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OMGQueer
Hope. Fear. Desire. Despair. Promises. Betrayals.
Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Questioning. Intersex.
This anthology of short stories gives voice to the rising generation as they define what it means to grow up queer in the twenty-first century. What is it like to grow up in a society that embraces you in certain ways but discriminates against you in others? How do you choose a label from the alphabet soup, and should you even have to? By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, comical and caustic, these stories, imagined and told by youth across America, provide a snapshot of queerness at the dawn of the new millennium.
Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender. Questioning. Intersex.
This anthology of short stories gives voice to the rising generation as they define what it means to grow up queer in the twenty-first century. What is it like to grow up in a society that embraces you in certain ways but discriminates against you in others? How do you choose a label from the alphabet soup, and should you even have to? By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, comical and caustic, these stories, imagined and told by youth across America, provide a snapshot of queerness at the dawn of the new millennium.
264 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
6 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Radclyffe
142 books1,673 followersRadclyffe has written over forty-five romance and romantic intrigue novels, dozens of short stories, and, writing as L.L. Raand, has authored a paranormal romance series, The Midnight Hunters. She has also edited Best Lesbian Romance 2009 through 2015 as well as multiple other anthologies. She is an eight-time Lambda Literary Award finalist in romance, mystery, and erotica—winning in both romance and erotica. A member of the Saints and Sinners Literary Hall of Fame, she is also an RWA Prism, Lories, Beanpot, Aspen Gold, and Laurel Wreath winner in multiple mainstream romance categories. In 2014, she received the Dr. James Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist award from the Lambda Literary Foundation. In 2004, she founded Bold Strokes Books, an independent LGBTQ publishing company, and in 2013, she founded the Flax Mill Creek Writers Retreat offering writing workshops to authors in all stages of their careers.
She states, “I began reading lesbian fiction at the age of twelve when I found a copy of Ann Bannon’s Beebo Brinker. That book and others like it convinced me that I was not alone, that there were other women who felt like I did. Our literature provides support and validation and very often, a lifeline, for members of our community throughout the world. I am proud and honored to be able to publish the many fine authors at Bold Strokes Books and to contribute in some small way to the words that celebrate the LGBTQ experience.”
Radclyffe lives with her partner, Lee, in New York state.
She states, “I began reading lesbian fiction at the age of twelve when I found a copy of Ann Bannon’s Beebo Brinker. That book and others like it convinced me that I was not alone, that there were other women who felt like I did. Our literature provides support and validation and very often, a lifeline, for members of our community throughout the world. I am proud and honored to be able to publish the many fine authors at Bold Strokes Books and to contribute in some small way to the words that celebrate the LGBTQ experience.”
Radclyffe lives with her partner, Lee, in New York state.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 12, 2017
On one hand: yay lesbians!!!!! On the other I felt like nearly all these stories were badly written, could have done with some serious editing and came across as bad fanfiction at times.
July 28, 2012
This is a much different book review from what I’ve written before, because I’m writing my reactions to each of the stories as I go.
OMGQueer is an anthology of short stories by queer youth that has been put together by Radclyffe and Katherine E. Lynch, PhD. The stories are varied in content and voice, and for that reason I chose to write about my reactions to each one. I felt there was no way to justify just saying the book was amazing and leaving it at that.
These authors are young. Some may be close to my twenty-seven years of age, but others are likely even younger. And they are definitely names to watch out for in the future. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see some of them start publishing their own full-length novels in the near future. So here we go, a review of eighteen incredible, yet incredibly different, short stories. I’ll try to be, well, short.
Oh, and there might be spoilers for some of the stories. So, you’ve been warned.
“Jelson” by Brenna Harvey
WOW. This story blew me away. I loved the idea presented and found myself believe it, and the voice of the narrator was perfect. Jelson is the name of the best friend of the narrator, who happens to be a Swop. In this story, a Swop is a person who can change their gender at will. (Kind of like if you saw that movie Zerophilia, except in the movie it’s not really at all…) Jelson is able to change from boy to girl and back again whenever s/he wants to. By the end something more interesting is revealed about the narrator and Jelson. I loved the revelations and thought it was brilliantly executed. This is an author to look out for.
Maybe some more books with this idea? I’m all for that!
“The Tea Bowl” by Justine F. Lane
Any story that takes place in Japan, especially involving English teachers, is going to pique my interest. This one did just that. The end of the story isn’t sad, however it does have a wistful tone to it. In reading this, it felt almost like a memoir to me, and I wondered if the author actually did experience this. Well-written and while not overtly exciting, it is a wonderful story about longing for something one cannot always obtain and the complexity of love.
“The Piano Player” by Thomas Graziano
Will falls for a boy after hearing him play the piano at his grandmother’s funeral, and then runs into him on campus while he is doing just that – playing the piano. The story is sweet and light, despite the sad opening. I especially liked the pact Will and Tiffany had made about turning 40. I wonder just how many teens make pacts like that. I know I did, and it gave me a connection to the narrator.
“Crystal Crisis” by A.J. Slater
A story where girl falls for her friend that is dating a guy, and takes readers from the past to the present to tell the story. I enjoyed that part the most about it. Seeing Ryan’s story from what it was like for her in high school to where she is now gives hope to the reader that even when things are bad, they will eventually get better. The one part that bothered me was just because of my profession. When Ryan and Crystal are being tormented and the teacher doesn’t notice, and then when it gets even worse, there is no teacher around. As a teacher who doesn’t tolerate anything like that, it made me cringe, and it worries me that teachers like in this story actually do exist out there.
“A Tale of Modern Magic” by Olivia Dziwak
This one made me grin the entire time. The narrator is funny and awkward in a way that I’m sure most of us (at least I hope I’m not the only one) have been as teens. Especially aorund someone we are crushing on. In the midst of a World AIDS Day celebration, two teens who have barely spoken to each other find themselves working together, talking, and discovering they have some things in common besides their Polish backgrounds. I loved the writing. It, like the tale, felt magical.
“Indulge Me” by Ashley Bartlett
Interesting piece. I liked it, and felt that it was both too old for this volume and yet perfect for it at the same time. The narrator thinks she’s amazing, as many young adults do, and at the same time finds she’s not really all that. This story is very obviously written by a young adult, but it has qualities that make me think the author is older as well because of how reflective it is while being self-assuring at the same time.
“Ignite the Sky” by Julie R. Sanchez
This story goes from the present to the past and back again, but in a different way from the previous story that did. It doesn’t stay focused on two points in time. No. It goes over multiple days, which I found interesting. I did feel, however, that the story was cut short. What happens to the two girls at the end? Do they have a destination? Do they turn back? I would be interested in finding out.
“A Round Trip” by Warren Smith III
I grinned the whole time. If I had my way, I would have a romance like this one. Just a moment of connection with a person that turns into a spontaneous day of adventure. I didn’t want this story to end. I wanted to see more between Zack and Ethan. Lovely story, and written in what felt like an older style that was still incredibly effective.
“Butch Fatale” by Kirsty Logan
I think this might have been the shortest one so far, but I might be wrong. It just felt that way. I did like the relationship between Bex and the narrator, and the passage of time shows how good friends don’t have to be together all the time for their friendship to remain strong and for things to go back to the way they were before change is introduced. At least that’s how I read it.
“Pool of Sorrow” by Sam Sommer
I felt nostalgic while reading this, for a time that I could not have known, having been born in 1985. That’s how well written this piece was. It brought alive a time for me that I have never known. But it was also heartbreakingly sad. The boys – Teddy and AJ – are brought together because no one else is around during the summer, and while AJ knows his feelings for Teddy, we don’t know how Teddy feels about him. The ending was perfect for the length of the piece.
“My Lips” by Joseph Aviv
I feel repetitive and like I have nothing of value to say, but again, I LIKED the story. No, actually I loved it. I loved how the narrator ages, and we see how he changes through the actions of his lips. It was very well done and honestly not something I would have expected from this anthology. I think this one may be one of my favorites. I would like to read more from this writer.
“Fighting for Lies” by Aimee Lukes
Another story that shows that not everything is perfect in this world and we don’t always get what we want. Or that not everyone is honest with themselves. Painful yet honest story and well worth the read.
“There Was a Knocking on the Door” by Andrew Arslan
Is this one really a story or was it a memoir? Because it felt so real. I could feel the tension between the narrator and his parents. I understood his pain in having his mother repeatedly call him stupid, and his anger at his father’s hypocritical “acceptance” of anyone gay, unless it’s his own son. However, the ending had a hopeful note, and it made me feel less despair.
“My Aahna” by Ariana Montoya
Heartbroken. How I felt after reading this one. I really had hoped it would have a happier ending, but I know not all stories, unfortunately, have them. It was still beautifully written and I loved the narrator’s last words to her roommate, Aahna.
“First Time” by Archer Darke
Sophisticated yet young at the same time. I thought the elegance of the evening combined with the fast food was a fantastic touch that made it much more realistic and romantic at the same time. I also liked the dialogue because it was authentic to me. Two young people enjoying a moment together, yet each seems to parrot what the other is saying. However, at the same time this is definitely a story for older readers. I’m not used to sexual situations such as this one being in books for teens. Most of what I’ve read before fades to black and lets the readers imagination take over. This one most certainly doesn’t.
“Hella Nervous” by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Love love loved this one! Tracy and Oksana are very different characters that are drawn to each other. Maybe because of their differences? Either way, I liked that Tracy, the narrator, had a crush on Oksana for as long as she did. And I loved how everything turned out. The ending was adorable and perfect. Also, the ethnicity of Oksana was fantastic. I wish more books and stories were proud to show characters with different backgrounds.
“Chili Powder” by Anna Meadows
I liked that this story incorportated Spanish words, and while many of them I knew, for others I was confused about the context. When I asked my friend who speaks Spanish, she was also confused with some of them as well, as she had not seen them used in such a manner. However, I did like the characters and even though it’s brief, the beginning of their relationship is sweet. (Or should I say spicy?)
“Graduation” by Brighton Bennett
Pardon me for a moment while I curl up in a ball and cry for the wistful feelings I have after reading this one. How many of us have wanted to have another try or just one more time with a former boyfriend/girlfriend? How many of us have wondered, what if? This story gives the readers just that, with a conclusion that is both fulfilling and heartbreaking for reader and characters alike. A great ending to this anthology.
Overall I would have to say this anthology was fantastic. Especially after reading the varied accomplishments of the young authors of these stories in the contributors section at the end of the book. I applaud their efforts, and the editors who put this together. Absolutely a must read. I look forward to more from these authors.
OMGQueer is an anthology of short stories by queer youth that has been put together by Radclyffe and Katherine E. Lynch, PhD. The stories are varied in content and voice, and for that reason I chose to write about my reactions to each one. I felt there was no way to justify just saying the book was amazing and leaving it at that.
These authors are young. Some may be close to my twenty-seven years of age, but others are likely even younger. And they are definitely names to watch out for in the future. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see some of them start publishing their own full-length novels in the near future. So here we go, a review of eighteen incredible, yet incredibly different, short stories. I’ll try to be, well, short.
Oh, and there might be spoilers for some of the stories. So, you’ve been warned.
“Jelson” by Brenna Harvey
WOW. This story blew me away. I loved the idea presented and found myself believe it, and the voice of the narrator was perfect. Jelson is the name of the best friend of the narrator, who happens to be a Swop. In this story, a Swop is a person who can change their gender at will. (Kind of like if you saw that movie Zerophilia, except in the movie it’s not really at all…) Jelson is able to change from boy to girl and back again whenever s/he wants to. By the end something more interesting is revealed about the narrator and Jelson. I loved the revelations and thought it was brilliantly executed. This is an author to look out for.
Maybe some more books with this idea? I’m all for that!
“The Tea Bowl” by Justine F. Lane
Any story that takes place in Japan, especially involving English teachers, is going to pique my interest. This one did just that. The end of the story isn’t sad, however it does have a wistful tone to it. In reading this, it felt almost like a memoir to me, and I wondered if the author actually did experience this. Well-written and while not overtly exciting, it is a wonderful story about longing for something one cannot always obtain and the complexity of love.
“The Piano Player” by Thomas Graziano
Will falls for a boy after hearing him play the piano at his grandmother’s funeral, and then runs into him on campus while he is doing just that – playing the piano. The story is sweet and light, despite the sad opening. I especially liked the pact Will and Tiffany had made about turning 40. I wonder just how many teens make pacts like that. I know I did, and it gave me a connection to the narrator.
“Crystal Crisis” by A.J. Slater
A story where girl falls for her friend that is dating a guy, and takes readers from the past to the present to tell the story. I enjoyed that part the most about it. Seeing Ryan’s story from what it was like for her in high school to where she is now gives hope to the reader that even when things are bad, they will eventually get better. The one part that bothered me was just because of my profession. When Ryan and Crystal are being tormented and the teacher doesn’t notice, and then when it gets even worse, there is no teacher around. As a teacher who doesn’t tolerate anything like that, it made me cringe, and it worries me that teachers like in this story actually do exist out there.
“A Tale of Modern Magic” by Olivia Dziwak
This one made me grin the entire time. The narrator is funny and awkward in a way that I’m sure most of us (at least I hope I’m not the only one) have been as teens. Especially aorund someone we are crushing on. In the midst of a World AIDS Day celebration, two teens who have barely spoken to each other find themselves working together, talking, and discovering they have some things in common besides their Polish backgrounds. I loved the writing. It, like the tale, felt magical.
“Indulge Me” by Ashley Bartlett
Interesting piece. I liked it, and felt that it was both too old for this volume and yet perfect for it at the same time. The narrator thinks she’s amazing, as many young adults do, and at the same time finds she’s not really all that. This story is very obviously written by a young adult, but it has qualities that make me think the author is older as well because of how reflective it is while being self-assuring at the same time.
