We hope you’ve been celebrating Pride Month in the ways that bring you joy, safety, fulfillment, community, and love.
We’re wrapping up June with a succinct list, including a nonfiction and poetry anthology on queerness in rural Canada, a memoir from a gay Olympian, and guide books on unpacking homophobia and breaking the stigma around sex, plus a few children’s books to welcome young readers into a world of queer pride and joy.
If you happen to be one of the book queers, trying to impress one, wanting to sharpen your ally abilities, or simply looking for a good local read, try picking up one of these new releases.
Getting comfortable with queerness
Carry On: Unpacking Your Internalized Transphobic and Queerphobic Baggage By Mx. Nillin Lore (Thornapple Press)
An exploration of the messy but liberating process of defining and decentering inner narratives of shame, fear and regret for one’s own queer identity.
Out now
Pillow Talk: Real People. Real Stories. Real Awkward. edited by Angelina Jimenez and Heather Hendrie (Tidewater Press)
Smashing stigma with story, this Awfully Hilarious Book brings together writers all ages, cultures, orientations and identities who share sexual experiences ranging from \ first encounters to long-term relationships with humour and candour.
Out now
Queer Poetry & non-fiction
Queer Country Crossroads Edited by Mabe Kyle (Caitlin Press)
Queer Country Crossroads is an anthology of nonfiction stories and poems written by and for rural 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. Fifty writers, poets, and artists from across Canada share personal stories that explore themes from coming of age and isolation to community and home.
Out now
November, November by Isabella Wang (Harbour Publishing)
Dedicated as letters and long epistolary lyrics to those who are missing a loved one, November, November acknowledges poetry’s “palpitating vulnerable form,” and how sometimes a poem might be the only comfort that resides between silence and grief.
Out now
Outspoken by Betty Baxter (Harbour Publishing)
An Olympian recounts her experiences as a young gay athlete and coach in the 70s and 80s, turning discrimination into celebration. Outspoken: A Journey from Olympic Athlete to Activist exposes the persistent flaws of elite sport in Canada. But it also highlights the resilience and perseverance required of marginalized athletes to survive. Most of all, it champions the capacity to succeed
Out now
Queer authors and stories for young readers
Checked Out by Tony Correia (Orca Book Publishers)
When a classmate protests having queer books in the library and checks out all the books in a Pride book display, Seth and his friend Pluto decide to take a stand. The issue of book banning, explored through the eyes of an openly queer protagonist by a proudly queer author, provides an authentic voice to an issue that is timely and relevant.
Out now
Jazz Davies Skips a Beat by Melanie Florence (Orca Book Publishers)
Jazz has finally made it into the popular crowd, but her life isn’t any easier. As she grapples with her mom’s leaving, missing her old best friend and having a crush on a girl in her class, Jazz has to figure out who she really wants to be.
Features playlists at the back of the book with Jazz’s K-pop picks and Ren’s favorite ’90s grunge.
Out now
Minnow Graphic Novel by Willie Poll (Medicine Wheel)
Ever since Minnow’s Gran went missing a year ago, strange things have been happening: a wild orca keeps following her along the beach, her senses are more powerful, and she might be turning into a fish! Minnow finds peace at the local aquarium, where she meets Celia, an aspiring marine biologist. Together, they untangle the mystery of her newfound powers and discover a connection to her grandmother’s past. When they learn that the new pipeline project in the area could have a devastating impact on the Resident orcas, Minnow uses her new powers and new friendships to make waves of change and discovers that even the smallest fish can make a difference.
Out now