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Queer Life, Queer Love
A timely celebration of the best new and emerging writers from the global margins—now brought center stage
Celebrating queer writing from around the world: Botswana to America, India to New Zealand, and Jamaica to Ireland, Queer Life, Queer Love comprises 43 stories, poems, essays and flash fiction.
This is writing that explores characters, stories and experiences beyond the mainstream. Featuring the fascinating, the forbidden, the subversive and even the mundane—in essence, the view from outside. Humorous, serious, autobiographical and revelatory, all aspects of the queer experience are reflected in this sparkling collection.
This book is dedicated to the memory of Lucy/Jack Reynolds, the trans child of Sarah Beal, Publisher at Muswell Press, and niece/nephew of co-Publisher Kate Beal. A student, musician and an advocate of LGBTQI rights, she died in March 2020 at the age of 20.
Celebrating queer writing from around the world: Botswana to America, India to New Zealand, and Jamaica to Ireland, Queer Life, Queer Love comprises 43 stories, poems, essays and flash fiction.
This is writing that explores characters, stories and experiences beyond the mainstream. Featuring the fascinating, the forbidden, the subversive and even the mundane—in essence, the view from outside. Humorous, serious, autobiographical and revelatory, all aspects of the queer experience are reflected in this sparkling collection.
This book is dedicated to the memory of Lucy/Jack Reynolds, the trans child of Sarah Beal, Publisher at Muswell Press, and niece/nephew of co-Publisher Kate Beal. A student, musician and an advocate of LGBTQI rights, she died in March 2020 at the age of 20.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2022
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548 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 12, 2023
Anthologies of gay writing even going back to the early ones like George Stambolian's Men on Men have always attracted criticism about about whether they accurately reflected the 'whole' gay community. For Stambolian and other early anthologists the criteria for inclusion was literary quality. Today the idea that there is such a thing as qualitatively 'good' writing is rejected by many which makes it difficult to know what exactly is the criteria for inclusion in anthology like this one? There is some fantastic writing from established writers like Jonathan Kemp, Harry F. Ray and Tony Peake as well as new or emerging writers like Jon Ransom and Wayne Blackwood but their excellence, compared to many of the other contributors, only shows up the inadequaciesof the latter. I can't fault the variety and diversity of the contributors but it does feel like one of those well intentioned school or community projects with something by everyone simply for the sake of comprehensive inclusiveness.
I can't rate this highly as an anthology because there is to much that doesn't warrant inclusion on literary merit. But then it probably isn't strictly a literary anthology. It's best contributors are outstanding and I have added several to my to be read or buy lists but the rest is utterly forgettable.
I can't rate this highly as an anthology because there is to much that doesn't warrant inclusion on literary merit. But then it probably isn't strictly a literary anthology. It's best contributors are outstanding and I have added several to my to be read or buy lists but the rest is utterly forgettable.
January 26, 2023
Because it's anthology, there was some which were brilliant and really resonated with me whereas others just left me lost and confused.
Favs that stood out to me: Snowdrops in January, Dancing Men, The Glass Hammer, Danny the Wild Kids and Abba,
Favs that stood out to me: Snowdrops in January, Dancing Men, The Glass Hammer, Danny the Wild Kids and Abba,
August 24, 2022
I feel like the chapters I liked I REALLY liked but, as with every anthology, there were a few that I wasn't as interested in (and I did feel like these were concentrated in the middle.) I want to give it a reread sometime because I found some of them blurred into each other, but I think this is possibly because I was reading multiple short stories / essays at a time, rather than just focusing on one or two.
January 9, 2024
delightful plethora of stories. I think this is the year for anthologies
favs:
• being queer is hard
• queerness is about an attitude, and a courage that lets one express their own deviation from the norm
• to define is to limit and as such queer must never be defined
• it’s wishful thinking, of course, but what else is left once the imagination’s been ransacked, lobotomised by the internal pressure of conformity, but to balance on the tightrope of lunacy and art? replace existence with the desire to exist
• I thought he would love me when he realised I wasn’t a boy. Only to find out he preferred boys all along.
• when he returns to the bedroom, he is naked still. stands considering me.
• to be littled inside of language, reduced, this is an affectionate act.
• I have a boyfriend who steals my socks and is kind to me. we are deciding what our bathroom might look like
• being raped (…) obliterates the imagination
• worrying by and large attaches to actual problems - often tiny, often lots of them simultaneously. it’s for this reason that worrying feels domestic wherever it takes place, be it the office or workplace; it is orientated towards care-giving. worrying over-notices - that’s where its atmosphere of ‘misty unease’ comes from. paranoia doesn’t care whether its problem is real or not - it doesn’t notice.