“Ignite the Sky” by Julie R. Sanchez
This story goes from the present to the past and back again, but in a different way from the previous story that did. It doesn’t stay focused on two points in time. No. It goes over multiple days, which I found interesting. I did feel, however, that the story was cut short. What happens to the two girls at the end? Do they have a destination? Do they turn back? I would be interested in finding out.
“A Round Trip” by Warren Smith III
I grinned the whole time. If I had my way, I would have a romance like this one. Just a moment of connection with a person that turns into a spontaneous day of adventure. I didn’t want this story to end. I wanted to see more between Zack and Ethan. Lovely story, and written in what felt like an older style that was still incredibly effective.
“Butch Fatale” by Kirsty Logan
I think this might have been the shortest one so far, but I might be wrong. It just felt that way. I did like the relationship between Bex and the narrator, and the passage of time shows how good friends don’t have to be together all the time for their friendship to remain strong and for things to go back to the way they were before change is introduced. At least that’s how I read it.
“Pool of Sorrow” by Sam Sommer
I felt nostalgic while reading this, for a time that I could not have known, having been born in 1985. That’s how well written this piece was. It brought alive a time for me that I have never known. But it was also heartbreakingly sad. The boys – Teddy and AJ – are brought together because no one else is around during the summer, and while AJ knows his feelings for Teddy, we don’t know how Teddy feels about him. The ending was perfect for the length of the piece.
“My Lips” by Joseph Aviv
I feel repetitive and like I have nothing of value to say, but again, I LIKED the story. No, actually I loved it. I loved how the narrator ages, and we see how he changes through the actions of his lips. It was very well done and honestly not something I would have expected from this anthology. I think this one may be one of my favorites. I would like to read more from this writer.
“Fighting for Lies” by Aimee Lukes
Another story that shows that not everything is perfect in this world and we don’t always get what we want. Or that not everyone is honest with themselves. Painful yet honest story and well worth the read.
“There Was a Knocking on the Door” by Andrew Arslan
Is this one really a story or was it a memoir? Because it felt so real. I could feel the tension between the narrator and his parents. I understood his pain in having his mother repeatedly call him stupid, and his anger at his father’s hypocritical “acceptance” of anyone gay, unless it’s his own son. However, the ending had a hopeful note, and it made me feel less despair.
“My Aahna” by Ariana Montoya
Heartbroken. How I felt after reading this one. I really had hoped it would have a happier ending, but I know not all stories, unfortunately, have them. It was still beautifully written and I loved the narrator’s last words to her roommate, Aahna.
“First Time” by Archer Darke
Sophisticated yet young at the same time. I thought the elegance of the evening combined with the fast food was a fantastic touch that made it much more realistic and romantic at the same time. I also liked the dialogue because it was authentic to me. Two young people enjoying a moment together, yet each seems to parrot what the other is saying. However, at the same time this is definitely a story for older readers. I’m not used to sexual situations such as this one being in books for teens. Most of what I’ve read before fades to black and lets the readers imagination take over. This one most certainly doesn’t.
“Hella Nervous” by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Love love loved this one! Tracy and Oksana are very different characters that are drawn to each other. Maybe because of their differences? Either way, I liked that Tracy, the narrator, had a crush on Oksana for as long as she did. And I loved how everything turned out. The ending was adorable and perfect. Also, the ethnicity of Oksana was fantastic. I wish more books and stories were proud to show characters with different backgrounds.
“Chili Powder” by Anna Meadows
I liked that this story incorportated Spanish words, and while many of them I knew, for others I was confused about the context. When I asked my friend who speaks Spanish, she was also confused with some of them as well, as she had not seen them used in such a manner. However, I did like the characters and even though it’s brief, the beginning of their relationship is sweet. (Or should I say spicy?)
“Graduation” by Brighton Bennett
Pardon me for a moment while I curl up in a ball and cry for the wistful feelings I have after reading this one. How many of us have wanted to have another try or just one more time with a former boyfriend/girlfriend? How many of us have wondered, what if? This story gives the readers just that, with a conclusion that is both fulfilling and heartbreaking for reader and characters alike. A great ending to this anthology.
Overall I would have to say this anthology was fantastic. Especially after reading the varied accomplishments of the young authors of these stories in the contributors section at the end of the book. I applaud their efforts, and the editors who put this together. Absolutely a must read. I look forward to more from these authors.
August 23, 2012
I shall start with my short reviews for every short story first and then my thought on the book as a whole.
Jelson-Brenna Harvey
Awie! Funny, cute, full of snarky monologue that had me giggling. I would have loved it to be a little bit longer. This is my favorite story out of them all and rightly so because the humor factor plays a big role when it comes to my reviewing and it might also have something to do with this story being the first among the lot that mostly carried the same vibes from here on. Jelson reminded me of my best friend on some level. We used to be total tom-boys in school and now she’s so much of a girly-girl with fashionable hair-styles, perfect makeup and cute dresses. I feel like a log next to her sometimes just as Allie felt next to Jelson but I certainly don’t feel jealous because looking presentable and attractive seems like a lot of effort. Apart from that similarity, she is also like a beacon to both boys and girls because of her charming and flawless personality. Uh, getting back to the review; this story is like a trendsetter. You’ll see shortly how.
The tea bowl- Justine F. Lane
An insight on why people cheat. Lol! Not really impressive because it felt wrong on some level. The English teacher (whatever her name was) didn’t cheat on her partner but was it right to stay with her even though she could develop physical attraction towards someone else? I’m not really judging but it would be wrong if she kept on with that attitude because of momentary attractions towards pretty people.
The Piano Player- Thomas Graziano
Lovely. I feel so happy for them. It left a stupid grin on my face. The instant attraction trend follows from the second story but I didn’t mind it much.
Crystal Crisis- A. J Slater
This story talks about the abuse that queers go through because of some snotty bigots who never realize their wrong doings. It’s a shame that there are people who let such incidents pass by even though they have the proof and the authority to punish the culprits. Some people seriously disgust me with their actions. I would have liked if the girls didn’t run away and took a stand but we’re talking about real life incidents so it’s naturally really hard to face something that traumatic. It was good to see that they moved on with their lives. Better than the other stories.
A tale of modern magic- Olivia Dziwak
Short, sweet and adorable. Cute girls realizing that they have crushes on each other but do I wanna know that? No, I don’t. It is a normal everyday occurrence and I don’t see the point of it being added into these short stories.
Indulge Me-Ashley Bartlett
Omfg! Wut? I think this was er..a needless story? Just..w-h-a-t? Why would I wanna read about night-stands? It was all foreplay which was tiring and leading up to what everyone knows foreplay leads up to, but what was the point of the story? I figured there would be more substance to these stories when I started reading the book, but my preconceived notions led me to nothing but disappointment.
Ignite the Sky- Julie R. Sanchez
Ended? Just like that? What? Why? Again, what? What was with the writing style? Why jumping off from a particular day to another day? No significant details about the days, no characterization. Pretty much, the most nonsensical story among them all.
A round trip-Warren Smith III
Seemed unlikely and more like every kid’s dream trip to Disneyland. I can never trust a stranger like that. Ever. How does this story contribute to the essence of the book? I clearly can’t see it. Am I missing something?
Butch Fatale-Kirsty Logan
Did not make much sense other than long lost relationships which didn’t feel long enough but really awkward. I feel really stupid repeating myself over and over, but what was the point of this story again? I’d really like to know.
Pool of Sorrow-Sam Sommer
Yeah, I’m not sure how I feel about Teddy and A.J and kids doing it. It made me really uncomfortable. The story tried to express how young kids figure out their sexuality but it felt more like an older kid using the younger one because he had nothing else to do.
My lips-Joseph Aviv
Confusing. So very confusing. I did not really understand what happened and just read it for the sake of it. Was the guy’s father gay who never came out of the closet? Was that why he was distanced to his kids? It’s just me thinking out loud because I don’t really want the answer. I don’t feel like wasting my energy and more of my precious time thinking about it.
Fighting for lies-Aimee Lukes
Felt original but homosexuality a disease? It makes me real sad that so many people believe it to be true. Again, best friend cliché. It keeps popping up alternatively or really frequently. Is there a pattern? I can’t be bothered to cross check so never mind.
There was a knocking on the door-Andrew Arslan
Liked it. The ending is left for the readers to mull over but it explored more of the inner turmoil of a guy from a reserved family. Seemed like a genuine story and it was well written which I’m afraid to say wasn’t the case for so many other stories.
My Aahana-Ariana Montoya
Is Aahana even an Indian name and does it really mean what the author said it means? I’ve never heard it before but it does sound lovely. I’m going to keep it for my baby girl. Anyhoo, again love-lost because of society restrictions, family drama and I got real tired because of the love-at-first-sight scenario in almost every story with a quintessential blond element. Seriously, what’s with the blondes?
First Time-Archer Drake
Another “best friends” in loooove? This got old way back fellas. Another blond. Can you believe it? *snickers*
Too mushy, too gooey, I felt smothered. Just pointless and yeah, I didn’t need to read that.
Hella Nervous- Rebekah Weatherspoon
A brunette turned blond. My tears, they flowed. And if the blonds weren’t making me cry then it was the *dun dun dun* insta-love again and then again. Soak, rinse, repeat. A never-ending cycle. (Help?) I was so very close to punching my screen, but the story was decent enough and even though I did not like it particularly, it wasn’t as bad or moronic as the last few.
Chili Powder-Anna Meadows
By this time I seriously regretted my decision to read so many short stories. I was not meant for this. I need a long story and character building rather than short scenes from a stranger’s life. Cute in the beginning, but tiring towards the end.
Graduation-Brighton Bennett
ANOTHER BLOND!! *laughs hysterically*
I shouldn’t be surprised reading stories about blonds in America but wow, this book is like a blond-ville. This story was mature than the rest IMO because it covered relationship and break-up issues and dealing with them with a level-headedness. Not suck-ish bad with epic failure for the end.
My thoughts on the book as a whole:
This book made me think about my sexual orientation. Mostly, I feel like I’m a very asexual, very anti-social person who hates on the entire human population for several reasons, but then there are a few days here and there when I can’t stop gushing over how gorgeous my selected group of celebrities and fictional characters are. I have only once had a crush on a real, live, existing human being in my real life; that too when I was in third grade and it lasted till seventh grade (talk about commitment) but after that my attraction towards the homosapiens whom I interacted with or saw in day-to-day life ended. I’ve never dreamt about a Prince Charming and maybe it’s just that my body has high set standards or something is plain wrong with me. I could not relate to a lot of stories in this book because I’ve never felt an instant physical attraction towards anyone or even experienced any of those symptoms like moist palms or elevated heart-beating because of someone I see for the very first time. It’s not that I don’t feel emotionsbecause sometimes I strongly feel like strangling someone during our first encounter but maybe it’s just that I need a lot of substance over looks to get a response out of my body? I can appreciate good looks but people in this book (or heck even in real life) fall head over heels because of just one meeting with a complete stranger which seemed so strange and unfathomable. Even if I don’t let my personal feelings come in the way, the repetition of the same best friends falling for each other formula with hardly anything new to dish out made my reading experience bland and annoying.
It started off soo good and then midway it simply lost its charm. By the end I was dragging myself to get done with it. The few good stories aren’t enough to push my ratings to 3, so it’s a 2 star for me and I can say a grudging 2.5 but not more than that. I had more expectations when I started, thinking there would be a variety of stories that covered all that was said in the synopsis but I was fooled. Maybe I am too foolish to realize the bigger plot in the stories that made no sense to me and felt like useless additions to the book, but my opinion of them wouldn’t change even if I got a better explanation.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
Jelson-Brenna Harvey
Awie! Funny, cute, full of snarky monologue that had me giggling. I would have loved it to be a little bit longer. This is my favorite story out of them all and rightly so because the humor factor plays a big role when it comes to my reviewing and it might also have something to do with this story being the first among the lot that mostly carried the same vibes from here on. Jelson reminded me of my best friend on some level. We used to be total tom-boys in school and now she’s so much of a girly-girl with fashionable hair-styles, perfect makeup and cute dresses. I feel like a log next to her sometimes just as Allie felt next to Jelson but I certainly don’t feel jealous because looking presentable and attractive seems like a lot of effort. Apart from that similarity, she is also like a beacon to both boys and girls because of her charming and flawless personality. Uh, getting back to the review; this story is like a trendsetter. You’ll see shortly how.
The tea bowl- Justine F. Lane
An insight on why people cheat. Lol! Not really impressive because it felt wrong on some level. The English teacher (whatever her name was) didn’t cheat on her partner but was it right to stay with her even though she could develop physical attraction towards someone else? I’m not really judging but it would be wrong if she kept on with that attitude because of momentary attractions towards pretty people.
The Piano Player- Thomas Graziano
Lovely. I feel so happy for them. It left a stupid grin on my face. The instant attraction trend follows from the second story but I didn’t mind it much.
Crystal Crisis- A. J Slater
This story talks about the abuse that queers go through because of some snotty bigots who never realize their wrong doings. It’s a shame that there are people who let such incidents pass by even though they have the proof and the authority to punish the culprits. Some people seriously disgust me with their actions. I would have liked if the girls didn’t run away and took a stand but we’re talking about real life incidents so it’s naturally really hard to face something that traumatic. It was good to see that they moved on with their lives. Better than the other stories.
A tale of modern magic- Olivia Dziwak
Short, sweet and adorable. Cute girls realizing that they have crushes on each other but do I wanna know that? No, I don’t. It is a normal everyday occurrence and I don’t see the point of it being added into these short stories.
Indulge Me-Ashley Bartlett
Omfg! Wut? I think this was er..a needless story? Just..w-h-a-t? Why would I wanna read about night-stands? It was all foreplay which was tiring and leading up to what everyone knows foreplay leads up to, but what was the point of the story? I figured there would be more substance to these stories when I started reading the book, but my preconceived notions led me to nothing but disappointment.
