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Unmuted: Stories of Courage and Resilience from the GenPRIDE Community
A Riveting Testimony to the Power of Personal Storytelling
It started as a month-long writing workshop designed to give seniors in the LGBTQIA community a voice, but when the stories began to flow, the community-building power of personal narrative took hold. Isolation gave way to love and support, and judgements and differences melted away. In writing and sharing their stories, a group of strangers found healing, acceptance, and empowerment.
In their gripping anthology 'UNMUTED', fourteen LGBTQIA seniors share the struggles and triumphs that shaped their lives. Some stories explore issues that have marked their generation: AIDS, gender identity, sexuality, persecution, and reclaiming one's true self. Others grapple with health, family, loss, addiction, and love. 'UNMUTED' is about heartbreak and courage, strength and resilience.
These stories remind us that regardless of gender, sexuality, identity, race, or age, we are unified by the common ground of shared experience.
Running Time => 5hrs. and 31mins.
©2020 GenPRIDE (P)2020 GenPRIDE
It started as a month-long writing workshop designed to give seniors in the LGBTQIA community a voice, but when the stories began to flow, the community-building power of personal narrative took hold. Isolation gave way to love and support, and judgements and differences melted away. In writing and sharing their stories, a group of strangers found healing, acceptance, and empowerment.
In their gripping anthology 'UNMUTED', fourteen LGBTQIA seniors share the struggles and triumphs that shaped their lives. Some stories explore issues that have marked their generation: AIDS, gender identity, sexuality, persecution, and reclaiming one's true self. Others grapple with health, family, loss, addiction, and love. 'UNMUTED' is about heartbreak and courage, strength and resilience.
These stories remind us that regardless of gender, sexuality, identity, race, or age, we are unified by the common ground of shared experience.
Running Time => 5hrs. and 31mins.
©2020 GenPRIDE (P)2020 GenPRIDE
Audible Audio
First published October 21, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 6, 2020
I received a gifted copy from the editor, Jennifer Haupt. All opinions are my own.
Listen to this premise. Wow. A month-long writing workshop centered on highlighting seniors in the LGBTQIA community grew into so much more, including this book.
Unmuted is an anthology of personal stories and experiences, and through their writing, a community was built. Through their writing, they found comfort and peace.
And I think through our reading, we will find openness, acceptance, comfort, unity, strength, and ultimately, love.
The stories are emotional, relatable, and always powerful. I was drawn into the folds of this collection with the very first story, on “Aloneness.” Thought-stirring, soul-stirring, mind-shaping stories. I hope there’s another installment in the works because I’m here for it.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Listen to this premise. Wow. A month-long writing workshop centered on highlighting seniors in the LGBTQIA community grew into so much more, including this book.
Unmuted is an anthology of personal stories and experiences, and through their writing, a community was built. Through their writing, they found comfort and peace.
And I think through our reading, we will find openness, acceptance, comfort, unity, strength, and ultimately, love.
The stories are emotional, relatable, and always powerful. I was drawn into the folds of this collection with the very first story, on “Aloneness.” Thought-stirring, soul-stirring, mind-shaping stories. I hope there’s another installment in the works because I’m here for it.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
September 9, 2020
In Dedication to Kevin Charles Patz
February 3, 1956 - March 22, 2020
Edited by Jennifer Haupt
“The Kevin I met in 1982 had recently moved to Seattle from San Francisco. He had a federal arrest record for protesting against nuclear weapons at Bangor Navel Station on Hood Canal, a holdover from his Jesuit days when he worked in a soup kitchen. He was a would-be flight attendant that worked for cruise lines instead. A big smiler, he had a great sense of humor and was a funny story teller who seem to never forget anyone he ever met or anything he ever did. We joined the Seattle Men’s Chorus in 1982 and eventually ended up living in the same big seven-person house on Capitol Hill. Those were the carefree times at the disco dancing, one of his great loves. Kevin went to graduate school for a Masters of Social Work. And then his life changed. He struggled with drugs and compulsions and withdrew from those of us around him”.
Kevin was disabled with AIDS. He was an active volunteer with the AIDS organizations for many years.