• all the things maya liked were sad and complicated and two hours long with subtitles. she didn’t seem to believe in enjoyment and was quietly but perceptibly hostile to many of the things Rosie enjoyed. the only time she wasn’t asking annoying questions or trying to start an argument was when they were having sex
• the smell of flesh and brine clung to her hands, even after she had scrubbed them twice. she did her make up and put on The Carnival of the Animals quietly in the background. Then she sat the table and waited for Rosie to arrive.
• despite it all she had refused to cower down
• it was the day he had been broken by the one person in the world he thought understood him most
• nic explores the world through her mouth (…) nic is patti smith. nic is zac efron (…) nice takes strangers to the most romantic restaurant in the world, just for a reason to dine there. nic curses when she’s happy. nic becomes overly formal in an argument. nic can get lost in a supermarket but makes her way through the winding streets of rome at night, without a map. (…) more than anything nic wants to be able to make you laugh (…) nic insists on sleeping with the window open, even in winter, even in a basement in Harlem
• somehow a surprise that the house exists beyond the two of them being in it
• even now, there is something about their bodies touching that reunites them in a way words cannot. not libidinal, something deeper. there in childhood but also predating it, almost instinctual, as if the same sensation is held by tiny mammals curled up together in burrows and warrens. the absolute peace of touch and being touched by someone you love. the warmth of bare skin. ‘everything is all right’ it says, ‘I am here with you.’ let the world rage on outside
• chestnut to my coral. where I am, you are. this is more than ache, thirst, or desire. and it doesn’t need a name
• My existence had been seen, acknowledged, desired. I’d been crowned with a lover’s gift. I was no more imaginary lines on a dog-eared map, or the watcher in the shadow. I wasn’t lost, just undiscovered. Yet with the first inklings of the body of land I could be. Now, going west, I could be real
• I hid a hairy kiwi in the styrofoam hollow meant for the sixth egg. I ate a bushel of red grapes right then and there, arousing some consternation among other shoppers.
• When the door opens, Tom’s favourite Piano Man is on the Bang & Olufsen, the wine is open and - with more energy than may be strictly necessary - Steven is grating parmesan.
• why would we want my shit on his dick when he can have your vermillion lipstick? (…) all those men - they didn’t matter one bit. but you… I couldn’t compete. wrong equipment, but more than that. it’s not just sex, it’s…
• if in youth you’ve been limber - dazzling so - the sight of your morning self in middle age can be dispiriting
• legitimate sexual desire and longing for someone, however distressing, difficult or inconvenient, cannot be ignored without destroying the person who desires and longs
• you can be addicted to a person in quite the same way as a substance
• I have been, however, about as committed to booze, fags and shit chocolate as a person can be. What seems to marry them all is the lurch headlong towards the coveted thing - that formidable drive, the absence of any self control, of any choice, a sense of high alert and of danger that is as delicious as is devastating. it is the allure of forbidden fruit. because these things have to be bad for you - to binge on kale or chia seeds makes no sense
• after all, it is the chemicals in the brain that get released upon contact with the thing, rather than the thing itself that we get addicted to
• a wrist would dangle itself casually over my left shoulder - this delicious contact making something deep within me light up
• the game was up. the extensive neural framework that had contained Pete in my mind - that galaxy of hope, desire and pain - was severed like a kind of psychic lobotomy in the aftermath. this was a kind of death, but also a sign of life returning - like snowdrops in January. as it turned out, the pain of keeping that hope alive, of clinging to the fantasy of having Pete fully was far greater than the losing of it. time heals. freedom comes. new possibilities. life to be lived. love to be found. true love. consummate love.
• sex isn’t everything they say. others say sex is a little death that erupts on a boat across a lake (…) i sexualise my despair
• i always believe in the soul. an autonomous creature that either attacks or soothes
• his people-pleasing demeanour and rough kindness, which clashed oh so loudly with my wilderness
favs:
• being queer is hard
• queerness is about an attitude, and a courage that lets one express their own deviation from the norm
• to define is to limit and as such queer must never be defined
• it’s wishful thinking, of course, but what else is left once the imagination’s been ransacked, lobotomised by the internal pressure of conformity, but to balance on the tightrope of lunacy and art? replace existence with the desire to exist
• I thought he would love me when he realised I wasn’t a boy. Only to find out he preferred boys all along.
• when he returns to the bedroom, he is naked still. stands considering me.
• to be littled inside of language, reduced, this is an affectionate act.
• I have a boyfriend who steals my socks and is kind to me. we are deciding what our bathroom might look like
• being raped (…) obliterates the imagination
• worrying by and large attaches to actual problems - often tiny, often lots of them simultaneously. it’s for this reason that worrying feels domestic wherever it takes place, be it the office or workplace; it is orientated towards care-giving. worrying over-notices - that’s where its atmosphere of ‘misty unease’ comes from. paranoia doesn’t care whether its problem is real or not - it doesn’t notice.