Ignite the Sky- Julie R. Sanchez
Ended? Just like that? What? Why? Again, what? What was with the writing style? Why jumping off from a particular day to another day? No significant details about the days, no characterization. Pretty much, the most nonsensical story among them all.
A round trip-Warren Smith III
Seemed unlikely and more like every kid’s dream trip to Disneyland. I can never trust a stranger like that. Ever. How does this story contribute to the essence of the book? I clearly can’t see it. Am I missing something?
Butch Fatale-Kirsty Logan
Did not make much sense other than long lost relationships which didn’t feel long enough but really awkward. I feel really stupid repeating myself over and over, but what was the point of this story again? I’d really like to know.
Pool of Sorrow-Sam Sommer
Yeah, I’m not sure how I feel about Teddy and A.J and kids doing it. It made me really uncomfortable. The story tried to express how young kids figure out their sexuality but it felt more like an older kid using the younger one because he had nothing else to do.
My lips-Joseph Aviv
Confusing. So very confusing. I did not really understand what happened and just read it for the sake of it. Was the guy’s father gay who never came out of the closet? Was that why he was distanced to his kids? It’s just me thinking out loud because I don’t really want the answer. I don’t feel like wasting my energy and more of my precious time thinking about it.
Fighting for lies-Aimee Lukes
Felt original but homosexuality a disease? It makes me real sad that so many people believe it to be true. Again, best friend cliché. It keeps popping up alternatively or really frequently. Is there a pattern? I can’t be bothered to cross check so never mind.
There was a knocking on the door-Andrew Arslan
Liked it. The ending is left for the readers to mull over but it explored more of the inner turmoil of a guy from a reserved family. Seemed like a genuine story and it was well written which I’m afraid to say wasn’t the case for so many other stories.
My Aahana-Ariana Montoya
Is Aahana even an Indian name and does it really mean what the author said it means? I’ve never heard it before but it does sound lovely. I’m going to keep it for my baby girl. Anyhoo, again love-lost because of society restrictions, family drama and I got real tired because of the love-at-first-sight scenario in almost every story with a quintessential blond element. Seriously, what’s with the blondes?
First Time-Archer Drake
Another “best friends” in loooove? This got old way back fellas. Another blond. Can you believe it? *snickers*
Too mushy, too gooey, I felt smothered. Just pointless and yeah, I didn’t need to read that.
Hella Nervous- Rebekah Weatherspoon
A brunette turned blond. My tears, they flowed. And if the blonds weren’t making me cry then it was the *dun dun dun* insta-love again and then again. Soak, rinse, repeat. A never-ending cycle. (Help?) I was so very close to punching my screen, but the story was decent enough and even though I did not like it particularly, it wasn’t as bad or moronic as the last few.
Chili Powder-Anna Meadows
By this time I seriously regretted my decision to read so many short stories. I was not meant for this. I need a long story and character building rather than short scenes from a stranger’s life. Cute in the beginning, but tiring towards the end.
Graduation-Brighton Bennett
ANOTHER BLOND!! *laughs hysterically*
I shouldn’t be surprised reading stories about blonds in America but wow, this book is like a blond-ville. This story was mature than the rest IMO because it covered relationship and break-up issues and dealing with them with a level-headedness. Not suck-ish bad with epic failure for the end.
My thoughts on the book as a whole:
This book made me think about my sexual orientation. Mostly, I feel like I’m a very asexual, very anti-social person who hates on the entire human population for several reasons, but then there are a few days here and there when I can’t stop gushing over how gorgeous my selected group of celebrities and fictional characters are. I have only once had a crush on a real, live, existing human being in my real life; that too when I was in third grade and it lasted till seventh grade (talk about commitment) but after that my attraction towards the homosapiens whom I interacted with or saw in day-to-day life ended. I’ve never dreamt about a Prince Charming and maybe it’s just that my body has high set standards or something is plain wrong with me. I could not relate to a lot of stories in this book because I’ve never felt an instant physical attraction towards anyone or even experienced any of those symptoms like moist palms or elevated heart-beating because of someone I see for the very first time. It’s not that I don’t feel emotions
It started off soo good and then midway it simply lost its charm. By the end I was dragging myself to get done with it. The few good stories aren’t enough to push my ratings to 3, so it’s a 2 star for me and I can say a grudging 2.5 but not more than that. I had more expectations when I started, thinking there would be a variety of stories that covered all that was said in the synopsis but I was fooled. Maybe I am too foolish to realize the bigger plot in the stories that made no sense to me and felt like useless additions to the book, but my opinion of them wouldn’t change even if I got a better explanation.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
July 24, 2012
I know, it may come as a total shocker, but in light of Anderson Cooper coming out finally, I just have to confess… I am absolutely and totally queer. And yes, I have no problem using that word, because it describes me the best! For those who may not know what Queer actually means, it just means you are out of the normal, something about you is slightly different, and in this day and age, it often has to relate to your gender identity or your sexuality. I’m explaining this because this next book I picked up uses a phrase for their title that I’ve quite honestly only heard yelled out to me from a moving truck or van, often with other derogatory terms that I won’t bother to mention. The title is OMGQUEER, and it is actually an anthology of short stories written by teenagers meant for other teenagers that were queer. And I just can’t stop gushing about how much this book actually takes the word Queer and uses it like it’s supposed to be used!
The very first story in this collection is absolutely gorgeous, and really what hooked me, as some of the stories later on got boring in areas or were filled with obvious romantic stuff that I’m used to finding. This first story though, told from the point of view of an androgynous person who most people called ‘she’ and she had a friend who was known as a ‘Swop’. Now a Swop is an entirely new term to me when I read this, I had no idea what it meant. Interestingly enough, it comes close to who I am I came to find out. A swop is an individual who has direct control over the entirety of their mannerisms and hormone fluctuation. They can literally go from acting and looking like a girl, to acting and looking like a guy at the drop of a nose. Now the story focuses around this Swop friend rather than the person telling the story, showing how everyone at their school was very forward because they had some gay teachers who taught them acceptance so everyone at the school was okay with this Swop actually being a girl on some days and a boy on other days.
Now, the entire story takes this huge revolutionary change, which totally surprised me, by having the swop assume a role and form in between a boy and girl, essentially becoming androgynous. You know the people that walk down the street and as they pass you are wondering in your head if they are a boy or girl? THAT is androgyny. Something I’ve personally dealt with a lot in my life, so its no surprise this story had such an impact with me. Now when the swop had done this, the storyteller had such a bad reaction to it, and initially the person thought the story-teller hated the swop like that, but it was because the storyteller mentioned before she never had felt sexually attracted to anyone, and the first time the swop did this androgynous form, she instantly felt something so deep for this person. It culminated in this epic event of the swop beating off this guy interested in her by ‘morphing’ into their androgynous form and then finding the story-teller and figuring out the misunderstanding which resulted in them kissing. Now, I will straight up admit, I was totally surprised by the turn of events with this one, possibly because of the way it all was thrown at me, the romance method was just absolutely what I was looking for, they had even known each other for a while. Which I will say one of my biggest peeves with romance is that most of them have people falling in love within a day or two and that’s it.
The stories only suck you in from there. They range from very racy stuff, like definitely some lesbian erotica going on in there, to something so simple but perfect as a boy coming out to his muslim father and being so scarred from it at first because his father wanted to kill himself! It ends like on a cliffhanger that totally had me dying to know what happened next, even though I know they left it that way so that you could imagine for yourself. There definitely was a lot more lesbian types of works in this one, but there was another interesting one that jumped into another diversity that is hardly talked about for LGBTQI, and that is Transgender. One of the stories had a boy in it that a girl got to know. They would sit on the grass and eat next to each other, sometimes talking. Eventually they kissed, but the way it was told left her completely accepting that this boy was actually a boy with a vagina. Possibly the acceptance does come from her interest in girls as well, but other than the quick thought of her wondering what the name of the boy might have been when he had been a girl, she was absolutely appropriate with pronouns and gendering him as a boy. This is not an acceptance of gender identity that is seen in all LGBTQI works, in fact a lot of them use it as a plot device like straight works often do, often to the horror of the characters involved. And this was just another beautifully presented method.
I must absolutely applaud Radclyffe and Katherine E. Lynch for their editor work with putting this one together. I had seen a couple months back that they were trying to collect stories from the LGBTQI youth, and now I’ve found the novel itself which is going to be released on August 13th, this year. They both did a wonderful job, and the writers too! I know none of them like I know Radclyffe, but still, they had done some beautiful work, honestly, totally better than the queer stuff I’ve written. Probably cause I’m just not a romance person. Although, I do have to mention not all of the stories in this anthology were romance-like. There were just stories of coming out, or just dealing with being a particular type of queer individual, and even so, it was very teenager kind of romance, except for two of the stories that got a little meatier.
Anyone that is involved with the LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex) community in anyway, I absolutely highly recommend this collection for, you’ll find at least one story that will have you by the heart. Anyone trying to diversify their writing as well, I always highly suggest LGBTQI works so you can see how to write queer characters (Hint: they aren’t different from writing straight characters). And I’ll suggest this to more than just the youth as well, because they still dig into things that haunt a lot of Queer people even in their 50′s. I know a woman who came out as a Lesbian in her 60s, dealing with the same stuff some of these kids talk about in their stories. And even if you aren’t a supporter or in the LGBTQI community, this collection is a really good way to see their point of view. Maybe it will help convince some people out there that love transcends all.
Because we all know it does.
The very first story in this collection is absolutely gorgeous, and really what hooked me, as some of the stories later on got boring in areas or were filled with obvious romantic stuff that I’m used to finding. This first story though, told from the point of view of an androgynous person who most people called ‘she’ and she had a friend who was known as a ‘Swop’. Now a Swop is an entirely new term to me when I read this, I had no idea what it meant. Interestingly enough, it comes close to who I am I came to find out. A swop is an individual who has direct control over the entirety of their mannerisms and hormone fluctuation. They can literally go from acting and looking like a girl, to acting and looking like a guy at the drop of a nose. Now the story focuses around this Swop friend rather than the person telling the story, showing how everyone at their school was very forward because they had some gay teachers who taught them acceptance so everyone at the school was okay with this Swop actually being a girl on some days and a boy on other days.
Now, the entire story takes this huge revolutionary change, which totally surprised me, by having the swop assume a role and form in between a boy and girl, essentially becoming androgynous. You know the people that walk down the street and as they pass you are wondering in your head if they are a boy or girl? THAT is androgyny. Something I’ve personally dealt with a lot in my life, so its no surprise this story had such an impact with me. Now when the swop had done this, the storyteller had such a bad reaction to it, and initially the person thought the story-teller hated the swop like that, but it was because the storyteller mentioned before she never had felt sexually attracted to anyone, and the first time the swop did this androgynous form, she instantly felt something so deep for this person. It culminated in this epic event of the swop beating off this guy interested in her by ‘morphing’ into their androgynous form and then finding the story-teller and figuring out the misunderstanding which resulted in them kissing. Now, I will straight up admit, I was totally surprised by the turn of events with this one, possibly because of the way it all was thrown at me, the romance method was just absolutely what I was looking for, they had even known each other for a while. Which I will say one of my biggest peeves with romance is that most of them have people falling in love within a day or two and that’s it.
The stories only suck you in from there. They range from very racy stuff, like definitely some lesbian erotica going on in there, to something so simple but perfect as a boy coming out to his muslim father and being so scarred from it at first because his father wanted to kill himself! It ends like on a cliffhanger that totally had me dying to know what happened next, even though I know they left it that way so that you could imagine for yourself. There definitely was a lot more lesbian types of works in this one, but there was another interesting one that jumped into another diversity that is hardly talked about for LGBTQI, and that is Transgender. One of the stories had a boy in it that a girl got to know. They would sit on the grass and eat next to each other, sometimes talking. Eventually they kissed, but the way it was told left her completely accepting that this boy was actually a boy with a vagina. Possibly the acceptance does come from her interest in girls as well, but other than the quick thought of her wondering what the name of the boy might have been when he had been a girl, she was absolutely appropriate with pronouns and gendering him as a boy. This is not an acceptance of gender identity that is seen in all LGBTQI works, in fact a lot of them use it as a plot device like straight works often do, often to the horror of the characters involved. And this was just another beautifully presented method.
I must absolutely applaud Radclyffe and Katherine E. Lynch for their editor work with putting this one together. I had seen a couple months back that they were trying to collect stories from the LGBTQI youth, and now I’ve found the novel itself which is going to be released on August 13th, this year. They both did a wonderful job, and the writers too! I know none of them like I know Radclyffe, but still, they had done some beautiful work, honestly, totally better than the queer stuff I’ve written. Probably cause I’m just not a romance person. Although, I do have to mention not all of the stories in this anthology were romance-like. There were just stories of coming out, or just dealing with being a particular type of queer individual, and even so, it was very teenager kind of romance, except for two of the stories that got a little meatier.
Anyone that is involved with the LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex) community in anyway, I absolutely highly recommend this collection for, you’ll find at least one story that will have you by the heart. Anyone trying to diversify their writing as well, I always highly suggest LGBTQI works so you can see how to write queer characters (Hint: they aren’t different from writing straight characters). And I’ll suggest this to more than just the youth as well, because they still dig into things that haunt a lot of Queer people even in their 50′s. I know a woman who came out as a Lesbian in her 60s, dealing with the same stuff some of these kids talk about in their stories. And even if you aren’t a supporter or in the LGBTQI community, this collection is a really good way to see their point of view. Maybe it will help convince some people out there that love transcends all.
Because we all know it does.
December 22, 2012
Review: I find that LGBT fiction tends to be of a high quality. Anthologies tend to be a mix of bad and good fiction of the chosen genre. This should be quite good then, but...yeah. I like that it’s all done by young people, but sometimes, it’s not amazing. It covers a nice lot of topics, and ACTUALLY INCLUDES THE T OF THE COMMUNITY (It really irritates me when something says it’s LGBT and ends with “gay men and lesbians”.) Unlike with other anthologies, the final tea score isn’t an average of all the stories., but a general impression of the entire book.