With many heartbreaking true stories....”Stories of Courage and Resilience”.....from the GenPride Community.....
stories by a dynamic dedicated group of fourteen individuals who wrote their personal experiences in storytelling form to engage and educate the world......CHANGED ME FOREVER.
Most of the stories were sad....
....with moments of smiles from the warmth, a few funnies, love, and kindness within - from some of the most beautiful souls a reader could ever want to meet - inside the pages of the book they’re reading.
I realized that many of these sad stories took me through hardships I might never experience. But death....we all will.
Without trying to sound morbid - or over exaggerate - truth is I feel as though the collection of these very sad stories ( with moments of blessings & joy too) - prepared me better for life changing occurrences- including death - than any book I’ve ever read.
I’ve read many gut-wrenching stories....and I’m tellin ya....these GUT WRENCHING stories are the REAL DEAL! ....even when there were happy moments - my heart still lingered with the sadness. ( in ways life just is).
I’m reminded that sad stories build empathy and compassion for others.
Sad stories remind us that we are not alone.
Sad books can be very powerful in our lives—-this is THAT TYPE OF BOOK!!!
POWERFUL AS ALL GET EM!!!!
A few excerpts:
“Do Young’s Ghost”
By Greg Colucci
“Why did you cheat on us? My chest tightens a little, and I am less relaxed, alert yet still sleepy. I wait to hear his answer. Why didn’t you tell me that you were no longer being monogamous? Why did we stop using condoms? Why did I stop protecting myself? We knew HIV was a possibility”.
Greg Colucci he’s a storyteller, is HIV positive and has Huntington’s disease.
He is an elder in his community and has many more stories he wants share.
“Blood sisters”
By Amy D. Rubin
In loving memory of Susan Blalovk 1957 to 2020
Mom was ninety-four- years old.
Ninety-five percent of everything mom owned had burned in a fire.
Both Amy and her mother were diagnosed with cancer.
Mom’s breast. Amy’s blood.
Mom died four months after her diagnosis.
Susan - nicknamed Sooze- was Amy’s new friend.
She had cancer, too.
Many of Amy’s friends called her “the fixer”.... but some things she just couldn’t fix.
Such a wonderful friendship Amy and Susan had. Their diseases were terrible but without it, they would never have met each other.
“Aloneness”
by Chris Doelling
This was a very heartfelt story about Chris’s life. In just a few pages it was really moving and thought provoking. It packed a punch about how loneliness and solitude have become a blessing.
“I dance out the days tension; I dance out the self-conscious embarrassments of what if anyone saw me, a fifty-three-year-old goof”.
“This anthology, brainchild of writing coach Ingrid Ricks, was a labor of love or passion for the power of story evident within minutes of meeting her. GenPride invited Ingrid to conduct a four week writing intensive, but the participants were eager for more. Monthly workshops ensued and a cohesive group of diligent writers took form”.
“GenPride was established in 2015 in Seattle. It’s a nonprofit organization focused on the health and well-being of LGBTQIA of older adults throughout the region. They provide a safe space for seniors to come together for education, recreation, to exercise, or to socialize”.
The men and women who wrote these stories - bright - educated - creative - flawed - ordinary and extraordinary - inspired the heck out of me.
Thank you ...thank you thank you:
Chris Doelling
Greg Colucci
Jenny Robinson
Steven Knapp
Amy D. Rubin
Eric Pierre Carter
Hope Bless
Shayla Marie
Nancy Kiefer
M. Ames
Kevin Charles Patz
Natalie Pascale Boisseau
Marry Edwards
Irene Calvin
and Jennifer Haupt for putting it all together....and in my hands.
February 3, 1956 - March 22, 2020
Edited by Jennifer Haupt
“The Kevin I met in 1982 had recently moved to Seattle from San Francisco. He had a federal arrest record for protesting against nuclear weapons at Bangor Navel Station on Hood Canal, a holdover from his Jesuit days when he worked in a soup kitchen. He was a would-be flight attendant that worked for cruise lines instead. A big smiler, he had a great sense of humor and was a funny story teller who seem to never forget anyone he ever met or anything he ever did. We joined the Seattle Men’s Chorus in 1982 and eventually ended up living in the same big seven-person house on Capitol Hill. Those were the carefree times at the disco dancing, one of his great loves. Kevin went to graduate school for a Masters of Social Work. And then his life changed. He struggled with drugs and compulsions and withdrew from those of us around him”.
