Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender-Nonconforming Writers of Color―A Moving Anthology Celebrating Joy, Heartbreak, and Self-Discovery

by Denne Michele Norris, Electric Literature

From Denne Michele Norris and Electric Literature, a vital anthology of essays by trans and gender-nonconforming writers of color, sharing stories of joy, heartbreak, rage, and self-discovery.

Featuring fifteen new essays by trans people of color—spanning writers, scientists, actors, activists, and drag queens—Both/And explores what it means to live as a trans or gender nonconforming person of color today.

Acclaimed authors Akwaeke Emezi, Tanaïs, Meredith Talusan, and J Wortham, share their stories alongside activist and organizer Raquel Willis and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Peppermint, as well as a host of rising literary talent. Each story is told with honesty, authenticity, and beauty. A nonbinary molecular biologist has nightmares about their estranged father transitioning. A writer revisits a casual hook-up when she discovered her womanhood. And a woman vacations in Hawaii with her wife, where she gets in touch with the fire goddess within. These stories depict real trans lives from trans points of view, at a time when these perspectives are most urgent and valuable.

Inspired by Electric Literature’s groundbreaking series and edited by the first Black, openly trans editor-in-chief of a major literary publication, Both/And uplifts and amplifies stories of queer joy, heartbreak, rage, and self-discovery.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, LGBT, Queer, Anthologies, Transgender, Audiobook

240 pages, Hardcover

Published August 12, 2025

About the author

Denne Michele Norris is the author of the chapbook Awst Collection—Dennis Norris II, named a best book of 2018 by Powell's. A recipient of fellowships from The MacDowell Colony, Tin House, VCCA, and Kimbilio Fiction, her stories have twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and named a finalist for the Best Small Fictions Prize. She currently serves as Assistant Fiction Editor at The Rumpus and co-host of the critically acclaimed podcast Food 4 Thot. Based in Harlem, she is hard at work on her debut novel.

Reviews

[Traci Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this collection but found it a little hit or miss as many anthologies are. Some of the essays were expansive and clear while others felt murky and meandering.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both/And strikes me as essential reading for pretty much everyone. As the title says, it's a collection of essays by trans and gender-noncomforming writers of color—and the range of essayists and the quality of their writing makes this a hard book to put down once you've begun reading.

If anyone in your life (including you) is queer/trans/LGBTQIAP+ this books offers the gift of being able to see the world through other eyes. Right now, in the middle of Trump's gender wars, we need need to respect these perspectives (and so many more) as a defense against the hate that is being normalized.

As a member of the world of articulate, thoughtful, and non-cis folks out there, I can't imagine a better book from which to begin broadening your horizons.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.

[Maddie]

AHHH thank you so much to the publisher for the gifted copy!! Starting this next 🥰🏳️‍⚧️

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with any collection, some essays were stronger than others, but so many of them were above and beyond. These are the voices we all need to hear. Really enjoyed the different narrators as well.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Shelf Awareness review: At a time of increased danger to transgender and gender-nonconforming people, these 17 essays represent a joyful call to action. Authors of color reimagine the future, transcending traumatic memories and others' expectations through activism and the arts.

Akwaeke Emezi and Autumn Fourkiller question gender-specific standards of beauty. Edgar Gomez and Caro De Robertis observe how the Spanish language is evolving to become less gendered and allow nonbinary pronouns. Raquel Willis, a speaker at the Brooklyn Liberation March, was spurred to protest after the deaths by suicide of fellow young trans people. Meredith Talusan addresses the sex-work client who assaulted her, an event that proved to be a turning point in her life.

Often, the arts accompany transition journeys. Addie Tsai found a model of gender fluidity in her father's Mandarin-language theater productions, which involved cross-dressing. Vanessa Angélica Villarreal discusses the controversy over nonbinary and trans characters in role-playing video games. Several authors take strength from goddess imagery, as when Gabrielle Bellot visits a Hawaiian volcano and ponders the transformative nature of fire. Others are inspired by the daring acts of "transcestors" from legend and religious history.