Jelson by Breanna Hovey. This deals with being a Swop, which is a little like intersex, but they literally swap sexual characteristics. At last! Something dealing with the non-cis community! (sorry, but it irritates me that we label it LGBT fiction and the T and variants get represented in hardly any way). This story addresses issues, and is also a romance. The idea of a Swop was a little hard to grasp to start with, but this was a good story. 5
The Tea Bowl by Justine F Lane. Girl falls in love with girl. But Girl A is an English teacher and Girl B is a student. Girl A also considers breaking up with her girlfiend to run off with Girl B. And it was like...oh. Teacher/student relationships squick me out generally, but I like the metaphor running through this. 2
The Piano Player by Thomas Graziano. Will and Wesley meet via piano playing and a funeral. They fall in love. My favourite character in this was Tiffany, the best friend, who is funny and a good friend, from what we see of her. This is a very short and sweet romance. 4
Cristal Crisis by A J Slater. Ryan recounts her high school experiences, mainly of bullying, to her new girlfriend. They also meet Cristal, so there’s a nice circle format to this. Lots of horrible issues tackled sensibly. 4
A Tale of Modern Magic by Olivea Dziwak. On World Aids Day, a girl meets a girl. Not much else happens. 2
Indulge Ne by Ashely Bartlett. Two people meet, go home and have sex. This really isn’t my kind of thing. And suddenly having unexpected p4wn on my kindle is all *What???!* There was a bit of plot in relation to the narrators relationship..but it just wasn't my thing. 1
Ignite the Sky by Julie R Sanchez. Grace and Callie go on a round trip, discovering things about each other and falling in love. I really like the format of this, being told in reverse chronological order. 4
A Round Trip by Warren Smith. Ethan meets Zack on a train and they fall in love. It’s a nice message, but also instalovey, but sweet. 3
Butch Fatale by Kirsty Logan. Bex and Narrator are friends. Narrator goes off with someone else. Six months later, Narrator leaves girlfriend for Bex. Not my kind of thing, but the depiction of clubbing is nicely done. 2
Pool of Sorrow by Sam Sommer. Narator narrates his summer from many years ago, when he was a reader and when he fell in love with Teddy. Sweet, but not very much happens. 3
My Lips by Joseph Aviv. Seventeen year old Joseph realises he’s gay. I’m not sure of the main line of plot of this, but I like Joseph’s writing style.
Fighting for Love. Alaina and Billie fall in love but it doesn't work. There’s a nice element of “finding who you are” and this also was rather emotional. 4
There Was a Knocking n the Door by Andrew Arslon. Boy comes out and some of the family take it badly. It’s a good look at family dynamics in the LGBT community, and varying attitudes. I like the different subject matter and the way of handling it. 4
My Aahana . Unrequited Love between Joe and Aahana. Short plot and not much happens. 2
First Time by Archer Darke. PWP between Hayden and Grace, but well written PWP. You got to know the characters a little too before they start, which was nice. 3
Hella Nervous by Rebeckah Weatherspoon Oskana and Tracy fall in love. Sweet, but not amazing. 2
Closer to Me by Anna Meadows. Just a little romance. Different voice interspersed with Spanish was a refreshing change to the writing styles. 3
Graduation by Brighton Bennett Emmerson and Rachel make up four years after splitting up. A relatively lengthly story. 2.
Overall: Mixed reactions for this. There’s some rather good stories in this anthology. And yet there are some stories where I just fail to understand 1. What the plot is and 2. Why I should be interested in someone breaking up/getting together with that person. Strength 2 and a bit, just about up to 3, tea to an anthology with a lot of gems but also lot of stories that I didn’t enjoy.
Jelson by Breanna Hovey. This deals with being a Swop, which is a little like intersex, but they literally swap sexual characteristics. At last! Something dealing with the non-cis community! (sorry, but it irritates me that we label it LGBT fiction and the T and variants get represented in hardly any way). This story addresses issues, and is also a romance. The idea of a Swop was a little hard to grasp to start with, but this was a good story. 5
The Tea Bowl by Justine F Lane. Girl falls in love with girl. But Girl A is an English teacher and Girl B is a student. Girl A also considers breaking up with her girlfiend to run off with Girl B. And it was like...oh. Teacher/student relationships squick me out generally, but I like the metaphor running through this. 2
The Piano Player by Thomas Graziano. Will and Wesley meet via piano playing and a funeral. They fall in love. My favourite character in this was Tiffany, the best friend, who is funny and a good friend, from what we see of her. This is a very short and sweet romance. 4
Cristal Crisis by A J Slater. Ryan recounts her high school experiences, mainly of bullying, to her new girlfriend. They also meet Cristal, so there’s a nice circle format to this. Lots of horrible issues tackled sensibly. 4
A Tale of Modern Magic by Olivea Dziwak. On World Aids Day, a girl meets a girl. Not much else happens. 2
Indulge Ne by Ashely Bartlett. Two people meet, go home and have sex. This really isn’t my kind of thing. And suddenly having unexpected p4wn on my kindle is all *What???!* There was a bit of plot in relation to the narrators relationship..but it just wasn't my thing. 1
Ignite the Sky by Julie R Sanchez. Grace and Callie go on a round trip, discovering things about each other and falling in love. I really like the format of this, being told in reverse chronological order. 4
A Round Trip by Warren Smith. Ethan meets Zack on a train and they fall in love. It’s a nice message, but also instalovey, but sweet. 3
Butch Fatale by Kirsty Logan. Bex and Narrator are friends. Narrator goes off with someone else. Six months later, Narrator leaves girlfriend for Bex. Not my kind of thing, but the depiction of clubbing is nicely done. 2
Pool of Sorrow by Sam Sommer. Narator narrates his summer from many years ago, when he was a reader and when he fell in love with Teddy. Sweet, but not very much happens. 3
My Lips by Joseph Aviv. Seventeen year old Joseph realises he’s gay. I’m not sure of the main line of plot of this, but I like Joseph’s writing style.
Fighting for Love. Alaina and Billie fall in love but it doesn't work. There’s a nice element of “finding who you are” and this also was rather emotional. 4
There Was a Knocking n the Door by Andrew Arslon. Boy comes out and some of the family take it badly. It’s a good look at family dynamics in the LGBT community, and varying attitudes. I like the different subject matter and the way of handling it. 4
My Aahana . Unrequited Love between Joe and Aahana. Short plot and not much happens. 2
First Time by Archer Darke. PWP between Hayden and Grace, but well written PWP. You got to know the characters a little too before they start, which was nice. 3
Hella Nervous by Rebeckah Weatherspoon Oskana and Tracy fall in love. Sweet, but not amazing. 2
Closer to Me by Anna Meadows. Just a little romance. Different voice interspersed with Spanish was a refreshing change to the writing styles. 3
Graduation by Brighton Bennett Emmerson and Rachel make up four years after splitting up. A relatively lengthly story. 2.
Overall: Mixed reactions for this. There’s some rather good stories in this anthology. And yet there are some stories where I just fail to understand 1. What the plot is and 2. Why I should be interested in someone breaking up/getting together with that person. Strength 2 and a bit, just about up to 3, tea to an anthology with a lot of gems but also lot of stories that I didn’t enjoy.
September 21, 2018
There are some nice stories here... And of course some not enough to remember. But really it was not so much of what I understood as nice or not but how much connection the writers created for their readers. As a dedicated reader of gay related books I thought I pretty much understood the gay courtship drill but these writers showed me my education isn't close to completion 🙄
August 6, 2023
They were beautiful short stories. Ii i read it as a teenager i would appreciate it more but still beautiful. I wish there some dark stories but again I believe it was written to give hope
December 23, 2015
From AntonySimpson.com:
Once I started reading I found it difficult to put down. OMG Queer is an anthology of short fiction stories written by queer (gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, questioning and intersex) young people. Stories are the oldest form of communication to share hopes, fears, dreams, fantasies and these stories share all of these and so much more.
I’d like to tell you a little about each story as the cover of the book doesn’t do justice to the stories contained within.
Jelson by Brenna Harvey
Jelson made me rethink the whole gender identity issue. Jelson is intersex character who fluctuates between being a boy and a girl. It’s cleverly written switching between he and she as Jelson changes gender. It is revealed that he doesn’t want to be a boy or girl but exist in that space in-between, a space that up until this story I didn’t even realise existed. This story reminded me that often we don’t know what other people think about themselves or what they think of ourselves. A fantastic start to the book.
The Tea Bowl by Justine F. Lane
A beautifully written story about unrequited love. A lesbian English Tutor teaching in Japan falls in love with a soon-to-graduate student.
The Piano Player by Thomas Graziano
The story starts with Will at his grandma’s funeral. In the corner he notices an attractive piano player who plays his grandma’s favourite song. He thinks nothing more of it until a few weeks later on college campus he hears someone playing the piano. Will is a romantic gay man whose never been kissed. Will realises the guy playing the piano on campus is the same guy who played at his grandma’s funeral: Wesley.
I smiled reading that Will had made a pact with his straight female friend to marry each other if neither of them had met Mr. Right by the age of forty; as it’s something I think most gay men have done – I certainly have. I smiled again when Will checks social networking sites to try and work out Wesley’s gay or not. Something I’ll admit to doing.
Will gets his kiss and Wesley appreciates his love of his piano playing. This story is written in pieces that are brilliantly intertwined together. The story pulled out my romantic side that we all have. After reading this story I felt inexplicably happy; when I thought about why I discovered that this story had filled my heart with hope of meeting Mr. Right one day.
Crystal Crisis by A.J. Slater
Ryan is the only out lesbian girl in a homophobic school. Nobody talks to her apart from popular Crystal who shares one class with her. They bonded over Crystal having a regular ‘crisis,’ she never has a pen to do her homework with and always asking Ryan if she can borrow one. This story flips between the past – their last day at school; and the present – Ryan coming back to the small town to visit with her girlfriend.
In the past Ryan describes borrowing Crystal a pen and talking to her before some of the other students start name-calling Ryan. Crystal stands up for Ryan, and it quickly escalates into the other students viciously attacking Ryan and Crystal. By the end of the assault Ryan has stopped breathing and Crystal has to do CPR in order to save her life. Afterwards in front of the Head Teacher Ryan remains silent out of fear, something she’s never been able to forgive herself for. The Head Teacher decides that Ryan and Crystal have enough credits to graduate early, seemingly wanting to sweep the whole issue under the metaphorical carpet. They both declare their love for one another and leave school on that day. Ryan going off to study filmmaking and Crystal going off traveling in Europe.
In the present Ryan bumps into Crystal in the pharmacy when she see’s a woman rummaging in her bag for a pen. Ryan offers her a pen and they speak. Crystal is now a School Counsellor so that no one will ever have to experience what they did and she’s followed Ryan’s successful career as a filmmaker. Ryan apologies for her silence after the attack and Crystal explains that she was never angry and understood why she was silent. Then they are met by their respective female partners and the four of them walk off together. As they walk off Ryan and Crystal are talking about redeveloping their friendship but encompassing their new partners as well. Ryan finally forgives herself for her silence following the homophobic attack, after holding on to guilt for so many years.
A Tale of Modern Magic by Olivia Dziwak
This is a reflective story about a Polish lesbian who volunteers for her schools Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) in Canada. One night while volunteering at a World AID’s Day Event she meets Jane a pretty girl who also volunteers for the GSA and they decide to date. What makes the story truly remarkable is the description of what the Polish girl feels about the other and how she feels about the prospect of dating her. I found this story to be incredibly emotionally touching.
Indulge Me by Ashley Bartlett
An overly confident, borderline arrogant twenty year old Bartender is the main character in this story that is essentially about the chase. The Bartender see’s an older woman and the chase commences, the older woman playing hard to get. Eventually as expected the bartender gets her prey and they have a night of passion.
After this night the Bartender doesn’t see the older women for a while and the reader begins to question which of them was really the prey? When they finally do catch up the Bartender reflects realising that all she wanted to do was flirt with an attractive woman, she wasn’t ready for more. The outwardly confident Bartender transforms into someone whose more real, a woman who has insecurities just like everyone else.
Ignite the Sky by Julie R. Sanchez
Grace is on her knees picking up some chewing gum in her local shop when she meets Callie. Grace feels a presence above her slowly looking up taking in gorgeous Callie in front of her. Callie introduces herself and a friendship develops between them. Callie wants to feel alive and Grace comes to understand the importance of this through her adventures with Callie. Written in a diary style by Grace, it is discovered that Callie is bisexual. Callie likes girls and boys but it is about the person, they both talk about how they feel and the story ends with them admitting they both love one another.
A Round Trip by Warren Smith III
This is my favourite story in OMG Queer. Writer Ethan is on train the train to the city for work when he see’s a sign that reads Follow Your Passion. Ethan thinks to himself if only it was that easy. Then Zack sits opposite him and they quickly get talking, they even share one of those comfortable silences that usually only people who know each other well share.
Ethan doesn’t need to take the train the next day as he’s off work, but he can’t stop thinking about Zack so makes an excuse to himself for his need to take the train to the city again. This reminded me of the excitement of meeting someone new unexpectedly, which hasn’t happened to me in a long time. Zack gets on the train and sits opposite him. Zack invites Ethan to the city, as if he’s a visitor that’s never been. Ethan accepts and plays along pretending to fascinated by everything Zack’s points out.
They have a genuinely fantastic time together, exploring the city, shopping, then on to a Night Club with Ethan realising that Zak is his passion. The brilliance of this story is in the expression of how Ethan feels which is portrayed through the writing. Warren Smith III, should be really proud of this impressive piece of literature he’s created. After the story I was inexplicably happy. I was fizzling with excitement for Ethan, yet at the same time had a longing for a similar experience.
