LGBTQIA

  • Book Bingo NW 2024: LGBTQIA+ Poetry/Essays

    Colleen Lindsay, Bookseller at Charlie’s Queer Books, offers suggestions to fill your “LGBQTIA+ Poetry/Essays” AND “Suggested by an Independent Bookseller” squares for Book Bingo NW 2024. Since we’re headed toward the last weeks of Book Bingo, I thought I’d share a few suggestions for a category that sometimes intimidates readers: queer poetry and essays. Don’t… Continue reading

  • Book Bingo 2024: LGBTQIA+ Poetry and Essays

    “…and when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed but when we are silent we are still afraid” Excerpt from “A Litany for Survival” by lesbian poet and activist Audre Lorde Fiction is a powerful method for sharing the joys and struggles of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,… Continue reading

  • YA and Adult Book Pairings

    If my own tastes in reading are any indication, there’s less of a divide between those who read young adult and adult books than some might think. As a former Teen Services Librarian and current Adult Services Librarian, my reading is split about 50/50 between teen and adult books. Like macaroni and cheese, wine and… Continue reading

  • It’s Queer To Be (Pioneer) Square!

    It’s Pride season, which is a time that I always take to reflect not just on where the LGBTQ+ community is heading, but where it’s been. Librarians in the Central Library History department have been working with HistoryLink and local storyteller Rosette Royale to create opportunities for our community to join us in those reflections.… Continue reading

  • Teen Pride, June 2023

    Teen Pride, June 2023

    Every June is a month for LGBTQIA+ Pride, and this year is no different. Enjoy these newer teen titles with pride! In How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow, Shani finds herself stuck over winter break with May, a girl she almost ran over. Can the two girls spend the holidays together and… Continue reading

  • Read With Pride: Our favorite LGBTQIA+ fiction of 2022, so far

    Read With Pride: Our favorite LGBTQIA+ fiction of 2022, so far

    Each year, our librarians start a fresh list of some of the best fiction by LGBTQIA+* authors, adding new titles as the year goes along. In commemoration of Pride month, we recently published a list of some of our favorites of 2022, so far. We’ll keep updating this list all year, and you’ll find a… Continue reading

  • Pride Publisher Spotlight: Bold Strokes Books

    There are many ways to find new books to read, whether it’s by reviews, browsing, asking a librarian, or friend recommendations. What is less common is to choose them simply by publisher. While this isn’t likely to be useful for any of the Big Six Publishers, there are plenty of small press publishers that provide… Continue reading

  • Celebrate Pride with the latest LGBTQIA+ Fiction.

    June is here: let’s celebrate the start of Pride month by dipping into various great LGBTQIA+ Summer fiction. Here are just a few highlights drawn from our big new list of LGBTQIA+ titles in the catalog.  The Unbroken, by C.L. Clark.  Treachery and tolerance, loyalty and love clash in this action-packed queernorm epic fantasy debut… Continue reading

  • Queering Historical Fiction & Historical Fantasy

    Queer literature is booming right now, with more and better representation of LGBTQIA+ characters every year. Here are some recent historical novels and historical/alternate history fantasy to check out. First, some historical novels with queer protagonists: The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco is one gritty historical debut. It has a pretty fast-paced bent, introducing… Continue reading

  • Legendary Children: A QTBIPOC Celebration Goes Online

    LEGENDARY CHILDREN is a QTBIPOC-led extravaganza is usually held at Seattle Art Museum, featuring spoken word, performance, dance, and a public runway. Legendary Children is where arts and social justice get real, with QTBIPOC voices ringing loud and clear. Now you know a pandemic can’t stop The Children. Save the date for Saturday Nov 21,… Continue reading

  • Unmuted Spotlights the Connective Power of Personal Storytelling

    Seattle-based memoir author and writing coach Ingrid Ricks recently led a personal storywriting workshop for LGBTQIA seniors and their allies at Seattle’s GenPRIDE center. The workshop built a community of writers and generated an intriguing anthology of fourteen stories entitled Unmuted: Stories of Courage and Resilience from the GenPRIDE Community, released in October to celebrate… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: LGBT Comics

    While many of us tend to associate the graphic novel and comic book genre with superheroes, in a cultural market dominated by companies like Marvel and DC that produce blockbuster movies based in on graphic novels every year, there are plenty of other types of comic books out there that are available to you with… Continue reading

  • Pride Reads: More Trans and Non-Binary BIPOC Authors

    Have you already blown through the last list of poetry by trans and non-binary Black, Indigenous, and People of Color that was posted on Shelf Talk? Well, you are in look, because we’re back with even more amazing reads by trans BIPOC voices. This time, the list includes writing in both poetry and novel formats,… Continue reading

  • Pride Reads: Black Women Writers

    This Pride month, as the world is rising up in solidarity with American cities protesting against racism, white supremacy, and police brutality, it is sobering to think about the many Black, queer lives that have been lost to these oppressive systems. As queer people, it is also a great time to remember that we celebrate… Continue reading

  • Staying Healthy with Your Library: LGBTQ History & Culture

    With materials from hundreds of institutions and organizations, including major international activist organizations, local, grassroots groups, and governments, the database LGBTQ History & Culture (also known as the Archives of Sexuality and Gender) collects an incredible set of primary sources for the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender. Use this resource to investigate how sexual… Continue reading

  • Fresh Transgender and Non-binary Fiction

    Fresh Transgender and Non-binary Fiction

    As readers’ interest in diverse voices and experiences continues to expand, it can be challenging to keep up. Here’s a variety of recent novels and stories that reflect on aspects of transgender and non-binary lives and identities; see our accompanying list for more. Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2018: LGBTQIA Author or Character

    Throughout history the personal stories of LGBTQIA+ people have been either ignored or told secondhand, but as readers we can address this by seeking out memoirs, biographies, and historical works that center LGBTQIA+ voices. Writer and activist Hida Viloria’s trailblazing memoir Born Both: an Intersex Life explores the author’s intersex identity and activism. Janet Mock’s… Continue reading