In honour of 2SLGBTQIA+ History Month, we’re celebrating with reads written by authors from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community on the vastness of the queer experience. These BC books are an absolute must-read for any reader hoping to get a glimpse into the challenges, triumphs, and everyday realities of queer lives—both past and present— while honouring the joy and enduring resilience of their diverse communities.
Two Tricksters Find Friendship by Elder Johnny Aitken and Jess Willows, illustrated by Alyssa Koski (Orca Book Publishers)
In this illustrated book for young readers, the authors depict fictional versions of their younger selves to reimagine what it would be like if they met as children today. Readers meet Jessie as he moves to a small coastal community and befriends Johnny, a local Indigenous boy from the reserve. With the new school year off to a pretty rocky start, the two must navigate cultural differences and family troubles together to rise above all of life’s sticky roadblocks.
Out now
Queer Country Crossroads edited by Mabe Kyle (Caitlin Press)
Queer Country Crossroads is an anthology of personal stories and poems from 50 artists across Canada. Written by and for LGBTQ2+ folks, these stories explore what it means to be a queer person in a rural setting. From finding community, the meaning of home, and navigating the difficulties of coming of age, each perspective offers a new insight into the strengths and struggle for belonging that come with being rural and queer.
Out now
Heartlines by Sarah Waisvisz (Talonbooks)
This riveting new play follows the extraordinary love, art, and resistance shared between gender pioneers Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore. Heartlines takes the audience through their early life together in the Parisian avant-garde against the backdrop of rising Nazism that threatened identities of all kinds. Through powerful storytelling Waisvisz explores how love withstands oppression, violence, and time itself.
Available November 4
Stages of Tanning Words & Remembering Spells by Tawahum Bige (Nightwood Editions)
A finalist for the 2025 Lammy Award for LGBTQ+ Poetry, among others, Tawahum Bige’s second poetry collection explores the belonging and voice of a Two-Spirit Dene youth. These poems are a stark plunge through the vulnerable moments of growth they experience from childhood to young adulthood as they discover the power of their unique voice.
Out now
The Time of Falling Apart by Wendy Donawa (Harbour Publishing)
Sometimes ironic and quirky, other times meditative and speculative, The Time of Falling Apart follows Wendy Donawa in the search for meaning in a world rife with injustices. Without a traditional faith to navigate the horrors of life, Donawa reminisces with the small beauties of life—lavender, birdsong, music, friendship—in a spiritual quest to keep love alive in a “darkening world.” Drawing from the sensory world of Vancouver Island, these poems move from personal recollection to a wider reflection on colonialism, environmental grief, and the importance of connection.
Out now
November, November by Isabella Wang (Nightwood Editions)
Dedicated to “love poets” who are no longer with us, including the late Phyllis Webb, writer Isabella Wang takes the reader along the journey of those who experience missing a loved one. Written across the span of four Novembers, this collection of letters and long epistolary lyrics are a reminder of the comfort poetry can bring when dealing with grief.
Out now
Stigmata by Scott Jackshaw (Talonbooks)
Drawing from apophatic theology, queer theory, body horror, gardening, and poststructuralism, these poems make up an unsettling poetry collection that reckons how to live with wounds—both personal and historical—and how those wounds shape identity and desire itself. With dark humour and intense emotion, Stigmata pushes the boundaries of what poetry can do.
Available October 21
Mars on Earth: Wanderings in the World’s Driest Desert by Mark Johanson (Rocky Mountain Books)
Mars on Earth is a unique travel memoir about a gay expat searching an otherworldly place for a deeper understanding of his partner and his adoptive homeland. Journalist Mark Johanson navigates the world’s driest desert—the Atacama—unravelling rich stories from Chile’s working class, Indigenous Peoples, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrant communities, and the passion that fuels a nation’s desire for change.
Out now
I Hate Parties by Jes Battis (Nightwood Editions)
This poetry collection offers the B-side of growing up queer, autistic, and nonbinary. Go on a wild adventure through awkward moments, missed connections, and life as a middle-grade neurodivergent person with social anxiety. This collection is for any reader who identifies with the messy process of showing up as ourselves, even if it feels like everyone else is at a different party.
Out Now