Butch Fatale by Kirsty Logan
Butch Fatale is a story essentially about friendship. The underlying message in the story appears to be that friendship and a relationship are both important. Keep both your friends and your lover close to you always.
Pool of Sorrow by Sam Sommer
It’s the Summer of ’62 and twelve year old A.J. is alone – all of his friend have gone away for the summer. Teddy is fourteen years old and one of the “big kids.” Usually A.J. and Teddy wouldn’t interact, but with everyone away they begin to and a friendship develops.
One day as routine A.J. goes to look for Teddy but he can’t find him until he hears someone sobbing and crying in Teddy’s shed. It’s Teddy and he explains that his dad used to help him set up the pool every summer before he died. Teddy asks A.J not to tell anyone that he was upset and asks A.J. to help him set up the pool, which they do together. Then Teddy suggest playing “the game.” Teddy throws a pirate key into the pool right in front of A.J, dives under to get it and rises so that they are touching torso’s.
“The game” progresses to Teddy’s bedroom were they have their first sexual exploratory experience together. The story is well written with the right level of sexual intimacy for the ages of the main characters. I related to the story as I had a similar sexual exploratory experience as a teen; and I can imagine many other people would relate to the story for the same reason.
My Lips by Joseph Aviv
My Lips is a descriptive story about growing up, starting at two years old up to the age of nineteen. It uses the main characters lips, events and the relationship with family members to describe what it’s like growing up gay. The main character as a child moves his lips often, but when he starts to realise he’s gay he becomes silent. He uses silence as his protection. He’s very family orientated and when he comes out as gay to his family, they accept him. Slowly his lips start to move again as his finds his voice once again.
Fighting for Lies by Aimee Lukes
Billie and Alaina are good friends. Billie likes Alaina and one evening they kiss. Alaina shares her internalised homophobia expressing that what they have done is “wrong” and that it’s symptom of a “sickness.” Alaina has also heard whispers that homosexuality is normal. This story switches perspectives between the two main characters, ending with Billie explaining to Alaina that she has tried to make everyone else happy and that all it has done is make her miserable. This story was the only one in OMG Queer that felt as if it had been cut short.
There Was a Knocking on the Door by Andrew Arslan
There Was a Knocking on the Door is set in New York and is a coming out story. A son tells his Muslim father he’s gay to his fathers reaction “I can’t believe this.” His father had always preached about treating everyone fairly and he can’t believe his fathers reaction to him sharing his sexuality. He goes to his room burring his face in his pillow, regretting coming out.
Then he hears his mother shouting at his father in the bathroom. He goes to see what’s going on only to discover that his father was about to take an overdose of medication when his mother walked in on him. His mother instructs him to go back to his room, which he does. Then the story ends with a knocking on his bedroom door from his father. The traumatic story appeared to end on a low, with the reader hoping the main character and his father can reconnect on common ground.
My Aahana by Ariana Montoya
Jo attends a all-girl boarding school and isn’t happy that she’s going to have to share her room with a new student. Jo also worries that her secret, the fact she likes women maybe exposed. But then the new student Aahana arrives. Jo is instantly captivated by this beautiful Indian girl and a friendship starts to develop between them.
One day Aahana receives a call from her father. He tells Aahana that she must go home to India and marry the son of her grandma’s friend or her father won’t receive the inheritance that he needs. Jo is crushed. Despite Aahana not returning Jo’s feelings in the way she would like, she doesn’t want to loose this amazing woman. As Jo says goodbye to Aahana at the airport she thinks about telling her how she feels, but decides against it as it would change nothing. Jo and Aahana make eye contact and Jo senses that Aahana always knew how she felt about her.
First Time by Archer Darke
First time is about lesbian couple Grace and Hayden’s first time having sex. It is a very graphic, which I found too much for me as a gay man.
Hella Nervous by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Tracy is a sporty, confident and butch girl who is attracted to Oksana a shy, quiet and reserved girl. Tracy can’t stop ogling Oksana and eventually invites her back to hers after school. Tracy is thrilled when Oksana accepts and once at home makes her intentions clear. They begin to hook-up with Tracy a confident lover and Oksana being slightly awkward. As the hook-up relationship develops they learn more about each other.
One day after hooking-up Oksana asks what Tracy wants. Oksana asks if Tracy wants more than “fooling around.” Tracy had never considered what she wants but realises that she really likes Oksana and wants to be her girlfriend. They agree to date and the story ends wonderfully with Oksana coming out at school as Tracy girlfriend. There are a few shocked class-mates but you get the idea that with Tracy around Oksana will be OK.
Chili Powder by Anna Meadows
A bisexual girl moves to a new town and a new school. This foreign girl struggles to adapt to this new school and make friends. So she sits alone in the shade of a tree to eat her dinner. Everyday she has an orange that she sprinkles Chili Powder on to add to the taste of the otherwise bland fruit.
One day while sitting under the tree a boy with no Adams apple, small hands and feet sits down beside her. This use of language implies that this boy is trans although it never states it. Initially she’s shocked but they begin to speak and one day she kisses him hoping he’ll want more in the future.
Graduation by Brighton Bennett
It’s the last night before Graduation at University for Rachel, Emmerson and their year group. As Freshers they’d got into a relationship together, but it didn’t work out. They reflect on their relationship and feelings for one another at a party, before deciding to go back to Emmerson’s for one last night of loving intimacy before going on to lead separate lives. This story is the perfect end to OMG Queer as is about marking the end of something but looking forward to what will come next.
Considering OMG Queer as a whole, the use of first person in the majority of the stories made them feel very personal and at times intimate. All but one of the stories felt the perfect length and covered a wide range of themes that queer people will relate with. I did notice that the majority of the contributors wrote lesbian stories. This caused me to ask myself Where are the gay youth writers? Perhaps when my writing develops some more along with my writers voice, I might try to write some fictional short stories with a gay theme.
I enjoyed reading OMG Queer so much that it has earned a place on my bookshelf of favourite books; the books on this self have effected me emotionally, influenced who I am and are books that I’ll read again and again. OMG Queer is simply a must read for any queer person.
Once I started reading I found it difficult to put down. OMG Queer is an anthology of short fiction stories written by queer (gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, questioning and intersex) young people. Stories are the oldest form of communication to share hopes, fears, dreams, fantasies and these stories share all of these and so much more.
I’d like to tell you a little about each story as the cover of the book doesn’t do justice to the stories contained within.
Jelson by Brenna Harvey
Jelson made me rethink the whole gender identity issue. Jelson is intersex character who fluctuates between being a boy and a girl. It’s cleverly written switching between he and she as Jelson changes gender. It is revealed that he doesn’t want to be a boy or girl but exist in that space in-between, a space that up until this story I didn’t even realise existed. This story reminded me that often we don’t know what other people think about themselves or what they think of ourselves. A fantastic start to the book.
The Tea Bowl by Justine F. Lane
A beautifully written story about unrequited love. A lesbian English Tutor teaching in Japan falls in love with a soon-to-graduate student.
The Piano Player by Thomas Graziano
The story starts with Will at his grandma’s funeral. In the corner he notices an attractive piano player who plays his grandma’s favourite song. He thinks nothing more of it until a few weeks later on college campus he hears someone playing the piano. Will is a romantic gay man whose never been kissed. Will realises the guy playing the piano on campus is the same guy who played at his grandma’s funeral: Wesley.
I smiled reading that Will had made a pact with his straight female friend to marry each other if neither of them had met Mr. Right by the age of forty; as it’s something I think most gay men have done – I certainly have. I smiled again when Will checks social networking sites to try and work out Wesley’s gay or not. Something I’ll admit to doing.
Will gets his kiss and Wesley appreciates his love of his piano playing. This story is written in pieces that are brilliantly intertwined together. The story pulled out my romantic side that we all have. After reading this story I felt inexplicably happy; when I thought about why I discovered that this story had filled my heart with hope of meeting Mr. Right one day.
Crystal Crisis by A.J. Slater
Ryan is the only out lesbian girl in a homophobic school. Nobody talks to her apart from popular Crystal who shares one class with her. They bonded over Crystal having a regular ‘crisis,’ she never has a pen to do her homework with and always asking Ryan if she can borrow one. This story flips between the past – their last day at school; and the present – Ryan coming back to the small town to visit with her girlfriend.
In the past Ryan describes borrowing Crystal a pen and talking to her before some of the other students start name-calling Ryan. Crystal stands up for Ryan, and it quickly escalates into the other students viciously attacking Ryan and Crystal. By the end of the assault Ryan has stopped breathing and Crystal has to do CPR in order to save her life. Afterwards in front of the Head Teacher Ryan remains silent out of fear, something she’s never been able to forgive herself for. The Head Teacher decides that Ryan and Crystal have enough credits to graduate early, seemingly wanting to sweep the whole issue under the metaphorical carpet. They both declare their love for one another and leave school on that day. Ryan going off to study filmmaking and Crystal going off traveling in Europe.
In the present Ryan bumps into Crystal in the pharmacy when she see’s a woman rummaging in her bag for a pen. Ryan offers her a pen and they speak. Crystal is now a School Counsellor so that no one will ever have to experience what they did and she’s followed Ryan’s successful career as a filmmaker. Ryan apologies for her silence after the attack and Crystal explains that she was never angry and understood why she was silent. Then they are met by their respective female partners and the four of them walk off together. As they walk off Ryan and Crystal are talking about redeveloping their friendship but encompassing their new partners as well. Ryan finally forgives herself for her silence following the homophobic attack, after holding on to guilt for so many years.
A Tale of Modern Magic by Olivia Dziwak
This is a reflective story about a Polish lesbian who volunteers for her schools Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) in Canada. One night while volunteering at a World AID’s Day Event she meets Jane a pretty girl who also volunteers for the GSA and they decide to date. What makes the story truly remarkable is the description of what the Polish girl feels about the other and how she feels about the prospect of dating her. I found this story to be incredibly emotionally touching.
Indulge Me by Ashley Bartlett
An overly confident, borderline arrogant twenty year old Bartender is the main character in this story that is essentially about the chase. The Bartender see’s an older woman and the chase commences, the older woman playing hard to get. Eventually as expected the bartender gets her prey and they have a night of passion.
After this night the Bartender doesn’t see the older women for a while and the reader begins to question which of them was really the prey? When they finally do catch up the Bartender reflects realising that all she wanted to do was flirt with an attractive woman, she wasn’t ready for more. The outwardly confident Bartender transforms into someone whose more real, a woman who has insecurities just like everyone else.
Ignite the Sky by Julie R. Sanchez
Grace is on her knees picking up some chewing gum in her local shop when she meets Callie. Grace feels a presence above her slowly looking up taking in gorgeous Callie in front of her. Callie introduces herself and a friendship develops between them. Callie wants to feel alive and Grace comes to understand the importance of this through her adventures with Callie. Written in a diary style by Grace, it is discovered that Callie is bisexual. Callie likes girls and boys but it is about the person, they both talk about how they feel and the story ends with them admitting they both love one another.
A Round Trip by Warren Smith III
This is my favourite story in OMG Queer. Writer Ethan is on train the train to the city for work when he see’s a sign that reads Follow Your Passion. Ethan thinks to himself if only it was that easy. Then Zack sits opposite him and they quickly get talking, they even share one of those comfortable silences that usually only people who know each other well share.
Ethan doesn’t need to take the train the next day as he’s off work, but he can’t stop thinking about Zack so makes an excuse to himself for his need to take the train to the city again. This reminded me of the excitement of meeting someone new unexpectedly, which hasn’t happened to me in a long time. Zack gets on the train and sits opposite him. Zack invites Ethan to the city, as if he’s a visitor that’s never been. Ethan accepts and plays along pretending to fascinated by everything Zack’s points out.
They have a genuinely fantastic time together, exploring the city, shopping, then on to a Night Club with Ethan realising that Zak is his passion. The brilliance of this story is in the expression of how Ethan feels which is portrayed through the writing. Warren Smith III, should be really proud of this impressive piece of literature he’s created. After the story I was inexplicably happy. I was fizzling with excitement for Ethan, yet at the same time had a longing for a similar experience.
Butch Fatale by Kirsty Logan
Butch Fatale is a story essentially about friendship. The underlying message in the story appears to be that friendship and a relationship are both important. Keep both your friends and your lover close to you always.
Pool of Sorrow by Sam Sommer
It’s the Summer of ’62 and twelve year old A.J. is alone – all of his friend have gone away for the summer. Teddy is fourteen years old and one of the “big kids.” Usually A.J. and Teddy wouldn’t interact, but with everyone away they begin to and a friendship develops.
One day as routine A.J. goes to look for Teddy but he can’t find him until he hears someone sobbing and crying in Teddy’s shed. It’s Teddy and he explains that his dad used to help him set up the pool every summer before he died. Teddy asks A.J not to tell anyone that he was upset and asks A.J. to help him set up the pool, which they do together. Then Teddy suggest playing “the game.” Teddy throws a pirate key into the pool right in front of A.J, dives under to get it and rises so that they are touching torso’s.
“The game” progresses to Teddy’s bedroom were they have their first sexual exploratory experience together. The story is well written with the right level of sexual intimacy for the ages of the main characters. I related to the story as I had a similar sexual exploratory experience as a teen; and I can imagine many other people would relate to the story for the same reason.
My Lips by Joseph Aviv
My Lips is a descriptive story about growing up, starting at two years old up to the age of nineteen. It uses the main characters lips, events and the relationship with family members to describe what it’s like growing up gay. The main character as a child moves his lips often, but when he starts to realise he’s gay he becomes silent. He uses silence as his protection. He’s very family orientated and when he comes out as gay to his family, they accept him. Slowly his lips start to move again as his finds his voice once again.
