Sweeter Voices Still: An LGBTQ Anthology from Middle America

by Ryan Schuessler (Editor), Kevin Whiteneir Jr. (Editor)

The middle of America—the Midwest, Appalachia, the Rust Belt, the Great Plains, the Upper South—is a queer place, and it always has been. The queer people of its cities, farms, and suburbs do not exist only to serve as “blue dots” within “red states.” Every story about the kid from Iowa who steps off the bus in Manhattan, ready to “finally” live, is a story about the kid who was already living in Iowa. Sweeter Voices Still is about that kid and has been written by people like them. This collection features queer voices you might recognize—established and successful writers and thinkers—and others you might not—people who don’t think of themselves as writers at all. You'll find these truths within these Transgender women and men are women and men, “they” and “them” can be singular pronouns, Black lives matter, sex work is work, and you don’t have to go to a gay bar to be gay—and it’s okay if you do, too. You’ll find sex, love, and heartbreak and all the beings we meet along the trees, deer, cicadas, sturgeon. Most of all, you'll find real people.Featuring a foreword by Northwestern University professor Doug Kiel.

Kemi Alabi, Samuel Autman, Neema Avashia, Lars Avis, Joss Barton, Yasmin Bashir, Jeffery Beam, Zach Benak, Taylor Brorby, Jasmine Burnett, River Coello, Edward M. Cohen, Brian Czyzyk, Harmony Cox, Gene Dawson, Patrick Del Percio, Dominick Duda, Joanna Eleftheriou, Aaron Foley, Christopher Gonzalez, Stacy Grover, Elizabeth Harper, Jackie Hedeman, Jessica Jacobs, C.J. Janovy, Jessie Keary, Owen Keehnen, River Ian Kerstetter, Doug Kiel, Jocelyn Krueger, Nichole Lohrman-Novak, Raymond Luczak, Ka “Oskar” Ly, K. Ann MacNeil, Mary Maxfield, Gabe Montesanti, Jennifer Morales, Kalene Nisly, Andriy Partykevich, Robert L. Patrick, Kay Patterson, Angela Pupino, Kai Minosh Pyle, Samer Hassan, Michael Schreiber, Sharon Seithel, L.S. Quinn, Jose Quinones, Sarah Sala, James Schwartz, Gregg Shapiro, Joel Showalter, Carmen Smith, Robyn Steely, Sylvia Sukop, Alyson Thompson, Janine Tiffe, Steffan Triplett, April Vazquez, Evan Williams

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, Poetry, Essays, LGBT, Anthologies, Short Stories

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2021

Reviews

[Marisa]

A excellent collection of essays and poetry from diverse lgbtq folks that are originally from and/or currently live in the Midwest. It was especially cool to read things by some folks in Columbus! Just another example of the importance of representation and how it feels to read something by someone who you can relate to in some way.

[Lars Avis]

I have a poem published in this and am absolutely stoked to read it!

[Rowen H.]

I love the premise of this collection, and while the content, style, quality and genre changed dramatically between pieces, I definitely think there's value in a collection of such different voices from parts of the country that are so often written off as hopeless.

[Tom Bilcze]

Sweeter Voices Still is a diverse collection of writings from LGBTQ people of many backgrounds and experiences. I was drawn to the book as a gay Baby Boomer who spent my life in Rust Belt Ohio. A good bit of LGBTQ authors and poets hail from coastal America, the places they were drawn to looking for community and acceptance.

LGBTQ people are woven into the fabric of the Midwest, the prairie states, the Rust Belt, and other words fly-over America is tagged. Many pieces in this book spoke to me as a gay male citizen of the Midwest. I found a community in the writings of gay men, lesbians, transgender men and women, and queer people. I found part of myself reflected in their stories. I came to deeper know the people of the other letters of LGBTQ reflected in their words.

Sweeter Voices Still is a good read to understand how community endures and grows in the land between the coasts.

[Ruth]

I bought this book because I have a friend with a story in it, and also because, as a queer woman from the rust belt, it's so easy to absorb the message that LGBTQ+ people only exist in coastal cities. We exist everywhere. It will go on my shelf right next to Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States, which I also loved.

[Andrew Eder]

Mmmmmmmmmm hard to review because there was just SO MUCH. Yes I know it’s an Anthology but I was just overwhelmed by the sheer number of contributions and stories. It was very challenging to actually enjoy and take them in, especially the shorter ones.

Some were great but I really didn’t click with most of the stories and found myself even skimming past some that just didn’t hit for me.

Obviously Harmony Cox’s was one of my favorites and one of the ones I was able to really connect with. I don’t have strong ties to Middle America or the identity that comes with it, but her story really got me and I loved that much.

[Robert Patrick]

Wonderfully diverse group of LGBTQ voices from the great Midwest sharing their truth. Heartfelt and heartwarming, each tinged with a melancholia unique to LGBTQ common experience.

[Raelee Carpenter]

Voices of real people from the LGBTQ community.

[Mason]

Trigger warning: AIDS, suicide, alcohol, sex, homophobia, transphobia, parental abuse

This book was very interesting and there were several stories that I really liked. I liked the stories about queer people in history. But there were a lot of short stories or poems that verged on literary that just felt too smart for me.

[a.rose]

maybe i just don’t like anthologies that much … the quick switches between poetry and essays and writing styles is too jarring for me. there were some decent essays in this though tbf!

[Veronica Jacobson]

3.5, loved the nonfiction stories! unfortunately, i hate almost all poetry, so that took me out of it a bit. Wish it was more organized.

