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Resilience: Stories, Poems, Essays, Words for LGBT Teens
To be queer and young is to be STRONG. To be queer and young is to be RESILIENT. Collected in this anthology are over 20 inspiring stories, poems, essays, and other writings made for you - our queer youth. Started in 2010 in a time of crisis for the queer community, these are the works of artists who wanted to show the world the power of words. While eclectic in style and form, what unites these works is a message of hope: it doesn't just get better, you grow stronger and wiser. Money from the sale of this book will be used to help fund The Make It Safer Project, which aims to bring LGBT-related books into schools and homeless shelters and into the hands of LGBT kids. For more information on the Make It Safe Project, visit www.makeitsafeproject.org. Featuring work from: Christopher Stephen Soden, James R. Silvestri, Emma Eden Ramos, Dan Stone, and many more!
167 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 2012
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63 people want to read
About the author
Eric Nguyen
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 17, 2023
“THE POWER OF WORDS”
Resilience: Stories, Poems, Essays, Words for LGBTG Teens about Growing Up, Surviving, Living and Thriving, edited by Eric Nguyen, was published a decade ago. I hope the book found its intended audience. The back cover of Resilience displays the following statement: “Money from this book will be used to help fund The Make It Safer Project, which aims to bring LGBT-related books into schools and homeless shelters and into the hands of LGBT kids.” The Make It Safe Project hasn’t posted on its Facebook page since 2021. I’m not sure if the Project is still active.
The blurb on the back cover of Resilience says, “While eclectic in style and form, what unites these works is a message of hope: it doesn’t just get better, you grow stronger and wiser.” Eclectic is the keyword here. The variety of genres and subjects of the writings in Resilience is amazing. The collection includes sixteen pieces of prose, both fiction and nonfiction, and ten poems. None of these pieces talks down to its audience. None of them sugarcoats the world in which LGBT teens live. These works depict the world as it is, but, also, they suggest how difficulties in the queer experience can be constructively faced and, possibly, overcome. The writings in Resilience encourage queer youth to never give up. I wish books like Resilience had existed when I was young and queer.
One piece which devastated me is Colin Gilbert’s “Angry as Regret,” a short, unforgettable poem of six two-line stanzas. The first stanza: “A sign in the kitchen of my employer reads, / Silence means you’re okay with what’s going on.” The last stanza: “Test results positive. Silence—proof / genocide is working”
In contrast to Colin Gilbert’s poem, “Born Again” by Dan Stone is a joyous poem. The narrator comes from a strict, religious background. I’ll quote the next to the last stanza: “now I’ve come down and out / now I can play at being this boy / since learning the grown man will wait / I shout it out loud as I shake my ass / with other clones on a Saturday night”
James R. Silvestri’s “What Happened to Mona Shalesky” is a clever and subtle story. Maxie and Colleen are waitresses in a diner. Colleen is smitten with Mark, a customer at the counter. Maxie has a crush on Colleen. Mark, observant, asks Maxie: “It hurts; doesn’t it?” and tells her that she reminds him of someone. Mark seems to be harboring a secret. This story is one of my absolute favorites in Resilience.
“The Dykeutante” by Allison Fradkin is a humorous short play. The stage directions at the beginning of the play tell us, “(MISSY is rehearsing for her outing—she is contemplating how to reveal to her parents that she is a lesbian.)” When Missy comes out to her parents, Arthur, her father, and Shirley, her mother, are ecstatic in their support for Missy. At one point, Shirley says, “Hey. You know, we should start our own pep squad. Cheers for Queers. How about that?” “The Dykeutante” screams to be performed by live actors.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two pieces in Resilience which, like many LGBT writings, make reference to The Wizard of Oz. In “Where the Children Play,” a short story by Emma Eden Ramos, which, at thirty-three pages, is the longest selection in the collection, contains this line: “Russell, upon entering Bruce’s neighborhood, feels a little like Dorothy discovering the Land of Oz.” In the story “Braids” by Anne E. Johnson, Lateesha complains, “’So I have to wear the dorky, old-fashioned kind, like on the Wizard of Oz.’ Screwing up her nose in distaste, she flapped one of her braids up and down like a flag of surrender. ‘Or else I wear plain ponytails.’”