Fighting for Lies by Aimee Lukes
Billie and Alaina are good friends. Billie likes Alaina and one evening they kiss. Alaina shares her internalised homophobia expressing that what they have done is “wrong” and that it’s symptom of a “sickness.” Alaina has also heard whispers that homosexuality is normal. This story switches perspectives between the two main characters, ending with Billie explaining to Alaina that she has tried to make everyone else happy and that all it has done is make her miserable. This story was the only one in OMG Queer that felt as if it had been cut short.
There Was a Knocking on the Door by Andrew Arslan
There Was a Knocking on the Door is set in New York and is a coming out story. A son tells his Muslim father he’s gay to his fathers reaction “I can’t believe this.” His father had always preached about treating everyone fairly and he can’t believe his fathers reaction to him sharing his sexuality. He goes to his room burring his face in his pillow, regretting coming out.
Then he hears his mother shouting at his father in the bathroom. He goes to see what’s going on only to discover that his father was about to take an overdose of medication when his mother walked in on him. His mother instructs him to go back to his room, which he does. Then the story ends with a knocking on his bedroom door from his father. The traumatic story appeared to end on a low, with the reader hoping the main character and his father can reconnect on common ground.
My Aahana by Ariana Montoya
Jo attends a all-girl boarding school and isn’t happy that she’s going to have to share her room with a new student. Jo also worries that her secret, the fact she likes women maybe exposed. But then the new student Aahana arrives. Jo is instantly captivated by this beautiful Indian girl and a friendship starts to develop between them.
One day Aahana receives a call from her father. He tells Aahana that she must go home to India and marry the son of her grandma’s friend or her father won’t receive the inheritance that he needs. Jo is crushed. Despite Aahana not returning Jo’s feelings in the way she would like, she doesn’t want to loose this amazing woman. As Jo says goodbye to Aahana at the airport she thinks about telling her how she feels, but decides against it as it would change nothing. Jo and Aahana make eye contact and Jo senses that Aahana always knew how she felt about her.
First Time by Archer Darke
First time is about lesbian couple Grace and Hayden’s first time having sex. It is a very graphic, which I found too much for me as a gay man.
Hella Nervous by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Tracy is a sporty, confident and butch girl who is attracted to Oksana a shy, quiet and reserved girl. Tracy can’t stop ogling Oksana and eventually invites her back to hers after school. Tracy is thrilled when Oksana accepts and once at home makes her intentions clear. They begin to hook-up with Tracy a confident lover and Oksana being slightly awkward. As the hook-up relationship develops they learn more about each other.
One day after hooking-up Oksana asks what Tracy wants. Oksana asks if Tracy wants more than “fooling around.” Tracy had never considered what she wants but realises that she really likes Oksana and wants to be her girlfriend. They agree to date and the story ends wonderfully with Oksana coming out at school as Tracy girlfriend. There are a few shocked class-mates but you get the idea that with Tracy around Oksana will be OK.
Chili Powder by Anna Meadows
A bisexual girl moves to a new town and a new school. This foreign girl struggles to adapt to this new school and make friends. So she sits alone in the shade of a tree to eat her dinner. Everyday she has an orange that she sprinkles Chili Powder on to add to the taste of the otherwise bland fruit.
One day while sitting under the tree a boy with no Adams apple, small hands and feet sits down beside her. This use of language implies that this boy is trans although it never states it. Initially she’s shocked but they begin to speak and one day she kisses him hoping he’ll want more in the future.
Graduation by Brighton Bennett
It’s the last night before Graduation at University for Rachel, Emmerson and their year group. As Freshers they’d got into a relationship together, but it didn’t work out. They reflect on their relationship and feelings for one another at a party, before deciding to go back to Emmerson’s for one last night of loving intimacy before going on to lead separate lives. This story is the perfect end to OMG Queer as is about marking the end of something but looking forward to what will come next.
Considering OMG Queer as a whole, the use of first person in the majority of the stories made them feel very personal and at times intimate. All but one of the stories felt the perfect length and covered a wide range of themes that queer people will relate with. I did notice that the majority of the contributors wrote lesbian stories. This caused me to ask myself Where are the gay youth writers? Perhaps when my writing develops some more along with my writers voice, I might try to write some fictional short stories with a gay theme.
I enjoyed reading OMG Queer so much that it has earned a place on my bookshelf of favourite books; the books on this self have effected me emotionally, influenced who I am and are books that I’ll read again and again. OMG Queer is simply a must read for any queer person.
June 9, 2018
This is a much needed anthology to broaden out the hetero-monochrome romances that pass for YA fiction for the most part. So yay to the authors and editors for doing this. That said the writing was for the most part more enthusiastic than skillful. I liked the complexity of some of the relationships, there isn't the mistake of homonormatising people in some sort of misguided attempt so I did appreciate that, but at the same time the innocence and sweetness of the more straightforward (do I mean queerforward?) ones was good too, in a blend.
I probably would have liked some more bi, ace, demi and even trans identities (there is a bit of trans) and why is there no polyamory here? At the same time it was good to have a range of gay and lesbian situations with a touch of intersectionality (more of that please and less exoticised). Some of the stuff I didn;t relate to might be because I am neither American nor young, the descriptor "queer youth" covers one of these problems, might be worth putting on the cover that these are mostly US-centric and written without apparent reflexivity about this (normal for YA fiction of course).
Having given myself permission to be so critical it must be said that the first story made me cry the sort of tears you want a book to wring from you. I want to be a swap (a real swap, not just in my head like currently) it was a lovely story of acceptance, beauty and seeing outside the box. There was no story that I hated, just the quality of the writing and the sort of porny without substance feel of some of them got old quickly- but I know why people need to write these things and they do need to be published until we all have a chance to develop our voices to more nuance.
I also found it amusing that one of the editors had PhD after her name on the cover. Many editors of anthologies are Doctors of Philosophy but rarely do they mention it on the covers. It seemed needlessly defensive as a move (also funny given the content).
I hope these writers will keep developing their skills because it is good to have something queer to read. People who have not thought much about lgbtiq identities or people who feel very isolated with their own identity ought to read this. I will also admit that as a single, middle-aged and probably undateable lesbian I read some of these stories with some measure of envy ;)
I probably would have liked some more bi, ace, demi and even trans identities (there is a bit of trans) and why is there no polyamory here? At the same time it was good to have a range of gay and lesbian situations with a touch of intersectionality (more of that please and less exoticised). Some of the stuff I didn;t relate to might be because I am neither American nor young, the descriptor "queer youth" covers one of these problems, might be worth putting on the cover that these are mostly US-centric and written without apparent reflexivity about this (normal for YA fiction of course).
Having given myself permission to be so critical it must be said that the first story made me cry the sort of tears you want a book to wring from you. I want to be a swap (a real swap, not just in my head like currently) it was a lovely story of acceptance, beauty and seeing outside the box. There was no story that I hated, just the quality of the writing and the sort of porny without substance feel of some of them got old quickly- but I know why people need to write these things and they do need to be published until we all have a chance to develop our voices to more nuance.
I also found it amusing that one of the editors had PhD after her name on the cover. Many editors of anthologies are Doctors of Philosophy but rarely do they mention it on the covers. It seemed needlessly defensive as a move (also funny given the content).
I hope these writers will keep developing their skills because it is good to have something queer to read. People who have not thought much about lgbtiq identities or people who feel very isolated with their own identity ought to read this. I will also admit that as a single, middle-aged and probably undateable lesbian I read some of these stories with some measure of envy ;)
July 21, 2012
This was a pretty amazing collection of stories. Like an anthology, there are always several stories that I lose interest in or don't finish; there was only 1 story I didn't particularly enjoy in OMGQueer and it wasn't because it were badly writen. Each story was very honest and unique in the story it was telling. Here are my thoughts on each of the stories.
"Jelson"- This was my favorite short story by far. In this one, Jelson is a "swop" meaning he switches from acting like a female to male at will. However, s/he doesn't feel comfortable being either extreme. Jelson is the narrator Allie's best friend. I loved this one because the topic was so unique and something you don't really hear being discussed all the time. The writing was engaging and you really stared to relate to and care about the characters. I was disappointed when the story ended so soon.
"The Tea Bowl"- This one was very lovely in it's charactereization of the narrator and her unnamed love, who happens to be a Japanese student. You can really feel the longing and desperation she feels when she sees the student in office. I also loved the Japanese culture aspect because it added a nice bit of dimension. This one was very vague in it's setting and who the narrator exactly was, but the ambiguousness did not bother me.
"The Piano Player"- Another one of my favorites! It was very simple and beautifully written. There is not much action in this one but the soft way of writing really made me feel warm and happy inside. It was very subtle like love often is.
"Crystal Crisis"- This one was talks about a issue that many LBGTQ youth face- bullying. Crystal is the popular girl and Ryan, the narrator, is the lesbian to make fun of; one wouldn't expect them to be best friends. It was heartbreaking to see the bullying but towards the end, there definitely is hope.
"A Tale of Modern Magic"- It was a cute story about two girls who bump into each other by chance and finally face their feelings towards each other. Very charming story!
"Indulge Me"- This one was very interesting to read as I wanted to know more about who the older woman was and what was going to happen between her and the narrator. The ending wasn't what you would call a happy ending ibut it was obvious that the narrator had grown from the experience. I really liked thi one!
"Ignite the Sky"- I liked this one a lot because it reminds me of the friendship I share with one of my best friends. This one didn't focus as much on romantic love as some of the other ones did but more on love in a friendship kind of way. California is a captivating character.
"A Round Trip"- This story was so sweet and enjoyable. The narrator meets a stranger named Zack on the train, who he later cannot get out of his head. Turns out it was the same for Zack. The story was so romantic and I loved Zack!
"Butch Fatale"- Another one that I think focused more on friendship with a small aspect of romance. I liked the narrator and thought the situation with Bex was one we can all relate to. This one was enjoyable to read too!
"Pool of Sorrow"- I really liked this one. The two boys start out as friends, which is really beautiful to read about, then it develops into something more. I particularly liked the way the author described the narrators thoughts so honestly.
"My Lips"- This one was very well written and the concept was unique. At first, I didn't really see what the point of the repetition of "lips" was about but it tied the whole story together really nicely.
"Fighting For Lies"- Two best girlfriends who find that they have feelings for each other. One wants to face it full on while the other one wants to hide it as to not disappoint her parents. By the end of the story, both narrators are full of shame and anger and regret, at each other and at themselves. Very enjoyable read!
"There Was A Knocking On the Door"- One of my favorites! I like the spin put on the typical "coming out" story. The boy's father is Muslim, which has an impact on the way he reacted. I found myself tearing up at the
"My Aahana"- One of my favorites! The narrators feelings were expressed so clearly and honestly. I loved the descriptions of Aahana that made her seem real to me, like the little things she would do. The ending was really sad. I think the story could have sounded fake and cliched but superior handling of the prose prevented that from happening.
"First Time"- I didn't particularly enjoy this one but it was definitely well written. Like the title suggests, this story is about a couple and their first time having sex. What probably turned me off of this story was the detailed sex scene which isn't my type of thing to read.
"Hella Nervous"- This was my least favorite of all of them, probably because of how unrealistic the story seemed. The writing was really good though, but not my type of story.
"Chili Powder"- I really like the cultural aspect of this story with the Spanish words and the references to spices. They added another dimension of uniqueness to the story. I really loved the friendship between the narrator and the trans boy too! It was very subtle but powerful.
"Graduation"- A solid ending to a great anthology. This story invokes feelings of nolstalgia and regret, but at the same time, hope. It doesn't only focus on romance but also on feelings, friendship and choices, an all around winner!
Overall, I love how this anthology tries to be diverse and cover many topics, in addition to presenting great pieces of writing. I feel like I learned a lot from reading this anthology!
"Jelson"- This was my favorite short story by far. In this one, Jelson is a "swop" meaning he switches from acting like a female to male at will. However, s/he doesn't feel comfortable being either extreme. Jelson is the narrator Allie's best friend. I loved this one because the topic was so unique and something you don't really hear being discussed all the time. The writing was engaging and you really stared to relate to and care about the characters. I was disappointed when the story ended so soon.
"The Tea Bowl"- This one was very lovely in it's charactereization of the narrator and her unnamed love, who happens to be a Japanese student. You can really feel the longing and desperation she feels when she sees the student in office. I also loved the Japanese culture aspect because it added a nice bit of dimension. This one was very vague in it's setting and who the narrator exactly was, but the ambiguousness did not bother me.
"The Piano Player"- Another one of my favorites! It was very simple and beautifully written. There is not much action in this one but the soft way of writing really made me feel warm and happy inside. It was very subtle like love often is.
"Crystal Crisis"- This one was talks about a issue that many LBGTQ youth face- bullying. Crystal is the popular girl and Ryan, the narrator, is the lesbian to make fun of; one wouldn't expect them to be best friends. It was heartbreaking to see the bullying but towards the end, there definitely is hope.
"A Tale of Modern Magic"- It was a cute story about two girls who bump into each other by chance and finally face their feelings towards each other. Very charming story!
"Indulge Me"- This one was very interesting to read as I wanted to know more about who the older woman was and what was going to happen between her and the narrator. The ending wasn't what you would call a happy ending ibut it was obvious that the narrator had grown from the experience. I really liked thi one!
"Ignite the Sky"- I liked this one a lot because it reminds me of the friendship I share with one of my best friends. This one didn't focus as much on romantic love as some of the other ones did but more on love in a friendship kind of way. California is a captivating character.
"A Round Trip"- This story was so sweet and enjoyable. The narrator meets a stranger named Zack on the train, who he later cannot get out of his head. Turns out it was the same for Zack. The story was so romantic and I loved Zack!
"Butch Fatale"- Another one that I think focused more on friendship with a small aspect of romance. I liked the narrator and thought the situation with Bex was one we can all relate to. This one was enjoyable to read too!
"Pool of Sorrow"- I really liked this one. The two boys start out as friends, which is really beautiful to read about, then it develops into something more. I particularly liked the way the author described the narrators thoughts so honestly.