Kevin was disabled with AIDS. He was an active volunteer with the AIDS organizations for many years.
With many heartbreaking true stories....”Stories of Courage and Resilience”.....from the GenPride Community.....
stories by a dynamic dedicated group of fourteen individuals who wrote their personal experiences in storytelling form to engage and educate the world......CHANGED ME FOREVER.
Most of the stories were sad....
....with moments of smiles from the warmth, a few funnies, love, and kindness within - from some of the most beautiful souls a reader could ever want to meet - inside the pages of the book they’re reading.
I realized that many of these sad stories took me through hardships I might never experience. But death....we all will.
Without trying to sound morbid - or over exaggerate - truth is I feel as though the collection of these very sad stories ( with moments of blessings & joy too) - prepared me better for life changing occurrences- including death - than any book I’ve ever read.
I’ve read many gut-wrenching stories....and I’m tellin ya....these GUT WRENCHING stories are the REAL DEAL! ....even when there were happy moments - my heart still lingered with the sadness. ( in ways life just is).
I’m reminded that sad stories build empathy and compassion for others.
Sad stories remind us that we are not alone.
Sad books can be very powerful in our lives—-this is THAT TYPE OF BOOK!!!
POWERFUL AS ALL GET EM!!!!
A few excerpts:
“Do Young’s Ghost”
By Greg Colucci
“Why did you cheat on us? My chest tightens a little, and I am less relaxed, alert yet still sleepy. I wait to hear his answer. Why didn’t you tell me that you were no longer being monogamous? Why did we stop using condoms? Why did I stop protecting myself? We knew HIV was a possibility”.
Greg Colucci he’s a storyteller, is HIV positive and has Huntington’s disease.
He is an elder in his community and has many more stories he wants share.
“Blood sisters”
By Amy D. Rubin
In loving memory of Susan Blalovk 1957 to 2020
Mom was ninety-four- years old.
Ninety-five percent of everything mom owned had burned in a fire.
Both Amy and her mother were diagnosed with cancer.
Mom’s breast. Amy’s blood.
Mom died four months after her diagnosis.
Susan - nicknamed Sooze- was Amy’s new friend.
She had cancer, too.
Many of Amy’s friends called her “the fixer”.... but some things she just couldn’t fix.
Such a wonderful friendship Amy and Susan had. Their diseases were terrible but without it, they would never have met each other.
“Aloneness”
by Chris Doelling
This was a very heartfelt story about Chris’s life. In just a few pages it was really moving and thought provoking. It packed a punch about how loneliness and solitude have become a blessing.
“I dance out the days tension; I dance out the self-conscious embarrassments of what if anyone saw me, a fifty-three-year-old goof”.
“This anthology, brainchild of writing coach Ingrid Ricks, was a labor of love or passion for the power of story evident within minutes of meeting her. GenPride invited Ingrid to conduct a four week writing intensive, but the participants were eager for more. Monthly workshops ensued and a cohesive group of diligent writers took form”.
“GenPride was established in 2015 in Seattle. It’s a nonprofit organization focused on the health and well-being of LGBTQIA of older adults throughout the region. They provide a safe space for seniors to come together for education, recreation, to exercise, or to socialize”.
The men and women who wrote these stories - bright - educated - creative - flawed - ordinary and extraordinary - inspired the heck out of me.
Thank you ...thank you thank you:
Chris Doelling
Greg Colucci
Jenny Robinson
Steven Knapp
Amy D. Rubin
Eric Pierre Carter
Hope Bless
Shayla Marie
Nancy Kiefer
M. Ames
Kevin Charles Patz
Natalie Pascale Boisseau
Marry Edwards
Irene Calvin
and Jennifer Haupt for putting it all together....and in my hands.