Confessional and creative modes coexist here. Kaia Ball's piece is a shining example, contrasting current freedom with the constraints of a mixed-race Mormon upbringing and exploring their relationships with their estranged father and ultrafeminine mother by imagining both parents transitioning.

These vibrant essays blend the personal and the political in fascinating ways, tracing shifting identities and standing up for artistic expression.

(Posted with permission from Shelf Awareness.)

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

I came to this collection for Denne Michele Norris, whose work I've admired for a long time and whose debut novel I recently very much enjoyed. Because I appreciate Norris so much, I didn't get much further than her name and the briefest synopsis of this audiobook before clamoring to request it.

As anticipated, there is so much more to love than just the aforementioned obvious incoming wins. This is a collection of highlights, and I love how much variety there is in focus, identity, and tone. Sometimes, this topic can lead to a lot of dark, heavy material. Not everything comes up roses here, but not everything is about challenges, barriers, and national despair (a nice break from reality, where that is all I think about!).

There's a good mix of legendary icons in here (eh-hem, two words, Akwaeke Emezi) and folks who may be newer to many readers. For me, the works are consistently strong, engaging, and well positioned. I also loved listening to the audio version and absolutely recommend this option when and where accessible.

I recommend this highly to interested parties, and if you're not interested, well, I hope you get reprogrammed sooner rather than later. Happy to help by Clockwork Orange-ing this excellent material right into your pried open eyeballs.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for this alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid essay collection from trans and gender nonconforming people of color. It's divided into three sections: Selfhood, Desire, and Coming to Light. I was particularly interested in the essays on gendered language (e.g. Spanish) and how language can and should evolve.

The last paragraph of the final essay, Futures by A.L. Major, was perfect (ableist language aside):

In this way, I am realizing the future is both a noun and a verb. Some futures are only possible if I step toward them. To say out loud what I want out of this one previous life with which I have been blessed (and burdened), and then to reach for those things, really reach, with the full force of my stupid sentimental heart.

Content notes: sexual assault, saint who was raped, sexual coercion, intimate partner violence, child physical abuse, child neglect, suicide, suicidal ideation, anxiety, disordered eating, hate crimes, police violence, genocide, missing sailor, active volcano, transphobia, misgendering, gender dysphoria, homophobia, homophobic slur, conversion therapy, cross-dressing (theater), racism, ableist slur, misogyny, misogynoir, fatshaming, toxic masculinity, medical transition, top surgery, HRT, needle (injection), COVID-19, menstruation, endometriosis, tuberculosis, parental rejection, estrangement, bullying, sick parent, death of loved ones, carceral system, student loan debt, divorce, parental divorce, sex, alcohol, inebriation, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, gendered pejoratives, ableist language

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a diverse collection of #ownvoices essays about what it's like to live as both a trans person of color and what life for them looks like living under Trump's America. I loved how diverse the authors in this collection were. No two identities were the same and the authors spoke from the heart about their fears and hopes for the present and future, recognizing that law makers are targeting trans people with increasing frequency and America is no longer a safe space. Great on audio and highly recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Lineal · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, it's hard to rate an anthology because not every essay is of similar quality, because of their writing or their editing. I did appreciate that the strongest writing seemed to concentrate at the end! A sharper topical focus might have helped some of the more mid and meandering essays.

[jessicaslitfics · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically don’t rate nonfiction but this was STUNNING. A collection of essays of trans and gender non-conforming people of color’s experience in self-realization, sexuality, gender, ostracism, found family and community, passion, grief, and everything in between. A collection that really explores the intersectionality of gender and sexuality with race, ethnicity, religion, class, language, and immigration. This really was such a fascinating, beautiful, and heartfelt collection of stories that can help people broaden their boundaries and rigidity around gender expression and sexuality.

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology curated by Denne Michele Norris and Electric Literature features essays by trans and gender nonconforming writers of color who share heartfelt stories of living at the intersection of multiply marginalized identities. The collection pushes the boundaries of race and gender with a diverse array of lived experiences and themes. Notably, the collection features some of my favorite writers like Edgar Gomez, Caro De Robertis, Kai Cheng Thom, and Raquel Willis, but also introduced me to some other extraordinary writers that I cannot wait to read more! And this anthology couldn’t have come at a better time: we need to amplify these voices as the world tries to silence them.

Authors include:
Addie Tsai
Vanessa Angélica Villarreal
Miss Peppermint
Kai Cheng Thom
Jonah Wu
Gabrielle Bellot
Akwaeke Emezi
Meredith Talusan
Denny
Edgar Gomez
Tanaïs
Autumn Fourkiller
Raquel Willis
Caro De Robertis
Zeyn Joukhadar
Kaia Ball
A. L. Major


I’d also recommend listening to the audiobook if you have the opportunity because the folks at #HarperAudio/@harpercollins found some of the most powerful trans and gender diverse narrators of color to uplift the essays. I always get a bit fearful when the essayists themselves don’t narrate their lived experiences, but the narrators took such intimate care in conveying these stories.

Narrators include:
Alexandra Grey
Jackie Yangyuen
Rae De Vine
Lily Yasuda
Shaan Dasani
Phil Corin
André Santana
Elva Guerra
Samy Figaredo


This anthology is essential reading for all.

Read this book if you like:
🏳️‍⚧️ gender identity across the life course
✍️ reflective and honest voices
✨ intersectional representation

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[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection, nuanced and thought provoking writing from a great selection of authors, new favorites and old.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these essays hit. Most did not. My 5-star reads from this collection: “Body Type 1”; “Femininity was the Knife I Wielded”; and “In My Worst Nightmares, My Father Transitions.”

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this collection of essays. I can’t say I loved every essay, but I did appreciate the variety of stories and the vulnerability and honesty of each one. The narrators were also fantastic and I recognized some voices from other books I’ve listened - which was fun. Definitely worth a listen, or a read, just be prepared for some ups and downs along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook.

[Ailey | Bisexual Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The wonderful thing about being trans is that sometimes you discover the person you needed to become was always simply who you are. After years of wandering, I have finally come home to myself. There in my bones still lives the child who cries easily and bruises quickly, who gravitates toward warmth too readily but moves toward the fire without fear. I recognized him at once. Excavating them from buried earth, I take their hand in mine. I find that I no longer require the armor to live, to feel safe. After all, I am not walking forward alone, but with every part of myself.”

In Both/And, editor Denne Michele Norris brings together an extraordinary chorus of voices that refuse to be flattened or simplified. The collection is as fluid and fierce as its title suggests, moving between memoir, cultural critique, and philosophy with lyrical precision. Each writer invites us into the intimate terrain of self-definition, where gender, race, and desire are not fixed coordinates but living, shifting ecosystems.

Addie Tsai writes tenderly of biracial identity and a father whose stage performances blur gendered expectations. Vanessa Angélica Villarreal finds freedom in the digital landscapes of video games, where gender can be explored without the threat of real-world punishment. Miss Peppermint honors the resilience of Black women who raised her and examines how white femininity perpetuates harm under patriarchy. Kai Cheng Thom exposes the impossible archetypes trans femmes are forced to inhabit—angel or monster, saint or shadow—and insists on the radical humanity that exists beyond them. Each essay feels like a reclamation, a small revolution built from softness, contradiction, and care.

What makes Both/And so remarkable is its rejection of neat narratives. It resists the tidy arc of “before and after” transition stories, instead embracing transformation as an ongoing process. The essays expand our understanding of what it means to be whole, to live within multiple truths at once. This is writing that feels alive, its sentences pulsing with joy, grief, and an unflinching honesty that refuses to make itself palatable.

At its heart, Both/And is about coming home: to the body, to community, to every former self we once tried to leave behind. It is a stunning, necessary anthology that insists trans and gender-nonconforming people of color are not metaphors or symbols but full, breathing people. Reading it feels like witnessing the future unfolding in real time: fluid, fierce, and free.

📖 Read this if you love: intimate, lyrical nonfiction that blurs memoir and theory; writing that explores queerness, race, and selfhood with emotional precision; and the works of Kai Cheng Thom, Akwaeke Emezi, and Raquel Willis.

🔑 Key Themes: Gender Fluidity and Self-Definition, Survival and Authenticity, Queer Joy and Vulnerability, Intersectionality and Liberation, Reclamation of Softness and Humanity.

Content / Trigger Warnings: Transphobia (minor), Suicide (minor), Racism (minor), Domestic Violence (minor), Sexual Violence (minor), Medical Content (minor), Drug Use (minor), Ableism (minor), Suicidal Thoughts (minor), Mental Illness (minor), Pandemic (minor), Eating Disorder (minor), Suicide Attempt (minor), Sexual Content (minor), Sexual Assault (minor), Alcohol (minor), Fatphobia (minor), Child Abuse (minor).

Content Note: Please note that this book contains two uses of the R slur on pages 76 and 81. These uses of the R slur are part of the author’s recounting of conversations when the R slur was used against them.

[Relena_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essay collections are always hit or miss, but this is more hit than miss because of the thoughtful way that Norris grew the collection from existing writing. The audiobook design was similarly well-planned, with narrators matched to content for an overall immersive listening experience. I definitely found voices in this collection whose work I added to my TBR pile, which is part of the goal of picking up any anthology, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for publications from Electric Literature because Norris has earned my trust as an editor.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an audio ARC.

[Books Over People · Rating 4 out of 5]

All collections are up and down. There is a lot of up in this collection. I am pleased it exists. I am happy to have read it. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. My concern is, as is always my concern with books like this, that it will not get into the hands of the people who should read it. I think the trick is getting this in the hands of the kids who need and the allies in their lives. It boils my blood that some of the people who wrote these essays are estranged from their families for the simple fact of being who they are. It is 2025...right?

[Susie Dumond · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional collection of personal essays by BIPOC trans and nonbinary writers. I was obviously thrilled to read essays by authors I love like Caro de Robertis, Akwaeke Emezi, Zeyn Joukahadar, and Vanessa Angélica Villarreal. But it was just as exciting to discover talented writers I hadn't read previously. It's clear that Denne Michele Norris put a lot of work and care into editing this collection, and the result is spectacular.

[Kirsten Krechel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really loved some of these essays and parts of some others, but several essays felt like they had good themes and ideas with which the authors didn't really know what to do. It was tough to follow the thread in these. And there was one essay that I found to be so poorly written that I was shocked it had made it into the book. Overall a nice collection with a lot of nuance and a lot of different perspectives.

[Fiore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, some of the essays really socked me hard in a good way. All the love for Addie Tsai's Object Lessons, Vanessa Angelica Villarreal's Body Type 1, Edgar Gomez's Speaking My Language, and Kaia Ball's In My Worst Nightmares, My Father Transitions. Frankly I'd consider this collection worth my picking it up for having read Body Type 1 alone with the level of perception I felt within it.

[Kayly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Laurel]

While not every essay hit it out the park, enough of them did 💖

". . . I wish only to be alive in the future."

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply affirming and beautifully imaginative.

[Julia Rosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

solid read w good perspectives, some essays better than others but def beneficial/heartwrenching read

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s an anthology so I enjoyed a few and some not so much. My only goal was to learn and I accomplished that. However, I think there are probably better books that would be similar to this.

[julia]

✨ the ankers of my world keep me a she, but in fiction i get to be them ✨ is the most relatable thing i’ve read in a while

[Jennifer Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the variety of essays. I feel like I learned so much and felt emotional reading it. A beautiful book!