Books

Racism and Apathy along the “Highway of Tears”

a placard in British Columbia, Canada, warns Indigenous women and girls about hitchhiking along the Trail of Tears
by Abaki Beck
November 27, 2019 at 3:13pm
How long will families be forced to relive the trauma of their loved ones death or disappearance, with empty promises of justice?
A black and white photo of author Annabel Gat, a white woman who has bangs and leans her head against her hands

Annabel Gat on Astrology, Heartbreak, and Embracing the Unknown

by Katherine Speller
August 11, 2019 at 7:15am
It’s not so much about our birth or the stars dictating how we love, flirt, and fuck. Instead it’s about wanting to understand the hows and whys of the ways we navigate our relationships. Read more »
A photo of James Baldwin, a Black man. Baldwin smiles and looks to the right of the camera.

7 Books by Queer Black Writers to Read in Honor of James Baldwin’s Birthday

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
August 2, 2019 at 3:55pm
Today, more LGBTQ Black authors are carving out the space that James Baldwin helped craft. Read more »
a photo of adrienne maree brown, a lightskinned Black person with a bull nose ring and shoulder-length blond, curly hair

Pleasure as Praxis: adrienne maree brown on Human Error, Longing, and the Power of Prioritizing Love

by Corinne Manning
July 25, 2019 at 9:00am
Capitalism often tricks us into functioning from a place of scarcity, where longing for pleasure is the most we can aspire to. But what if we could tap into our desires in small ways every day? Read more »
A photo of author Jenny Odell, who has brown hair and bangs and wears glasses while looking straight into the camera and not smiling.

Doing Nothing Is a Radical Idea for Marginalized People

by Izzie Ramirez
July 22, 2019 at 5:25pm
For marginalized people, doing “nothing” is the last resource we have. Read more »
an Indian woman with shoulder-length black hair stands in front of a green, rusting truck

Bye Sharam: Indian Women Are Tapping into the Enduring Power of Memoir

by Madhuri Sastry
July 17, 2019 at 10:19am
Sharam, or shame, is one of patriarchy’s most powerful weapons, and it begins early. Read more »
an illustration of a Black girl walking through the streets with two Black goddesses holding hot combs

“Hot Comb” Uplifts Black Women by Their Roots

by DW McKinney
July 12, 2019 at 10:35am
All Black women haven’t experienced the trauma captured in Hot Comb, but there are still broad strokes that all Black women have either shared in intimate dialogues with our friends and family. Read more »
a white woman with glasses with shoulder-length curls sits on a stage

Fear of a Feminist Lens: How Emily Nussbaum Pioneered TV Criticism

by Jourdain Searles
July 9, 2019 at 7:32pm
Nussbaum provides a roadmap for how to talk about television with an openness that sheds the hand-wringing that has plagued television criticism since its conception. Read more »
a woman in a hat and glasses reads inside of a tent

BitchReads: 5 Nonfiction Books Feminists Should Read This July

by Evette Dionne
July 8, 2019 at 12:38pm
We’re bringing BitchReads back! Read more »
The cover of The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg, which features the two main characters, Max, a gay biracial Mexican baseball player, and Jordan, a gay poet.

A Queerer World: 2019 Is the Year of the LGBTQ YA Novel

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
June 26, 2019 at 2:12pm
This year, LGBTQ young adult novels have finally diversified the queer experience. Read more »
A photo of author Mason Deaver, who is white and non-binary, in promotion of their book "I Wish You All the Best." Mason wears a pink sweatshirt and is smiling.

Moving the Needle: Mason Deaver on Creating One of YA’s First Nonbinary Protagonists

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
June 21, 2019 at 3:21pm
In YA, nonbinary protagonists are rare. Mason Deaver seeks to change that with their debut, I Wish You All the Best. Read more »

Pages

Best of Bitch

Mock & Awe: Janet Mock on Truth-Telling, Community Building, and Writing the Story She Had Been Waiting for Her Whole Life

by Tina Vasquez
Spring 2014 • Maps & Legends
"Redefining Realness" is written with astounding honesty and heart. Read more »

Rewriting the Future: Using Science Fiction to Re-Envision Justice

by Walidah Imarisha
Spring 2015 • Law & Order
Our justice movements desperately need science fiction. Read more »

Hot Under the Bonnet: The cooptation of Amish culture in mass-market fiction

by Audrey deCoursey
Spring 2014 • Maps & Legends
Dubbed “Amish romance novels,” “Amish fiction,” or the more waggish “bonnet rippers,” these novels just one entry point into the varying images of Amish communities in U.S. popular culture. Read more »

Black Girls Hunger for Heroes, Too: A Black Feminist Conversation on Fantasy Fiction for Teens

by Zetta Elliott
December 17, 2013 at 3:19pm
What happens when two great black women fiction writers get together to talk about race in young adult literature? That's exactly what happens... Read more »