Ahead of the small-town Pride Festival that happened yesterday in my hometown, I sat and sifted through books that I’ve had in storage (my basement) for several years. My family have always been readers. My mother, voracious. My brother, occasional. Me, voracious in spurts. I am so glad that I had revisited this pile. Not just because I was able to pick out a few books and readers I had squirreled away for later, but also because I was able to send some on to new homes where they will do much more good than they would’ve just sitting in a tub in my basement.

Within my pile of books were two of the Maya Angelou books pictured here. When I was younger, much younger, I wrote a metric ton of poetry. Mostly terrible, angsty love poetry. To this day, I enjoy poetry even if I do not write it as much as I used to. I am very rusty at it, but I love seeing how other people format their works. A friend of mine is a terribly talented poet and inspires awe. Their work is beautiful and striking; I am thrilled by knowing so many talented people.

Do you have something that you haven’t engaged in for a while? Do you miss it? Or are you glad it is in the past? What stops you from moving forward with engaging it again?

Also pictured above is my new purchase of a Queer Theory reader/primer. I enjoy seeing what people select as the foundational pieces of a theory that impacts their lives and I am always on the lookout for these readers. They are wonderful starting points for those who do not wish to or do not have the funds to acquire many texts on the subjects. Primers are great in this respect, a crash course. So to speak.

[I.D. A yellow purse and a barrette sit at the top of the photo with 3 books visible below them. The books are Maya Angelou’s Complete Poems and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” The third is Queer Theory, Gender Theory by Wilchins. Below this row of books is a pair of socks with the Quasar Inclusive Pride flag design. End I.D.]

The book “all about love: new visions” by bell hooks has been my current read. It’s a great reinforcer of the idea that love should be in all that we do. That our actions should be motivated by kindness and caring rather than fear or selfishness. Whilst I am not finished with reading it, as I type this I am at the halfway point, it has been a wonderful reminder of the way that love functions in our lives.

This is my introduction for giving a quick little write up on Queer Love.  

Queer love, what does it mean to you?  

For me, it means having a group of people, a found family, that pushes me to be the best version of myself I can be. That I will have people who choose me again and again and help me to be better. To grow and mature as a person. To me, Queer Love, is that choice - to engage with someone, to help them overcome and understand where their old problematic ideas come from, to help them unpack old lessons and learn new ones.  

For me, Queer Love is subversive of what we speak of when the greater western culture speaks of “unconditional love.” Love is not enabling bad behaviors or unhealthy coping mechanisms. It's not “loving someone in spite of themselves,” which allows for the perpetuation of behaviors that have been developed over a lifetime of reinforcement of poor and unhealthy experiences, or a toxic mindset that society has ingrained in us.  

I love my friends, in all their fluidity and potential. Friendship and Love is not just romantic, contrary to greater western narratives, it is transformative and the very life blood that helps us survive. Survival is what us Queers do best. With help and transformative love, we can thrive.  

Who challenges you to be the best version of yourself? What does Love mean to you?

[Image I.D.: A red book, all about love new visions by bell hooks, is in the foreground in front of a plant. The plant is out of focus and the book is in focus. It is propped up and easy to read the cover. End I.D.]

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“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” hooks, bell. all about love: new visions. Morrow, 1999.

When we talk about self-care or self-love it conjures up ideas of warm baths with various indulgent products or ideas that are giggle inducing, if you’re like me and can’t help but be a child at heart.

Solitude and solitary acts are not often seen as a form of love or self-care; however, they are intrinsically linked.  As outlined in her chapter, Community: Loving Communion, bell hooks posits the nature of being a healthy and loving member of a community is to know yourself through solitude and reflection. Be that community a found family, a blood ties family, a friend group, or even a physical location community.  

To know yourself, to have the ability to reflect and engage with our emotions and thoughts is what makes us who we are – human. It is central to our species, part of what makes us inspiring.  Continuing in her legacy of delivering gut punches to my psyche, bell hooks tore down what I thought I knew to build it anew again. And, I like to think, I’ve studied a lot about humankind and our behaviors, our forming of community, as a Cultural Anthropologist.  

Solitude helps us to build compassion, empathy, and self-understanding in a wild, ever fast paced world.  

How do you wrestle with and understand Solitude? Do you see it as a time to relax into yourself and examine behaviors and held beliefs? Or do you eschew it for the favor of company, boisterous and loud?

It is time to pick my next book, of the ones listed above, which is the one you’re strongly leaning towards?

[Image I.D. A hand holds up a stack of 5 books in front of a plant. The books are authored by Gay (two of them), Davis, Marcus, and Butler. End I.D.]

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Heya all! I am beginning an adventure in blogging, short sweet book reviews that can go longer if the mood strikes. This blog will be dedicated to non-fictional queer theory and history books. 

I will be mainly active on my IG account, aside from posting longer versions of reviews and book lists here, on tumblr. 

My blog is inclusive of all sexualities and genders. The fluidity of life and love is celebrated here. This is a strictly enforced hate-free zone. If you are a person who believes someone else’s existence doesn’t deserve respect or even to exist, get out and get out now.

[I.D. A graphic with the words Queer Lit, Love brush-stroked above and below a curvy rainbow. Below this it says Queer Feminist Theory. Book reviews/recs and general queer feminist thought. The bottom line is an address to a linktree site for other links. End I.D.]

[Linktree Link]