"My Lips"- This one was very well written and the concept was unique. At first, I didn't really see what the point of the repetition of "lips" was about but it tied the whole story together really nicely.
"Fighting For Lies"- Two best girlfriends who find that they have feelings for each other. One wants to face it full on while the other one wants to hide it as to not disappoint her parents. By the end of the story, both narrators are full of shame and anger and regret, at each other and at themselves. Very enjoyable read!
"There Was A Knocking On the Door"- One of my favorites! I like the spin put on the typical "coming out" story. The boy's father is Muslim, which has an impact on the way he reacted. I found myself tearing up at the
"My Aahana"- One of my favorites! The narrators feelings were expressed so clearly and honestly. I loved the descriptions of Aahana that made her seem real to me, like the little things she would do. The ending was really sad. I think the story could have sounded fake and cliched but superior handling of the prose prevented that from happening.
"First Time"- I didn't particularly enjoy this one but it was definitely well written. Like the title suggests, this story is about a couple and their first time having sex. What probably turned me off of this story was the detailed sex scene which isn't my type of thing to read.
"Hella Nervous"- This was my least favorite of all of them, probably because of how unrealistic the story seemed. The writing was really good though, but not my type of story.
"Chili Powder"- I really like the cultural aspect of this story with the Spanish words and the references to spices. They added another dimension of uniqueness to the story. I really loved the friendship between the narrator and the trans boy too! It was very subtle but powerful.
"Graduation"- A solid ending to a great anthology. This story invokes feelings of nolstalgia and regret, but at the same time, hope. It doesn't only focus on romance but also on feelings, friendship and choices, an all around winner!
Overall, I love how this anthology tries to be diverse and cover many topics, in addition to presenting great pieces of writing. I feel like I learned a lot from reading this anthology!
November 7, 2022
This book is now 10 years old and I think the stories reflect where youth were at in their journeys of queerness then. A lot has changed in recent years to offer more options/language for queer identity, sexuality and gender. So the stories from 10 years ago seem to leave out some aspects of queerness in todays lens.
While not high literature, the stories are brief, intriguing and entertaining. I found it be to a page turner.
While not high literature, the stories are brief, intriguing and entertaining. I found it be to a page turner.
March 27, 2017
Not bad, but also not fantastic. Some were far better than others.
September 8, 2021
I read this in high school, and it was very impactful for me :)
July 14, 2012
All up, this was a pretty good collection of short stories - there were WAY more that I liked than didn't like, and only one which I disliked so much that I didn't bother finishing it.
The first story, Jelson, was my favourite. It was a really good start to the collection and really got me excited to read more - I was just a little sad that the first one ended up being so very definitely my favourite! Nothing else quite lived up to it. In short, Jelson is what is known as a "swop", meaning that at will s/he can change between being a boy and being a girl, and the two are very distinct. I found the story to be really fascinating and I loved the small-town US setting for it.
The Tea Bowl (f/f) was a little too vague at times - I just couldn't figure out where it was set and that kind of bugged me. Was it actually Japan? Also the overuse of the code-word "vegetarian" just kind of rubbed me up the wrong way. Like, oh my god she's a VEGETARIAN! I wasn't as sold on that story as I was the first, possibly because I never found myself caring that much for either the narrator or her love interest.
The Piano Player (m/m) was just gorgeous. Soft and sweet and understated :)
Crystal Crisis (f/f) was another of the more enjoyable ones to read, but also the first with very heavy bullying themes.
A Tale of Modern Magic (f/f) started off a bit stilted, I found - like the author was writing an essay, not a story. But it did loosen up eventually and it's another I found myself really enjoying.
Indulge Me (f/f) was at times a bit too crude for my liking, but at least I could read it all. I wasn't overly fond of the narrator, but I was very interested in the "older" woman character. However, the writing style at times annoyed me. Lots of fragments. Too much detail where detail was unnecessary.
Ignite the Sky (f/f) I found to be terribly long, and I just couldn't get into it.
A Round Trip (m/m) was like Brief Encounter and another that I absolutely adored! Zack was so wonderfully charming and I loved the story so much.
Butch Fatale (f/f) this was the one I couldn't finish. Crude, vulgar, not my style... you could probably tell from the title that this was the one I was gonna skip! I disliked the narrator and so many things made me cringe or flinch in the few pages that I managed to read.
Pool of Sorrow (m/m) another that was written really gorgeously. Weird that I'm do enjoying the M/M ones here! Two young boys, the summer of '62, lovely detail.
My Lips (m/m) I actually didn't like this one at the start. It seemed too pretentiously written, like it was trying too hard... but then as the narrator grew older, the story began to grow on me.
Fighting for Lies (f/f) I found the shifting perspective to be distracting, and the story felt overlong. I tried to get into it, but had only just managed when it ended!
There Was a Knocking on the Door (m/m) A really powerful story about a Muslim boy whose father has always been super-tolerant of everything... until it's his own son who comes out. The family is almost torn apart and it's really shocking to read, but at least the end is not without hope.
My Aahana (f/f) yay boarding school story! And a lovely, if sad, one at that. The ending, where Jo has to just stand back and watch as Aahana flies home to an arranged marriage without ever knowing how Jo felt about her, is just heartbreaking.
First Time (f/f) Pretty much just a big slab of PWP, and I didn't find it to be particularly well written or enjoyable.
Hella Nervous (f/f) First of all, WOW I HATED the narrator so much! She made me shudder; just reading her thoughts made me feel unclean. I didn't buy the romance with Oksana either at all, nothing felt realistic, everything was crude and over the top. Still, it was fast and readable at least.
Chili Powder (f/f) For me there were just too many Spanish words thrown in. I didn't know what many of them meant - luckily I recognised la tortillera from Down to the Bone! But so many of them just felt show-offy and unnecessary. The narrator also wasn't that likeable herself, although I liked the trans boy she met and had lunch with.
Graduation (f/f) Overall, I liked it. There was a wonderful feeling of nostalgia running throughout, and the setting was lovely. I didn't find it to be very realistic... but it was a lovely story nonetheless.
The first story, Jelson, was my favourite. It was a really good start to the collection and really got me excited to read more - I was just a little sad that the first one ended up being so very definitely my favourite! Nothing else quite lived up to it. In short, Jelson is what is known as a "swop", meaning that at will s/he can change between being a boy and being a girl, and the two are very distinct. I found the story to be really fascinating and I loved the small-town US setting for it.
The Tea Bowl (f/f) was a little too vague at times - I just couldn't figure out where it was set and that kind of bugged me. Was it actually Japan? Also the overuse of the code-word "vegetarian" just kind of rubbed me up the wrong way. Like, oh my god she's a VEGETARIAN! I wasn't as sold on that story as I was the first, possibly because I never found myself caring that much for either the narrator or her love interest.
The Piano Player (m/m) was just gorgeous. Soft and sweet and understated :)
Crystal Crisis (f/f) was another of the more enjoyable ones to read, but also the first with very heavy bullying themes.
A Tale of Modern Magic (f/f) started off a bit stilted, I found - like the author was writing an essay, not a story. But it did loosen up eventually and it's another I found myself really enjoying.
Indulge Me (f/f) was at times a bit too crude for my liking, but at least I could read it all. I wasn't overly fond of the narrator, but I was very interested in the "older" woman character. However, the writing style at times annoyed me. Lots of fragments. Too much detail where detail was unnecessary.
Ignite the Sky (f/f) I found to be terribly long, and I just couldn't get into it.
A Round Trip (m/m) was like Brief Encounter and another that I absolutely adored! Zack was so wonderfully charming and I loved the story so much.
Butch Fatale (f/f) this was the one I couldn't finish. Crude, vulgar, not my style... you could probably tell from the title that this was the one I was gonna skip! I disliked the narrator and so many things made me cringe or flinch in the few pages that I managed to read.
Pool of Sorrow (m/m) another that was written really gorgeously. Weird that I'm do enjoying the M/M ones here! Two young boys, the summer of '62, lovely detail.
My Lips (m/m) I actually didn't like this one at the start. It seemed too pretentiously written, like it was trying too hard... but then as the narrator grew older, the story began to grow on me.
Fighting for Lies (f/f) I found the shifting perspective to be distracting, and the story felt overlong. I tried to get into it, but had only just managed when it ended!
There Was a Knocking on the Door (m/m) A really powerful story about a Muslim boy whose father has always been super-tolerant of everything... until it's his own son who comes out. The family is almost torn apart and it's really shocking to read, but at least the end is not without hope.
My Aahana (f/f) yay boarding school story! And a lovely, if sad, one at that. The ending, where Jo has to just stand back and watch as Aahana flies home to an arranged marriage without ever knowing how Jo felt about her, is just heartbreaking.
First Time (f/f) Pretty much just a big slab of PWP, and I didn't find it to be particularly well written or enjoyable.
Hella Nervous (f/f) First of all, WOW I HATED the narrator so much! She made me shudder; just reading her thoughts made me feel unclean. I didn't buy the romance with Oksana either at all, nothing felt realistic, everything was crude and over the top. Still, it was fast and readable at least.
Chili Powder (f/f) For me there were just too many Spanish words thrown in. I didn't know what many of them meant - luckily I recognised la tortillera from Down to the Bone! But so many of them just felt show-offy and unnecessary. The narrator also wasn't that likeable herself, although I liked the trans boy she met and had lunch with.
Graduation (f/f) Overall, I liked it. There was a wonderful feeling of nostalgia running throughout, and the setting was lovely. I didn't find it to be very realistic... but it was a lovely story nonetheless.
September 21, 2012
The full review, with quotes and an attempt at fan art, can be found here.
I had big hopes for this book. The blurb promises a tangible look into the lives of modern young LGBTQI individuals.
But at times, I’ll admit, it felt like I was reading a teenage-written Mills & Boon novel.
Take a step back, though: is that necessarily a bad thing? OMG Queer does not promise a fluent work of literature. It promises a first-hand account of a young generation. Considering that most of the stories are written by high school or college students, should we expect literary mumbo-jumbo?
I guess not.
Maybe part of the reason the anthology annoyed me a little was that it wasn’t that different from the sappy (straight-themed) narratives I used to write as a lovesick teenager who felt ostracised by society.
And maybe that is one of the most wonderful things about it: that the romance, fears and tragedies of LQBTQI youth are experienced the same as those of straight teens. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everybody understood that?
Some of these pieces are told with wonderful wit, some are incredibly sad. Some of them are a little crude (be warned) and some of them illicit a lack of comfort – teachers crushing on students and little children exploring.
As I mentioned, some of the stories are a little annoying – best friends realising they are in love, and being afraid of the school bully but becoming more successful than them and being able to rub their face in it, that kind of thing. But again, in terms of levelling the playing field, perhaps it is not so out of place.
If you read this book, start with Jelson by Brenna Harvey (it’s the first piece in the book). It is hilarious and intelligent. For a more literary piece, read My Lips by Joseph Aviv, an almost poetic tale.
I read Yes, I am! writing by South African gay men and expected this to be similar. It wasn’t, not really, but then the authors of those stories were older, and had different stories to share. Nevertheless, this book would be a great acquisition for a school library (although currently it is only available as an e-book). OMG Queer can play a massive role in obliterating ignorance about LGBTQI communities.
Disclaimer: I received this as a galley from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had big hopes for this book. The blurb promises a tangible look into the lives of modern young LGBTQI individuals.
But at times, I’ll admit, it felt like I was reading a teenage-written Mills & Boon novel.
Take a step back, though: is that necessarily a bad thing? OMG Queer does not promise a fluent work of literature. It promises a first-hand account of a young generation. Considering that most of the stories are written by high school or college students, should we expect literary mumbo-jumbo?
I guess not.
Maybe part of the reason the anthology annoyed me a little was that it wasn’t that different from the sappy (straight-themed) narratives I used to write as a lovesick teenager who felt ostracised by society.
And maybe that is one of the most wonderful things about it: that the romance, fears and tragedies of LQBTQI youth are experienced the same as those of straight teens. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everybody understood that?
Some of these pieces are told with wonderful wit, some are incredibly sad. Some of them are a little crude (be warned) and some of them illicit a lack of comfort – teachers crushing on students and little children exploring.
As I mentioned, some of the stories are a little annoying – best friends realising they are in love, and being afraid of the school bully but becoming more successful than them and being able to rub their face in it, that kind of thing. But again, in terms of levelling the playing field, perhaps it is not so out of place.
If you read this book, start with Jelson by Brenna Harvey (it’s the first piece in the book). It is hilarious and intelligent. For a more literary piece, read My Lips by Joseph Aviv, an almost poetic tale.
I read Yes, I am! writing by South African gay men and expected this to be similar. It wasn’t, not really, but then the authors of those stories were older, and had different stories to share. Nevertheless, this book would be a great acquisition for a school library (although currently it is only available as an e-book). OMG Queer can play a massive role in obliterating ignorance about LGBTQI communities.
Disclaimer: I received this as a galley from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 2, 2016
I have half a list written in my notebook, a sentence or two for each of the short stories featured in this anthology, but it's been a while since I read them and at the time I couldn't conjure up my final thoughts on each one before I jumped into the next. So I decided to just do a mini overall review as well as a couple thoughts on my favorites.
First off, I knew one thing I was going to include in my review no matter what: I'm disappointed that there wasn't more diversity. While there was a story each about intersex, questioning, and trans persons, the majority of the short stories had a lesbian/gay narrator. Because of that, only 6 of the 18 short stories were very memorable to me.
- 'Jelson' by Brenna Harvey is the first in this anthology about an intersex narrator. I enjoyed learning about this character and was impressed by the way it played out.
- 'Crystal Crisis' by A.J. Slater is about two best friends, one being an out-lesbian in a homophobic school. We're taken from her past to her present and I really liked seeing where she ended up after her tough high school years.
- 'Hella Nervous' by Rebekah Weatherspoon is another lesbian story where our narrator is immediately attracted to the new Jamaican girl in the school, Oksana. I loved Oksana's personality and I really enjoyed getting to know her as Tracy extracted the shyness from her.
- 'Chili Powder' by Anna Meadows just might be my top favorite. We have a bisexual character who's more of an outcast at her new school until she meets a boy who happens to be trans. It was fun to watch them bloom a new friendship and eventually she kisses him in hope it will lead to a new level in their friendship.
- 'Pool of Sorrows' by Sam Sommers is about a boy who is crushing on his neighbor and during one summer when the neighbor's friends are all on vacation, they start hanging out and become friends. One day they have a sexual encounter, but we don't find out if the other boy's feelings are returned in the end. It's a sweet story and left me wanting to read more about their friendship.
So all in all, I did enjoy this anthology, but was a bit disappointed in the end. I do think it's still worth checking out, though, if you're interested!
First off, I knew one thing I was going to include in my review no matter what: I'm disappointed that there wasn't more diversity. While there was a story each about intersex, questioning, and trans persons, the majority of the short stories had a lesbian/gay narrator. Because of that, only 6 of the 18 short stories were very memorable to me.
- 'Jelson' by Brenna Harvey is the first in this anthology about an intersex narrator. I enjoyed learning about this character and was impressed by the way it played out.
- 'Crystal Crisis' by A.J. Slater is about two best friends, one being an out-lesbian in a homophobic school. We're taken from her past to her present and I really liked seeing where she ended up after her tough high school years.
- 'Hella Nervous' by Rebekah Weatherspoon is another lesbian story where our narrator is immediately attracted to the new Jamaican girl in the school, Oksana. I loved Oksana's personality and I really enjoyed getting to know her as Tracy extracted the shyness from her.
- 'Chili Powder' by Anna Meadows just might be my top favorite. We have a bisexual character who's more of an outcast at her new school until she meets a boy who happens to be trans. It was fun to watch them bloom a new friendship and eventually she kisses him in hope it will lead to a new level in their friendship.
- 'Pool of Sorrows' by Sam Sommers is about a boy who is crushing on his neighbor and during one summer when the neighbor's friends are all on vacation, they start hanging out and become friends. One day they have a sexual encounter, but we don't find out if the other boy's feelings are returned in the end. It's a sweet story and left me wanting to read more about their friendship.
So all in all, I did enjoy this anthology, but was a bit disappointed in the end. I do think it's still worth checking out, though, if you're interested!
September 18, 2012
I loved this anthology. More thoughts to come.
***
I loved this anthology, it was just so...magnificently queer! :D
So, the stories in the anthology are sort of genius, for the basic reason I find many if not all things genius: they promote diversity. This must be the most diverse thing I have ever read, if it's not the most diverse then it's the most outstanding with its diversity. Does that make sense? Heat stroke is bashing me over the head, any nonsense I may utter - it's the heinous heat's fault. Seriously, 107.60ºF meaning 42ºC, it affects your brain functions, lol. Aaaanyways...
I had a couple of absolute favorites, like The Piano Player, My Aahna, Crystal Crisis, A Round Trip, but some were a complete revelation to me like Jelson or My Lips, though for different reasons. There was so much good reading in here, creative and gutsy and just so different and unrepentant. Freaking genius anthology, just genius.
I'm not going to go spoilery on the stories, I really think you should read this without a user's guide to it beforehand, but I'm just going to give you some main lines and you can decide if you want to take that ride or not.
What you should know about this anthology is that it's written by young adults as far as I can gather and it's addressed to young adults, or to people who enjoy a young adult story. It's about and for diverse people, all kinds and flavors, happy or sad, hopeful or hopeless. It's a thing of beauty because it radiates this state of equilibrium, while reading it and after I just felt balanced and sort of happy. I'm not sure what more a read can do for you, really, but I'm sure this read did it for me.
So if you're an open-minded person I say you just have to give this a try, and if you're not you seriously have to. You never know when or what will make it so that your horizon will broaden and you'll be able to encompass with your heart rather then your mind only all that is the world.
Just read this, I was entirely delighted for the chance to do so.
Butterfly-o-Meter Books
***
I loved this anthology, it was just so...magnificently queer! :D
So, the stories in the anthology are sort of genius, for the basic reason I find many if not all things genius: they promote diversity. This must be the most diverse thing I have ever read, if it's not the most diverse then it's the most outstanding with its diversity. Does that make sense? Heat stroke is bashing me over the head, any nonsense I may utter - it's the heinous heat's fault. Seriously, 107.60ºF meaning 42ºC, it affects your brain functions, lol. Aaaanyways...
I had a couple of absolute favorites, like The Piano Player, My Aahna, Crystal Crisis, A Round Trip, but some were a complete revelation to me like Jelson or My Lips, though for different reasons. There was so much good reading in here, creative and gutsy and just so different and unrepentant. Freaking genius anthology, just genius.
I'm not going to go spoilery on the stories, I really think you should read this without a user's guide to it beforehand, but I'm just going to give you some main lines and you can decide if you want to take that ride or not.
What you should know about this anthology is that it's written by young adults as far as I can gather and it's addressed to young adults, or to people who enjoy a young adult story. It's about and for diverse people, all kinds and flavors, happy or sad, hopeful or hopeless. It's a thing of beauty because it radiates this state of equilibrium, while reading it and after I just felt balanced and sort of happy. I'm not sure what more a read can do for you, really, but I'm sure this read did it for me.
So if you're an open-minded person I say you just have to give this a try, and if you're not you seriously have to. You never know when or what will make it so that your horizon will broaden and you'll be able to encompass with your heart rather then your mind only all that is the world.
Just read this, I was entirely delighted for the chance to do so.
Butterfly-o-Meter Books
September 2, 2012
Let me get two things out of the way up front: I don't often have the patience for short story collections (seems like an oxymoron, but somehow is also true) and I went into this thinking that "queer youth" meant high school students, but in fact it seems to be a mix of HS and young adult writers, with the result that the stories range from solid YA to solid NA, emphasis on the "A" part. However, I did make it through the entire collection, and there were some stories I really enjoyed. One of my favorites was the first in the collection ("Jelson" by Brenna Harvey), about a young person who has the ability to transition along the gender spectrum at will. The story made some thoughtful points about gender and sexuality while also being pretty fun and readable. A few more had very likable voices, even if the edges were a little rough, and overall I think it's a collection worth adding to a library or classroom.
In terms of general access, however, I feel compelled to discuss the heat level of a few stories. There was a nice range of sweet romance and family stories to more explicit sexual encounters, which I think reflects the reality of the young queer experience. I will say, though, that reading as a teacher I realized the sizable gulf between adult romance and sexuality and teen romance and sexuality; while I'm generally comfortable giving my students the latter (depending on the student and the book, always, but I try not to censor too much) I would not necessarily feel great about handing over the former. YMMV, and obviously if you're an adult, carry on and enjoy! Personally, there are a few stories in here that I would consider actually teaching to a whole class, but I wouldn't personally just set this out on the all-access classroom library shelves. (Regular public library? Definitely.) I would consider giving it to students I know well, whose families don't mind them reading racier material, but I know many of the parents and guardians at my old school would object to SOME (again, not all) of the stories in this collection.
I received a free e-book copy for review from NetGalley. My review is a reflection of my own honest opinions.
In terms of general access, however, I feel compelled to discuss the heat level of a few stories. There was a nice range of sweet romance and family stories to more explicit sexual encounters, which I think reflects the reality of the young queer experience. I will say, though, that reading as a teacher I realized the sizable gulf between adult romance and sexuality and teen romance and sexuality; while I'm generally comfortable giving my students the latter (depending on the student and the book, always, but I try not to censor too much) I would not necessarily feel great about handing over the former. YMMV, and obviously if you're an adult, carry on and enjoy! Personally, there are a few stories in here that I would consider actually teaching to a whole class, but I wouldn't personally just set this out on the all-access classroom library shelves. (Regular public library? Definitely.) I would consider giving it to students I know well, whose families don't mind them reading racier material, but I know many of the parents and guardians at my old school would object to SOME (again, not all) of the stories in this collection.
I received a free e-book copy for review from NetGalley. My review is a reflection of my own honest opinions.
February 16, 2016
This book was chosen for my 2016 Reading Challenge to fill the LGBT slot. Not the first book I've read with LGBT content this year, and not the best, but... that's how it goes sometimes.
Generally speaking, I really like short fiction. Especially by my favourite writers. My trouble with this, like most short fiction anthologies by multiple writers, is that I'll really enjoy some of the stories/authors, and really dislike some of the others. That's why this anthology, which contains some great stuff, gets such a middle of the road rating.
Each of these stories has a queer bent; there are some gay characters, some trans characters, some love, some sex, some coming-of-age and bullying, some friendships, all in different configurations. There's some drama, some comedy, some tragedy, and some remembrances of times past. Some of these stories are amazingly well-crafted fiction. Some read like high school essays that might get a C. There's such an incredibly wide range here that I feel bad giving this a three-star rating, both because some of the stories deserve five, and some none.
What I liked about this book is that it gives a voice to some up-and-coming authors who, because they write queer fiction, might not get accepted into traditional modes of publishing. These aren't stories that are going to make it in a main-stream magazine, generally speaking, because they will still (in this day and age, it's sad I know) be considered too out-there for a teen magazine or most YA fiction outlets. But their voices are important, and should be available to be read.
This would be an excellent read to get into the hands of the young and questioning, transitioning, in or out, out-of-cis-standards people who love to read. They might just find themselves represented here. So if you are a parent or friend, gift this book. Or get it for yourself, and see through the eyes of young people finding their way in a world that doesn't always accept them. Yanno, learn stuff.
Generally speaking, I really like short fiction. Especially by my favourite writers. My trouble with this, like most short fiction anthologies by multiple writers, is that I'll really enjoy some of the stories/authors, and really dislike some of the others. That's why this anthology, which contains some great stuff, gets such a middle of the road rating.
Each of these stories has a queer bent; there are some gay characters, some trans characters, some love, some sex, some coming-of-age and bullying, some friendships, all in different configurations. There's some drama, some comedy, some tragedy, and some remembrances of times past. Some of these stories are amazingly well-crafted fiction. Some read like high school essays that might get a C. There's such an incredibly wide range here that I feel bad giving this a three-star rating, both because some of the stories deserve five, and some none.
What I liked about this book is that it gives a voice to some up-and-coming authors who, because they write queer fiction, might not get accepted into traditional modes of publishing. These aren't stories that are going to make it in a main-stream magazine, generally speaking, because they will still (in this day and age, it's sad I know) be considered too out-there for a teen magazine or most YA fiction outlets. But their voices are important, and should be available to be read.
This would be an excellent read to get into the hands of the young and questioning, transitioning, in or out, out-of-cis-standards people who love to read. They might just find themselves represented here. So if you are a parent or friend, gift this book. Or get it for yourself, and see through the eyes of young people finding their way in a world that doesn't always accept them. Yanno, learn stuff.
December 7, 2016
Overall, the stories were all very well written. Jelson, the first, was my favorite. I'm glad I read most of them so I could get a good description of characters and setting stuck in my head.
I think the editors and I have a different idea of what constitutes as "youth." I was expecting to read books written by writers in their teens and early 20s. This seemed to be a book written by adults about characters in their teens or early 20s. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and someone gave me a book of short stories written by "youth" called "35 under 35." All of the stories were written by artists just barely under 35. At 12 years old, 35 did not qualify as a young writer in my book. And this book rarely made me feel as if I were reading YA. It really takes more than a teen protagonist to meet the mark.
Maybe I underestimate age appropriate YA readers, but I wouldn't think the stories of adults reminiscing old flames or musing over unrealistic crushes would be very interesting. They didn't grab my attention, to be honest. I also wasn't quite into the stories of failed young love seen from they eyes of someone with a wiser and older perspective.
I didn't want to read about boring adults in boring practical mature relationships, while they dreamed about the impractical ones. I wanted to read about people jumping into impossible, impractical love.
September 22, 2012
A series of short stories that focus on the GLBT community is put together well, though it could stand to have more variety. Most of the stories focused on lesbian couples rather than gay couples and transsexual and transgendered. It does run the gamut of issues and emotions, from homophobia, parent issues, dating, love at first sight, and more.
Though, it's something I could suggest to students, I debate whether to have it in our high school library because of its blatant sexuality. While other YA literature discusses sex, these short stories are filled with very explicit descriptions of orgasms, penises, and clitorises along with feelings associated with licking, sucking, and amorous intentions.
Though, it's something I could suggest to students, I debate whether to have it in our high school library because of its blatant sexuality. While other YA literature discusses sex, these short stories are filled with very explicit descriptions of orgasms, penises, and clitorises along with feelings associated with licking, sucking, and amorous intentions.
January 18, 2013
I would have though having "Queer" in the title would have meant that this book would have a lot more variance than just gays and lesbians (though of course I enjoy gay and lesbian stories), but there was not one transgender story in this book aside from an unrealistic intersex story at the beginning. I feel like I need to put this out there for anyone looking for short stories about gender identity. This book felt like a slight waste of time for me just because that's what I was looking for in it and I didn't get what I wanted, but there are still a few worthy stories to read in general!
October 12, 2014
I had really mixed feelings about this book. My daughter is a part of her school GSA, so I had hoped this was a book we could both read and talk about. However, despite several stories I would have been quite comfortable reading with her, others passed the PG-13 rating and moved right on to R or M. The book was in the YA section, and perhaps actual YA readers would be quite comfortable with it. As an adult, reading about that much graphic teen sex (regardless of whether it was gay or straight) just felt...a little inappropriate.
August 26, 2012
Pub Date August 13, 2012
February 16, 2013
Great collection of stories.
July 10, 2017
I love that this topic exists among the teen population despite that the stories were cheesy and somewhat hard to relate to. I wish I had a book like this when I was younger.
October 26, 2015
2012 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
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