I’ve only mentioned six of the twenty-six works of prose and poetry that appear in Resilience. Find a copy and immerse yourself in inspiring writings that indelibly prove the power of words.
Resilience: Stories, Poems, Essays, Words for LGBTG Teens about Growing Up, Surviving, Living and Thriving, edited by Eric Nguyen, was published a decade ago. I hope the book found its intended audience. The back cover of Resilience displays the following statement: “Money from this book will be used to help fund The Make It Safer Project, which aims to bring LGBT-related books into schools and homeless shelters and into the hands of LGBT kids.” The Make It Safe Project hasn’t posted on its Facebook page since 2021. I’m not sure if the Project is still active.
The blurb on the back cover of Resilience says, “While eclectic in style and form, what unites these works is a message of hope: it doesn’t just get better, you grow stronger and wiser.” Eclectic is the keyword here. The variety of genres and subjects of the writings in Resilience is amazing. The collection includes sixteen pieces of prose, both fiction and nonfiction, and ten poems. None of these pieces talks down to its audience. None of them sugarcoats the world in which LGBT teens live. These works depict the world as it is, but, also, they suggest how difficulties in the queer experience can be constructively faced and, possibly, overcome. The writings in Resilience encourage queer youth to never give up. I wish books like Resilience had existed when I was young and queer.
One piece which devastated me is Colin Gilbert’s “Angry as Regret,” a short, unforgettable poem of six two-line stanzas. The first stanza: “A sign in the kitchen of my employer reads, / Silence means you’re okay with what’s going on.” The last stanza: “Test results positive. Silence—proof / genocide is working”
In contrast to Colin Gilbert’s poem, “Born Again” by Dan Stone is a joyous poem. The narrator comes from a strict, religious background. I’ll quote the next to the last stanza: “now I’ve come down and out / now I can play at being this boy / since learning the grown man will wait / I shout it out loud as I shake my ass / with other clones on a Saturday night”
James R. Silvestri’s “What Happened to Mona Shalesky” is a clever and subtle story. Maxie and Colleen are waitresses in a diner. Colleen is smitten with Mark, a customer at the counter. Maxie has a crush on Colleen. Mark, observant, asks Maxie: “It hurts; doesn’t it?” and tells her that she reminds him of someone. Mark seems to be harboring a secret. This story is one of my absolute favorites in Resilience.
“The Dykeutante” by Allison Fradkin is a humorous short play. The stage directions at the beginning of the play tell us, “(MISSY is rehearsing for her outing—she is contemplating how to reveal to her parents that she is a lesbian.)” When Missy comes out to her parents, Arthur, her father, and Shirley, her mother, are ecstatic in their support for Missy. At one point, Shirley says, “Hey. You know, we should start our own pep squad. Cheers for Queers. How about that?” “The Dykeutante” screams to be performed by live actors.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two pieces in Resilience which, like many LGBT writings, make reference to The Wizard of Oz. In “Where the Children Play,” a short story by Emma Eden Ramos, which, at thirty-three pages, is the longest selection in the collection, contains this line: “Russell, upon entering Bruce’s neighborhood, feels a little like Dorothy discovering the Land of Oz.” In the story “Braids” by Anne E. Johnson, Lateesha complains, “’So I have to wear the dorky, old-fashioned kind, like on the Wizard of Oz.’ Screwing up her nose in distaste, she flapped one of her braids up and down like a flag of surrender. ‘Or else I wear plain ponytails.’”
I’ve only mentioned six of the twenty-six works of prose and poetry that appear in Resilience. Find a copy and immerse yourself in inspiring writings that indelibly prove the power of words.
February 24, 2012
Resilience edited by Eric Nguyen is a collection of essays, poems, stories, and advice for young gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender teens and young adults, but there are lessons in these stories for everyone, including those that bully, talk down to, or otherwise belittle people. The world would be a much better place if we were secure in ourselves and didn’t give others’ hate speech the credence that we do or given them the power over our own lives, but those of us who need support, deserve a system of people and community willing to stand up for others.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/02/r...
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/02/r...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews