity that gives me. And, while my kids miss their friends and connections desperately, the isolation has freed them from some peer pressure. They are less inhibited now, so I hope to keep that.

ABOUT EK BAYER
Having been commissioned without pay by the CDC to isolate in a bubble with her wife and twin-boys due to a pandemic, EK has discovered she is not cut out to be a short-order chef or a homeschool teacher. Success is currently getting the twins out on a walk in their San Francisco neighborhood. If politics wasn’t so distracting, she could finish her novel. Find her occasionally at https://mamagrit.wordpress.com

RECENT PUBLICATIONS
“Mama” on PBS

RIP Notorious RBG: May her memory be a revolution

Croned

More info on (Her)oics

The post Get to know the (Her)oic EK Bayer first appeared on Lesbian.com.

When Christine Svendsen’s first book was turned away by publishers, she launched her own publishing company.

Now, four years later, she’s got a stable full of award-winning lesbian authors and her own award-winning books published under the pseudonym Isabella via Sapphire Books.

“Believe in yourself. Rejection isn’t the end of a story, it can be a beginning,” Svendsen said. “Looking back, I didn’t think in terms of what if this doesn’t work? I only thought of the possibilities.”

Sapphire Books is offering anyone who likes their Facebook page a free book. After you like the page, email to Svendsen.

Svendsen took time out of her busy schedule to share the secrets to Sapphire’s success with us.

What do you do and why?

I’m the publisher and an author at Sapphire Books Publishing. I started Sapphire Books Publishing in 2010. We publish lesbian novels, written by lesbians. Our authors include Linda Kay Silva, Kim Pritekel, Beth Burnett, Karelia Stetz-Waters, Linda North, Lynette Mae, Riley Adair Garret, Lorraine Howell, Rhavensfyre and Stephanie Kusiak.

What did you do before you started your company?

I do the same thing now as I did when I started Sapphire Books, I work as a community college instructor in California. My current job affords me the luxury of working remote for most of my work load. The flexibility allows me to set my own hours, which really helps with the publishing company.

How did you come up with the idea for your company?

I had submitted my first manuscript to two publishers and was rejected by both. One said they weren’t looking for my type of story at that time. The other company wanted me to completely rewrite the story and resubmit. I thought long and hard about rewriting it. After talking to my wife, I decided that I’d try and publish it myself.

I researched self-publishing, looked at all the options and decided to start a publishing company. I’d always thought about growing the company at some point, but that was in the future. When Linda Kay Silva, a popular lesbian author, left her publishing company, I sent her an email. We met and discussed writing, publishing and motorcycles. It clicked for us and the company took off from that point. We’ve signed some really awesome writers. I have to say that I’m thrilled to work with some really talented ladies.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?

I get to work with some amazingly talented women. They write books that blow my socks off.

Where do you see yourself / your company in five years? Hopes / dreams / plans?

Sapphire Books isn’t going anywhere. We’re in it for the long haul and plan on adding to our already growing list of fantastic authors.

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?

Research the industry. Do your homework and ask questions. Learn everything you can and even then there will still be things that surprise you, so plan to be surprised. Roll with it, flexibility is important in today’s business world.

Social media is starting to play a huge role in business and it’s important that you treat social media as a tool in the business tool box.

Go to conferences, meet people in your industry and make sure to check out the competition. See what they are doing right and notice what isn’t working. IBPA and SPAN are great resources, if you really want to get into publishing.

Finally, be persistent.

What’s the process for an aspiring author to get published with Sapphire?

First, write your book. Polish the manuscript. Send the best work possible, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Sapphire isn’t the traditional lesbian publisher. We don’t have a formula. I like to think we publish great books that a lot of other publishers wouldn’t touch. For example, we’ve published books that were over 500 pages, most publishers in lesbian fiction won’t publish long manuscripts. We’ve published some truly scary books about serial killers and fetish killers. We also have published erotic books, Sci Fi, paranormal as well as romance. We just signed an author who writes the Happy Lesbian Housewife blogs and she has been referred to as “the love child of Erma Bombeck and Chelsea Handler,” so we are pretty open as long as they have strong lesbian characters, written by lesbians. Writers can contact me at publisher@sapphirebooks.com.

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term?

Have a plan and be flexible. I can’t say that enough. The industry is constantly changing and we need to change with it.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?

I think the biggest obstacle I faced was being taken serious, both as a writer and as a publisher. I won an award for my first book and that started the ball rolling. When we signed Linda Kay Silva, a lot of people started to take notice.

After that, we signed some pretty awesome talent and our authors started winning awards, which moved Sapphire Books up on the list to be noticed.

Follow Sapphire Books on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Enterprising women: Sapphire Books, Christine Svendsen first appeared on Lesbian.com.

So you’re all caught up on the “Hunger Games” and “Divergent” trilogies and looking for something new to take up that book-shaped spot on the nightstand. If you’re willing to break free of the dystopian future genre and explore the world of non-fiction, you’ll find some fantastic lesbian-penned memoirs from which to choose.

In this edition of Lez get literary we’ve pulled together five of our favorites for you and present them in no particular order.

“Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic” – Alison Bechdel

Bechdel’s graphic memoir was hailed as one of the best books of 2006 by numerous publications and deemed a “pioneering work” by the New York Times Sunday Book Review. “Fun Home,” drawn in black line art with a gray-green ink wash, chronicles the author’s childhood and youth in rural Pennsylvania, United States, focusing on her complex relationship with her father.

“Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?” – Jeanette Winterson

While some consider Winterson’s “Oranges Aren’t the Only Fruit” to be semi-autobiographical, “Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal” is the author’s official offering in the memoir genre. Winterson recounts her dour adolescence in a grimy English industrial town in the 1960s in which she discovered her affinity for words. The Boston Globe describes the work as “A coming-of-age story, a coming-out story, and a celebration of the act of reading.”

“She Looks Just Like You: A Memoir of (Non-biological Lesbian) Motherhood” – Amie Klempnauer Miller

This 2010 offering has been described as “Part love story, part comedy, part quest.” Miller’s frank and often amusing memoir is a cultural roadmap for becoming a parent, even when the usual categories do not fit.

“Two or Three Things I Know for Sure” – Dorothy Allison

In “Two or Three Things I Know for Sure,” the “Bastard Out of Carolina” author takes a probing look at her family’s history to give us a lyrical, complex memoir that explores how the gossip of one generation can become legends for the next. Allison’s work is brutally honest in documenting the lives of the women in her family – and the men who loved but often abused them.

“Zami: A New Spelling of My Name” – Audre Lorde

Technically, Lorde’s work is a biomythography – a genre combining biography, cultural history and myth – but we’d not want you to miss out on this masterpiece because of a technicality. In this 1982 work, Lorde, a renowned poet, explores lesbianism, racism and her difficult relationship with her  mother. Lorde shares her vivid childhood memories of growing up in Harlem and her coming of age experiences in the late 1950s.

Do you have a favorite lesbian-penned memoir that we missed? Tell us about it in the “Leave a Reply” section below.

The post Lez get literary: 5 must-read lesbian memoirs first appeared on Lesbian.com.

This review is the second in a series of three reviews by Bett Norris: something old, something new, something timeless. Read the first instalment, the review for “Giraffe People,” here.

“The Mandrake Broom” by Jess Wells is published by Firebrand Books.

Excellent novel, great historical fiction. I highly recommend this book. It works as a quest, a thriller, an action adventure set in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, during the time of the Plague, the Inquisition, witch burnings, the Middle Ages. Wells dramatizes one woman’s courageous fight to save medical knowledge during the witch-burning era. Set in Europe in 1465-1540, The Mandrake Broom follows Luccia Alimenti as she fights the forces that attempt to keep medical knowledge out of the hands of women.

This is beautiful writing with great tension and pace. It really kept me plugged in, pulling for the protagonists, aching for them really. Great characters. This is the best historical fiction I’ve read in a very long time. Wells made the urgency of the time come alive.

Bett Norris is the author of “Miss McGhee,” and “What’s Best for Jane.”

The post Lez get literary: ‘The Mandrake Broom’ by Jess Wells first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Writer, scholar and activist Cherrie Moraga, who received the Pioneer Award, while reminding us to remain queer and not grow complacent.

BY MARCIE BIANCO
AfterEllen

The 25th annual Lambda Literary Awards, held at the Cooper Union in New York City, were hosted by Master of Ceremonies Kate Clinton, assisted by some delightful presenters, particularly Justin Vivian Bond (who always leaves me in fits-n-giggles). The silver anniversary of the Lambda Literary Awards honored prose, verse, and dramatic works in a variety of generic categories.

Read more at AfterEllen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team

The post Highlights of 25th Lambda Literary Awards first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY THESEATTLELESBIAN

Riptide Publishing, a boutique publisher of LGBTQ romance, fiction and erotica, is venturing into F/F romance this month with the press’ first-ever standalone lesbian release, entitled “Portrait of a Crossroads.” “Portrait of a Crossroads,” a New Adult novelette written by Kelly Rand (Ontario) and available through Riptide Publishing here, chronicles the blossoming relationship between Annette, a young woman who has recently lost her father, and her enigmatic neighbor Sadie, a world-weary artist.

Though Riptide Publishing has actively accepted all manner of LGBTQ stories since opening their doors in 2011, recent demand for F/F fiction has helped the press acquire and release stories such as “Portrait of a Crossroads,” which uphold the standard of quality which the press is known for. This speaks also to the larger rising trend of LGBTQ romance as a whole, which is undergoing a renaissance as readers of all genders and orientations discover and delight in the outstanding fiction currently coming from independent publishers such as Riptide. LGBTQ fiction even garnered a recent cover feature in “Library Journal” — the magazine noted specifically that, “The emerging genre of ‘New Adult’ is one to watch” as LGBTQ romance and erotic fiction gain mainstream popularity.

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

TheSeattleLesbian online magazine reaches over 188,000 readers per week globally

The post Release of new lesbian novel shines spotlight on F/F romance first appeared on Lesbian.com.

A prestigious “Lammy” award, given to authors of LGBT literature.

BY THESEATTLELESBIAN.com

Finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards were announced Wednesday by the Lambda Literary Foundation (LLF) in Los Angeles. Books from major mainstream publishers, from academic presses, from both long-established and new LGBT publishers, as well as from emerging publish-on-demand technologies, make up the 687 submissions for the “Lammys.”

One of the finalists in the LGBT History category is publisher/writer/editor Tracy Baim. Her tome, “Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America” is a fan favorite. Among the book’s writers: Sarah Toce, Owen Keehnen, Yasmin Nair, Sukie de la Croix, John D’Emilio, Jorjet Harper, William B. Kelley,  Kirk Williamson,  Marie J. Kuda, C. Todd White,  Margaret Rubick, Maida Tilchen, Allen Young, Karen Ocamb, Chuck Colbert, Lisa Keen and others.

Links to tickets and the complete list of finalists can be found at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

The post Lambda Literary Awards finalists announced first appeared on Lesbian.com.