September 11, 2020
GenPRIDE is a nonprofit with a focus on those LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied) people who are in their midlife or older years, all of these stories were written by members of this community, and while some bear some similarities, I found these to be extremely varied in story as well as style, while finding a sense of community in some of these heartbreaking stories. At the beginning of this is a Dedication to Kevin Charles Patz, which I urge anyone reading this to read.
Some of these fourteen authors had never shared these personal stories before, which made it even more of an honor for me to read these very personal views into their lives. That sense of holiness with which I envision a priest might listen to a confession, hearing the pain and also the joy of someone finally listening, and actually hearing.
’I close my front door on the ashen twilight sky and its accompanying winter rain. I cannot say my apartment is particularly warm, not yet. It is dry, however, and once I flip on the gold light familiar objects greet me in my crammed one-bedroom apartment. My shoulders relax as I exhale.’ - from ALONENESS by Chris Doelling
The topic of living alone, especially these days, seems a powerful topic, especially under our current circumstances. To live alone these days seems so much more isolating. This is the first story in the collection, and so it really pulled me in, and the remaining kept me completely immersed in these beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking, sweet, gently compassionate and occasionally comical glance into these lives. These stories encompass the passions and heartbreak of these lives in such a way that makes it virtually impossible not to understand, and feel these emotions. Stories that share the individual pains, frustrations, loves and losses in order to let them go, to live life without regret. To live a life whole, and living wholly, unapologetically, being themselves. I can’t imagine a better way to live.
Pub Date: 01 Oct 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Jennifer Haupt, and to the GenPRIDE authors included in this collection: Chris Doelling, Greg Collucci, Jenny Robinson, Steven Knipp, Amy D. Rubin, Eric Pierre Carter, Hope Bless, Shayla Marie, Nancy Kiefer, M. Ames, Kevin Charles Patz, Natalie Pascale Boisseau, Mary Edwards and Irene Calvo
September 12, 2020
I was recently asked if I might be interested in reading through this anthology of short pieces by middle-age people who define themselves as LGBTQIA. As I do not consider myself an expert or knowledgeable in the area, I entered this piece with a blank slate to see what I thought about the various samples. Some sought to discuss the issue of loneliness at the end of a relationship, while others highlighted the sense of awkwardness when they chose to publicly ‘come out’. While there are certainly some unique perspectives on offer, things to which I cannot relate, there are also some of the inherent truths—both emotional and social—that transcend gender or social orientation. I felt a connection to those who lamented the struggle of facing a medical trauma, the writers who lost someone close to them, or even the various writers who tried to make sense of themselves. While I know the collection was meant to highlight the equality of the LGBTQIA, it goes further to push the reality of how alike we all are, when it comes to being humans. Hashtags and protest movements appear to be the way to bring attention to a cause, but pieces of writing like those in this anthology are even more impactful to those who find solace in the written word. Recommended to those who enjoy using their open minds to learn more about others, as well as the reader who has an interest in LGBTQIA issues.
I did not hesitate to read this anthology when it was presented to me, though I was not sure I could do it justice. I found myself connecting to many of the writing samples and caught myself nodding on occasion. However, I chose to enter each piece seeing the author as a writer, not someone who had years of life experience or whose lifestyle differs greatly from me. While I find it important to acknowledge certain disparities in society, I prefer to read for the love of reading, not turn to an author because of the colour of their skin, their gender identity, or even their preference of a partner. The authors here did well to sell me on who they were, exemplifying a strong ability to craft words and communicate their personal stories. None of the stories found herein are divisive, seeking to light a powder keg and disparage suppression and poor treatment in the past. This helps downplay the divisive nature about which I was worried the pieces would focus. If I can offer one issue I found with the collection, it was that the editor did not choose pieces that discussed the LGBTQIA community solely. The struggles of identity or feeling a part of society, but rather chose medical ailments on occasion. I opened this book wanting to learn a perspective about which I knew little. That said, as I mentioned above, it is nice to read a book where the author finds parallels to which I can sometimes relate. Even if I was not entirely blown away, this anthology is still a decent way to raise some much needed money to promote the cause.