• all the things maya liked were sad and complicated and two hours long with subtitles. she didn’t seem to believe in enjoyment and was quietly but perceptibly hostile to many of the things Rosie enjoyed. the only time she wasn’t asking annoying questions or trying to start an argument was when they were having sex
• the smell of flesh and brine clung to her hands, even after she had scrubbed them twice. she did her make up and put on The Carnival of the Animals quietly in the background. Then she sat the table and waited for Rosie to arrive.
• despite it all she had refused to cower down
• it was the day he had been broken by the one person in the world he thought understood him most
• nic explores the world through her mouth (…) nic is patti smith. nic is zac efron (…) nice takes strangers to the most romantic restaurant in the world, just for a reason to dine there. nic curses when she’s happy. nic becomes overly formal in an argument. nic can get lost in a supermarket but makes her way through the winding streets of rome at night, without a map. (…) more than anything nic wants to be able to make you laugh (…) nic insists on sleeping with the window open, even in winter, even in a basement in Harlem
• somehow a surprise that the house exists beyond the two of them being in it
• even now, there is something about their bodies touching that reunites them in a way words cannot. not libidinal, something deeper. there in childhood but also predating it, almost instinctual, as if the same sensation is held by tiny mammals curled up together in burrows and warrens. the absolute peace of touch and being touched by someone you love. the warmth of bare skin. ‘everything is all right’ it says, ‘I am here with you.’ let the world rage on outside
• chestnut to my coral. where I am, you are. this is more than ache, thirst, or desire. and it doesn’t need a name
• My existence had been seen, acknowledged, desired. I’d been crowned with a lover’s gift. I was no more imaginary lines on a dog-eared map, or the watcher in the shadow. I wasn’t lost, just undiscovered. Yet with the first inklings of the body of land I could be. Now, going west, I could be real
• I hid a hairy kiwi in the styrofoam hollow meant for the sixth egg. I ate a bushel of red grapes right then and there, arousing some consternation among other shoppers.
• When the door opens, Tom’s favourite Piano Man is on the Bang & Olufsen, the wine is open and - with more energy than may be strictly necessary - Steven is grating parmesan.
• why would we want my shit on his dick when he can have your vermillion lipstick? (…) all those men - they didn’t matter one bit. but you… I couldn’t compete. wrong equipment, but more than that. it’s not just sex, it’s…
• if in youth you’ve been limber - dazzling so - the sight of your morning self in middle age can be dispiriting
• legitimate sexual desire and longing for someone, however distressing, difficult or inconvenient, cannot be ignored without destroying the person who desires and longs
• you can be addicted to a person in quite the same way as a substance
• I have been, however, about as committed to booze, fags and shit chocolate as a person can be. What seems to marry them all is the lurch headlong towards the coveted thing - that formidable drive, the absence of any self control, of any choice, a sense of high alert and of danger that is as delicious as is devastating. it is the allure of forbidden fruit. because these things have to be bad for you - to binge on kale or chia seeds makes no sense
• after all, it is the chemicals in the brain that get released upon contact with the thing, rather than the thing itself that we get addicted to
• a wrist would dangle itself casually over my left shoulder - this delicious contact making something deep within me light up
• the game was up. the extensive neural framework that had contained Pete in my mind - that galaxy of hope, desire and pain - was severed like a kind of psychic lobotomy in the aftermath. this was a kind of death, but also a sign of life returning - like snowdrops in January. as it turned out, the pain of keeping that hope alive, of clinging to the fantasy of having Pete fully was far greater than the losing of it. time heals. freedom comes. new possibilities. life to be lived. love to be found. true love. consummate love.
• sex isn’t everything they say. others say sex is a little death that erupts on a boat across a lake (…) i sexualise my despair
• i always believe in the soul. an autonomous creature that either attacks or soothes
• his people-pleasing demeanour and rough kindness, which clashed oh so loudly with my wilderness
January 9, 2022
Really touching and beautiful words from queer artists; each story just as tragically heartbreaking and uplifting as the last. Y’all need to read read read
A really cool addition is lil biogs at the end of each contribution along with upcoming or past literary works. A solid anthropology
A really cool addition is lil biogs at the end of each contribution along with upcoming or past literary works. A solid anthropology
May 19, 2022
this is such a good anthology. diverse voices, not afraid to mix up the formats. The Hunger by Fran Lock was particularly good i thought. although i didn’t love every single story i reckon five stars as i don’t see how they could have made it better
April 9, 2023
3.5/5 stars. The stories that were good were really good, but the rest were pretty meh for me.
June 12, 2022
The editing is quite sloppy - need a better publisher. The content is fantastic - but I would think twice about the Press and editors used. So many errors in print in such a new book!
January 23, 2022
4 / 5
I remember not being particularly interested in anthology books a few months ago, but recently I have loved them. This book has a fab selection of short writing - whether it's poems or short stories. I definitely had my favourite stories but very few - if any - left me bored/disinterested.