[Emilee H]

An absolute must-read for any queer person that grew up in Middle America. Every story and poem spoke to me in ways I didn't expect. In many, I found pieces of myself, some remembered, some forgotten. In others, I found experiences I was less familiar with, but found just as comforting. Growing up in Middle America as a queer person feels incredibly isolating, even when you have other members of the LGBTQ+ community in your life. Reading a book of dozens of writers from across America really gave me a better perspective on (and dare I say hope for) queer resilience.

[Madison Grace]

I love the concept of this book dearly, being a Midwesterner myself who is very tired of basically all LGBT stories taking place in NYC. I love the variety of voices it showcases, and many of the stories were touching and eye-opening. However, I disliked most of the poetry. That’s just my taste, and I still admire all of the authors featured, but I’m very particular about poetry and most of this missed my personal mark. It was still worth checking out, though.

[Jay VonReeve]

This book put a lens of home around a place that has felt like anything but, for me. I never saw myself reflected in my homeland before now. Come prepared with handkerchiefs, you will not make it out without crying buckets. Some of the poetry is raw, some of the stories are stilted, and all of them are so authentically pure of experience it makes a heady cocktail. The way that the anthology was put together... Couldn't have been done better. This is a slice of Americana I can return to over and over, for whatever I need.

[Michael Van Kerckhove]

An overall solid and beautiful collection of diverse voices, styles, and aesthetics. With such variety, I groove on some pieces more than others but definitely appreciate everyone's work. Good to see the collection out in the world since first getting word for the calls for submissions.

Shout out to fellow Detroit native Aaron K. Foley's "What Happened at the Woodward." Made me think of my uncle who went there in the 50s and 60s. He told tale of how Ethel Merman visited the bar when the touring production of "Gypsy" was in town--and gay Detroit was never the same since. :-)

[James Spurgeon]

Regardless of where these stories took place in the Midwest, I could relate to most of them. I could picture them. I could feel them. Some of us might be from small towns while others are from big cities and suburbs. But these stories resonate. This isn't just fly-over country. And these are some of the stories that span the decades.

[Christina]

3.5 stars rounded up

A collection of essays from LGBTQIA+ writers from middle America (this includes the Midwest and the Appalachian regions). It was a diverse group of writers from all generations, races, and cultures. Out of all the essays I really enjoyed 30% of them and the others were just okay. Still a worthwhile read.

[Jared Bogolea]

Well, my first book of 2023 is done! I’ve read collections of works from queer people like this before, and so I went in with a general preconceived notion of how it would be. It was far less dense than the first one I read, and I liked that.

I also really enjoyed that within this book, the authors, poets, creators, were not just Appalachians but they were from the Midwest as well. I thought it was very interesting and insightful. That being said, almost all of the poetry left little to no impression on me. I think there were 2 poems I enjoyed. The real bits of enjoyment I got were from the personal essays and nonfiction works. In fact, I had read one of the stories in this collection before and it was just as lovely as the first time I read it.

I’m giving this 4 stars, but would probably give it 3.5 stars if possible. Sometimes the stories were a little dense. If you’re someone who likes reading books at a faster pace then I might advise a different book. Most of the stories were heavy and definitely leave you thinking. Though, I’m glad that I own this book, because I think I’ll love to go back and re-read certain stories to really dissect them. Overall though, I do recommend reading it. There’s a wide array of representation from the LGBTQIA+ community and from POC and it really does feel like a wonderful melting pot of what our community is and how we’re supposed to lift up and amplify the voices in our community.

[Mary Byler]

This book has spoken to me since it was published. I've often found comfort and solace in the fact that it represents queer Amish at a time when people fail to recognize that we exist.

It also speaks to the struggle of LGBTQ people in the Midwest and how some of us may navigate those struggles.

It gives voice to LGBTQ folks in areas where acceptance of us may be ... Limited. It speaks to the steps we have taken to provide safety and how we may network and navigate that.

[Cesar Perez]

“The middle of America is a queer place, and it always has been” I’m really starting to enjoy essays and poetry collections. The book highlights LGBTQ+ voices from the Midwest and makes it clear that queer people have always been here, in every corner of America.

Some of these essays and poems hit incredibly hard, while others were beautiful reminders that queer stories don’t just belong to big coastal cities. They’re stories of small towns, farms, suburbs, love, heartbreak, and community.

[Chelsea]

I love the concept, but the execution did not follow through. The writing is not consistent and what I mean by that is even within the same stories there are errors, and the writing is just not generally good. Furthermore, pink sissy, one of the stories features, the T slur more than once. For a book that supposed to support the LGBT community using the T slur at all is wrong.

[Jenni V.]

I liked the concept but not necessarily the execution. My favorite essay was "Jell-O Salad" by Gabrielle Montesanti.

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Ways This Book Met my 2026 Reading Goals:
- 76th book read in 2026 (my goal is 100)

Find all my reviews at: https://readingatrandom.blogspot.com

[Abigail Franklin]

I laughed, I cried, I investigated the human condition. I didn’t love the poetry, but the CNF changed me.

[Sarah S]

This book is slow but written with eloquence.

[Clod McPete]

Excellent book- I loved the cadence by the editors as you wind through poetry, prose, anecdotes and history. The last 30 pages left me with chills after every entry.

[Russ Hensley]

overall rating: 8/10
-would recommend for any queer person that grew up in the Midwest. the anthology offers a wide variety of stories/perspectives and I am sure you will find one that resonates in some way with your own experience.