Kudos, anthology authors, for sharing of yourselves so honestly. I cannot help but thank you for that.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I did not hesitate to read this anthology when it was presented to me, though I was not sure I could do it justice. I found myself connecting to many of the writing samples and caught myself nodding on occasion. However, I chose to enter each piece seeing the author as a writer, not someone who had years of life experience or whose lifestyle differs greatly from me. While I find it important to acknowledge certain disparities in society, I prefer to read for the love of reading, not turn to an author because of the colour of their skin, their gender identity, or even their preference of a partner. The authors here did well to sell me on who they were, exemplifying a strong ability to craft words and communicate their personal stories. None of the stories found herein are divisive, seeking to light a powder keg and disparage suppression and poor treatment in the past. This helps downplay the divisive nature about which I was worried the pieces would focus. If I can offer one issue I found with the collection, it was that the editor did not choose pieces that discussed the LGBTQIA community solely. The struggles of identity or feeling a part of society, but rather chose medical ailments on occasion. I opened this book wanting to learn a perspective about which I knew little. That said, as I mentioned above, it is nice to read a book where the author finds parallels to which I can sometimes relate. Even if I was not entirely blown away, this anthology is still a decent way to raise some much needed money to promote the cause.
Kudos, anthology authors, for sharing of yourselves so honestly. I cannot help but thank you for that.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
October 28, 2020
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is an anthology of stories by LGBT seniors, Trigger warning, this book contains drug use, transphobia, death, suicide, cancer, Alzheimer of a parent, surgery, kicked out of home, AIDs and addiction. I was surprised by it, in a good way. Most of the stories I really adore due to their authenticity and real-life-ness. Most are semi autobiographical. This is something that I really wish that more anthologies will use. When a story ends, I like to read about the authors, and usually they are at the back of the book, but this book puts them at the end of each story which I really love. However in every anthology there are some stories that I didn't enjoy and this one is no exception. The only issue with the book that I had was that there are no trigger warning sections in the bio or in Goodreads. As someone that can be triggered by a few topics I prefer to know this ahead of time. One of the topics was here, I did read the story that triggered me, but I read it faster than the others. Overall I highly recommend this book. Especially for people interested in the LGBT community and their challenges past and present from the point of view of the older generation
This is an anthology of stories by LGBT seniors, Trigger warning, this book contains drug use, transphobia, death, suicide, cancer, Alzheimer of a parent, surgery, kicked out of home, AIDs and addiction. I was surprised by it, in a good way. Most of the stories I really adore due to their authenticity and real-life-ness. Most are semi autobiographical. This is something that I really wish that more anthologies will use. When a story ends, I like to read about the authors, and usually they are at the back of the book, but this book puts them at the end of each story which I really love. However in every anthology there are some stories that I didn't enjoy and this one is no exception. The only issue with the book that I had was that there are no trigger warning sections in the bio or in Goodreads. As someone that can be triggered by a few topics I prefer to know this ahead of time. One of the topics was here, I did read the story that triggered me, but I read it faster than the others. Overall I highly recommend this book. Especially for people interested in the LGBT community and their challenges past and present from the point of view of the older generation
September 8, 2020
This collection of stories is tender and moving, at times funny, and relatable. My only complaint is that there are not MORE stories! (Volume Two, please!!)
October 30, 2020
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.75 stars
This is not an anthology of stories. There is no carefully crafted rise and fall of conflict, no character development, no clever plot, or neat and tidy bow where everything is tied up at the end. This is, instead, an anthology of personal experiences, of what are sometimes painful and sometimes beautiful glimpses into the lives of the men and women who are sharing moments in their lives, moments of struggle, as well as triumph. These are not professional authors trying to evoke a feeling or impress with the beauty of their writing. Instead, Unmuted allows us to bear witness to and share in the humanity of those around us.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
3.75 stars
This is not an anthology of stories. There is no carefully crafted rise and fall of conflict, no character development, no clever plot, or neat and tidy bow where everything is tied up at the end. This is, instead, an anthology of personal experiences, of what are sometimes painful and sometimes beautiful glimpses into the lives of the men and women who are sharing moments in their lives, moments of struggle, as well as triumph. These are not professional authors trying to evoke a feeling or impress with the beauty of their writing. Instead, Unmuted allows us to bear witness to and share in the humanity of those around us.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
October 12, 2020
This collection of personal essays is an engaging tour of life experiences, like a text version of The Moth's live storytelling. The writers tell their own stories in their own voices, and they range the gamut of emotion. One example from early in the collection stands out in my memory, the story of a relationship and addiction that is recounted as the storyteller takes their unconscious partner to a residential facility, conveyed such hope. Leaving the collection as a whole, I enjoyed spending time with the storytellers as they shared their experiences. The closeness I feel to these strangers vulnerably sharing their stories with me is incredibly welcome, particularly during these lonelier pandemic times.
September 14, 2020
This anthology is a great read! Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, at times heartbreaking and at all times evocative, I couldn't put it down. A very worthy ready full of diverse voices and personal stories of identity, love, loss, and growing up and older. Highly recommend!
April 10, 2021
If you're looking for a book that will stir your emotions but also remind you that you're not alone, this is it!
Unmuted: Stories of Courage and Resilience from the GenPRIDE Community is a delightful book with many short stories within its pages.
Background: GenPRIDE is a nonprofit I had not heard of before I picked up this book. It sounds like it's doing fantastic work by focusing on helping the lives of midlife and older LGBTQIA+ people. And, fun fact, individuals from this group wrote this book! So that's pretty darn cool, if you ask me. This book helped build a community and I am absolutely honoured to be able to pick this book up!
This book starts out with a breathtaking and beautiful dedication to Kevin Charles Patz. He was not only a writer in this book, but a good friend of the other writers. The dedication was heartwarming and made me smile. I'm sad to hear that Kevin has passed, but I'm glad he lived so fondly in others hearts.
The feelings this book gives is just insane. You've felt what these authors have felt, you've just maybe not known how to express them. The anxiety of people, the feeling of pure loneliness - having someone write those out and see that I'm not alone was an amazing coping mechanism for myself. Especially in these wild times - quarantine and pandemic - knowing that I'm not the only one feeling these crazy feelings is nice and soothing. You hate seeing other people having these feelings, but at least you know you're not alone.
The heartbreak of Do Young's Ghost hit home a little too hard. The pain of learning someone you love is dying from a source that isn't kind... It hurts. My heart goes out to Greg. We can sit in the same boat together.
Hiding yourself from others or hating what you have to hide - Jenny, you give me strength and hope that I can be who I strive to be.
Loss from Steven Knipp, Hope's story of birthdays, Shayla's story of addiction and Linda's purely incredible comment - "Why don't people use non-gendered pronouns when they have doubts" is an age old question for me. Funny story, I used to teach classes and couldn't always tell what names matched genders. Oftentimes, I would call the kids "Dude" as a non-gendered term as I was learning what names/nicknames they liked being called and what pronouns they went by. Dude was always an incredible non-gendered term in the world of children. That sentence reminded me of the amazing times I had back then, what a nostalgia trip that was!
Overall, this is a beautiful set of stories. I hope this group writers more and I'm able to pick up all of their books. This is a mesmerizing, must read on my list!
My summary sentence for the whole book: It amazes me how writing can soothe the soul and bring people together.
Five out of five stars!
I received this book for free from the editor, Jennifer Haupt, in exchange of an honest review.
Unmuted: Stories of Courage and Resilience from the GenPRIDE Community is a delightful book with many short stories within its pages.
Background: GenPRIDE is a nonprofit I had not heard of before I picked up this book. It sounds like it's doing fantastic work by focusing on helping the lives of midlife and older LGBTQIA+ people. And, fun fact, individuals from this group wrote this book! So that's pretty darn cool, if you ask me. This book helped build a community and I am absolutely honoured to be able to pick this book up!
This book starts out with a breathtaking and beautiful dedication to Kevin Charles Patz. He was not only a writer in this book, but a good friend of the other writers. The dedication was heartwarming and made me smile. I'm sad to hear that Kevin has passed, but I'm glad he lived so fondly in others hearts.
The feelings this book gives is just insane. You've felt what these authors have felt, you've just maybe not known how to express them. The anxiety of people, the feeling of pure loneliness - having someone write those out and see that I'm not alone was an amazing coping mechanism for myself. Especially in these wild times - quarantine and pandemic - knowing that I'm not the only one feeling these crazy feelings is nice and soothing. You hate seeing other people having these feelings, but at least you know you're not alone.
The heartbreak of Do Young's Ghost hit home a little too hard. The pain of learning someone you love is dying from a source that isn't kind... It hurts. My heart goes out to Greg. We can sit in the same boat together.
Hiding yourself from others or hating what you have to hide - Jenny, you give me strength and hope that I can be who I strive to be.
Loss from Steven Knipp, Hope's story of birthdays, Shayla's story of addiction and Linda's purely incredible comment - "Why don't people use non-gendered pronouns when they have doubts" is an age old question for me. Funny story, I used to teach classes and couldn't always tell what names matched genders. Oftentimes, I would call the kids "Dude" as a non-gendered term as I was learning what names/nicknames they liked being called and what pronouns they went by. Dude was always an incredible non-gendered term in the world of children. That sentence reminded me of the amazing times I had back then, what a nostalgia trip that was!
Overall, this is a beautiful set of stories. I hope this group writers more and I'm able to pick up all of their books. This is a mesmerizing, must read on my list!
My summary sentence for the whole book: It amazes me how writing can soothe the soul and bring people together.
Five out of five stars!
I received this book for free from the editor, Jennifer Haupt, in exchange of an honest review.
October 7, 2020
I was given an advance reader’s copy of Unmuted, an anthology of memoir pieces from the Seattle middle-aged and senior community. The stories are neither geographically specific nor necessarily focused on “the gay experience,” whatever that means. The fourteen pieces cover divorce, teenage motherhood, “fatal” love, suicide, dealing with aging parents, illness, and one especially harrowing hospital admission of an educated meth addict after a three-day high.
The memoirs are informed by the gayness of the participants, but defy easy categorization. The stories are fearless and in some cases almost unbearably poignant. The one that resonated most with me was “Twenty-Third Street” by Nancy Kiefer which captures so perfectly its time (the 1970’s), the writer’s situation (teenage pregnancy, high-school dropout, family abandonment, domestic violence). Her reconciliation with a mother who was willing to make “amends” to her daughter had me in tears--it’s the great American domestic novel in encapsulated in a short memoir piece. The memoir by M. Ames, “The Other Half of Transgender,” does provide some idea of the complexity of a partner refusing initially to be bound by a specific gender identity. What happens when that unbound partner then begins moving toward a gendered identity? Can a relationship that starts out “gay” survive becoming “straight?”
These are rewarding stories about all our complicated lives.
The memoirs are informed by the gayness of the participants, but defy easy categorization. The stories are fearless and in some cases almost unbearably poignant. The one that resonated most with me was “Twenty-Third Street” by Nancy Kiefer which captures so perfectly its time (the 1970’s), the writer’s situation (teenage pregnancy, high-school dropout, family abandonment, domestic violence). Her reconciliation with a mother who was willing to make “amends” to her daughter had me in tears--it’s the great American domestic novel in encapsulated in a short memoir piece. The memoir by M. Ames, “The Other Half of Transgender,” does provide some idea of the complexity of a partner refusing initially to be bound by a specific gender identity. What happens when that unbound partner then begins moving toward a gendered identity? Can a relationship that starts out “gay” survive becoming “straight?”
These are rewarding stories about all our complicated lives.
September 11, 2020
It’s so sincere, painful, raw, cathartic.
June 22, 2025
This is a beautiful collection of stories from folks in the GENPride community in Seattle! I really appreciated that the stories were from 2SLGBTQ+ writers but queer identity didn’t necessarily center in all of the stories. Themes of family, medical care, grief, loss and joy all permeated through these stories.
Would love to see a larger compilation from even more folks in the community. 🫶
Would love to see a larger compilation from even more folks in the community. 🫶
June 20, 2021
Such a beautiful and heartbreaking collection of stories.
You can find my full review over on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...
You can find my full review over on my blog: https://allthebookblognamesaretaken.b...
January 24, 2021
This is now available as audio through Amazon. So excited! Beautifully done.
https://www.amazon.com/Unmuted-Storie...
https://www.amazon.com/Unmuted-Storie...
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