Would recommend to queer friends.
I remember not being particularly interested in anthology books a few months ago, but recently I have loved them. This book has a fab selection of short writing - whether it's poems or short stories. I definitely had my favourite stories but very few - if any - left me bored/disinterested.
Would recommend to queer friends.
September 22, 2022
this took me 7 months to finish because some of the stories were just so boring I could not motivate myself to finish, but then a really good poem would come up and my hopes would be raised and then boom bad again
March 9, 2023
I absolutely LOVED some of these and I felt lost and confused by others. Generally always the case with an anthology. I think I just didn't get some of the styles of writing either. Still a good read though.
August 13, 2022
"Queer Life, Queer Love" is an amazing collection of fiction and nonfiction experiences as queer people, as well as poetry inviting readers to glimpse into the souls of others. This anthology is absolutely something I would suggest for others to read, especially those of us who have come out later in life. No matter when you come out, you are valid.
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★★★★☆
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"It's fun playing with capitalism like it's a mental illness, I guess, and it's useful to slip in and out of History without its resolute endings and identities that always fail."
-Andrew F. Giles, "Stewards," "Queer Life, Queer Love"
°°°°°°°°°°°°°
°°°°°°°°°°°°°
★★★★☆
°°°°°°°°°°°°°
"It's fun playing with capitalism like it's a mental illness, I guess, and it's useful to slip in and out of History without its resolute endings and identities that always fail."
-Andrew F. Giles, "Stewards," "Queer Life, Queer Love"
°°°°°°°°°°°°°
April 13, 2022
This was a good book of short stories featuring queer artists. Each poem is unique, and the book covers a wide range of topics throughout the LGBTQ+ community, which was an excellent and relatable read. It was an inclusive read, which is what broader society certainly needs more of.
I'd recommend it.
I'd recommend it.
June 17, 2024
Kindlasti üks silmaringi avardanud raamatuid minu jaoks, aga kuna tegemist on antoloogiaga, siis oli seal nii paremaid lugusid kui ka kehvemaid. Hästi nõme minu jaoks oli see, kui palju oli mina-vormis kirjutatut - seda ma üldiselt ei salli ja eriti mitte jutukogumikes, sest ajus lähevad lõpuks lood sassi, aga teose teine pool ja eriti viimane lugu üllatasid positiivselt.
August 18, 2022
Really solid anthology with some really beautiful and poignant short stories. A fast read that covers a wide scope of queer love stories in every flavour of emotion. I was really happy to see a really intersectional range of authors, and I loved that they all had a little bio after their story so I could look into them further if I wanted to.
October 6, 2022
I don’t usually read anthology’s but when I came across this one I just had to buy it. It’s an amazing collection short stories and poems based on experiences of Queer people. It is moving, heartbreaking and uplifting all at once. I absolutely couldn’t put it down.
January 20, 2023
this was an interesting book, lots of different perspectives on queer lit. as usual with anthologies, i liked some parts more than others. it was kinda confusing jumping from nonfiction to short fiction though.
July 31, 2023
This is a wonderful collection representing the queer community and the LGBTQ+ community. I appreciate the diversity of types of text too (poems, essays, short stories). This was a lovely read and I think everyone can find something to love inside!
June 3, 2024
As many reviews has said, because it’s an anthology not all resonated with me. Some I found confusing but that also could be a fault within myself and not the writers. Overall, a beautiful read and worth the time to dissect each entry!
June 26, 2025
Some pretty good short stories, but a lot of shockingly terrible writing in others. This makes you completely lose faith in the purpose of the book. Not an anthology of the most exciting up and coming writers, but an anthology of those that tick the most boxes.
July 7, 2022
Beautiful collection of work by queer writers. Raced through this book and followed many of the writers included to find more of their work.
December 13, 2022
Quite refreshing and diverse content . Some stories were bit of a drag but overall a good read .
January 19, 2023
A delectable sampling of contemporary queer writing on relationships, identity, life, and, most importantly, love—of others, of the world, of oneself.
October 27, 2023
some cute stories but I skim read a few
January 5, 2024
2.5
I didn’t gravitate toward any of the entries to be honest. There were some good ones, but it was overshadowed by the boring ones.
I didn’t gravitate toward any of the entries to be honest. There were some good ones, but it was overshadowed by the boring ones.
May 5, 2024
Some bloody awesome queer writing
August 23, 2024
It was hard to properly rate this book as some of the writing I really enjoyed a lot more than other entries which pulled the score overall down.
August 24, 2024
The poems I will describe as tenderness. The stories was it all, sad, fun, bittersweet.
September 6, 2024
When it's good it's GOOD but a lot of them were so very dull.
October 2, 2025
What a wonderful set of stories and poems to provide such visibility I enjoyed them all
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews