Each section of the book goes through the four respective relationships of these remarkable women and gives multiple examples of their influence rubbing off on the guys. Personally I would love an entire book just about Anita, as to me she is the most complex and decadent of the four, but as a whole, the book makes its case firmly; these women helped the Stones create their bad boy personas that they became known for. It’s a lot of fun looking back at the fascinating 60s and 70s London music scene, (the book contains great photos) and this release clearly shows that even when women were powerful, intimidating, and deeply talented, their stories get delegated to just the “girlfriends,” yet their lives were just as, if not more interesting than the boys’!

Parachute Women, (Hachette Books)

(left to right) Marianne, Brian Jones, Anita, unknown. 1967 (Getty Images)

Marsha Hunt with her and Mick’s daughter Karis in 1972 (Getty Images)

Mick and Bianca on their wedding day 1972 (Getty Images)

Top Image: Anita and Keith in Cannes. 1967 (Getty Images)

All images courtesy of Hachette/ Getty Images

At some point, especially during the last few years, we have all imagined moving into a cottage in the woods and getting away from everyone else. The reality, though, is a bit more nightmarish for Laura, the main character in Kathryn Bromwich’s enthralling debut novel, At the Edge of the Woods. Living alone on the outskirts of an Italian village where she is decidedly an outsider, Laura is a woman fleeing a wealthy and abusive French husband, who would rather see her dead than be denied an heir. And, aside from a waiter whom she takes as a lover, the villagers soon see her as a strega (witch) and plot to drive her out. The forest, however, has its own intentions, claiming Laura for its own as she finds her own uncanny strength within its depths. Through lush and sinuous prose, the novel similarly puts readers under its own spell. It demands that you reach out to others, no matter how isolated they are, and insist that they read what is sure to be an instant classic.

–RUFUS HICKOK

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Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America By Krista Burton (Simon and Schuster)

When Krista Burton was deep in the throes of pandemic lockdown, she realized there was nothing she missed more than “the feeling of being in a packed, sweaty dyke bar.” That moment of longing served as the catalyst for her first book, Moby Dyke, in which Burton sets off on an epic quest. You see, there are less than 20 lesbian bars left in the United States, and she’s on a mission to visit them all. Burton’s cross-country trek takes her from Wild Side West in San Francisco to the Cubbyhole in N.Y.C. and all the gayplaces in-between (including a pit-stop at the Pearl Bar in Houston for Dildo Races). Along the way, she learns how each spot survived the “dyke bar apocalypse.” The book is a celebration of these places that have long served as safe havens for the lesbian community. But Burton’s stories about her own life also shine—she brings the introspective and observational humor that made her blog, Effing Dykes, so popular. Moby Dyke will make you want to get a dildo charged up and go off to the races. –MARIE LODI

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Boys Weekend By Mattie Lubchansky (Pantheon)

Boys Weekend is a graphic novel centered on Sammie, a newly-out trans femme. When their best friend from college, Adam, announces his upcoming nuptials and invites them to a bachelor party on a lawless, futuristic, Vegas-like island, Sammie feels obligated to attend. Despite being out to Adam and his tech bro friends, they still find Sammie’s gender identity confusing, often making them the butt of jokes or asking idiotic questions. Meanwhile, Sammie suspects something nefarious is afoot once they notice that their trip coincides with a conference for a suspiciously cultish organization. While a horror story about gender identity might not seem like an obvious fit, it actually is symbolic of the price one must pay for societal conformity. The tech bros at the center of the story seem representative of those cishet men who hold tightly to archaic gender norms—even when they lead to their own suffering. Author Mattie Lubchansky cleverly spins horror tropes to send up toxic masculinity and tech bro culture. They also cast a critical eye at the systems that continue to enforce a strict gender binary. Boys Weekend is compelling and hilarious with plenty of food for thought. –ADRIENNE URBANSKI

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Erykah Badu—the queen of neo-soul and arguably one of the coolest women on the planet—is hitting the road this summer on a 25-city tour starting June 11. Can’t wait to see her go on and on (and on and on)? Go to unfollowmetour.com to find out if she’s hitting a town near you.

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2. The Blackening

Photo Credit: Glen Wilson

Co-written by Tracy Oliver (who previously brought us Girls Trip), this horror/ comedy flick follows seven Black friends who go away for a weekend in the woods where there’s a killer on the loose. They can’t all die first, so they rank their Blackness and use their knowledge of horror movie tropes to survive. Piss your pants laughing when it comes to theaters June 16.

3. TLC Forever on Lifetime

Photo Credit: Dennis Leupold

Which one are you? Crazy, Sexy, or Cool? Follow the drama and tragedy that came with fame for TLC’s Left Eye, Chili, and T-Boz as they become one of the most iconic girl groups of the ’90s in this Lifetime documentary airing June 3.

4. Survival of the Thickest on Netflix

Photo Credit: Winnie Au

Michelle Buteau stars in this Netflix series based on her autobiography. Written and produced by Buteau, the show, which hits the small screen July 13, follows her as she goes through a breakup, gets her styling career off the ground, and plunges back into the dating pool with help from her two besties.

5. Ahsoka on Disney+

Photo Credit: LUCASFILMS

Star Wars fans first met Rosario Dawson’s character, Ahsoka, in the second season of The Mandalorian, and now she’s back in her own series premiering in August on Disney+. The story follows the former Jedi knight as she tries to save the galaxy. Fingers crossed we get another Lizzo and Baby Yoda moment!

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6. I Inside the Old Year Dying by PJ Harvey

Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

Indie-rock goddess PJ Harvey is bringing her spooky vibes, unique voice, and harrowing lyrics back to the mic with her 10th studio album, I Inside the Old Year Dying. Bask in her melancholy magic when it drops July 7 on Partisan Records.

7. The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel

For as long as humans have been making art, there have been women artists. Yet, until recently, they were glaringly excluded from history. This bothered Katy Hessel, so in 2015, she launched the IG account @thegreatwomenartists and then a podcast of the same name. Now, her new book from W.W. Norton & Company is continuing this important work by digging up all the forgotten women who mastered their crafts and finally giving them their due.

A teaser of the book debuts on her podcast: Listen now

8. Mosswood Meltdown featuring Bratmobile and John Waters

Wow, wow, wow! The legendary riot grrrl band Bratmobile is reuniting after 20 years at the Mosswood Meltdown festival in Oakland hosted by John Waters. The lineup also includes BUST faves Le Tigre, the Rondelles, and Gravy Train!!!!, so grab tickets for the July 1 and 2 dates asap at mosswoodmeltdown.com.

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9. Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page

The Umbrella Academy star is speaking his truth. This memoir, out June 6 from Flatiron Books, takes readers from Elliot Page’s breakout role in Juno to being forced into the Hollywood starlet mold to his transition—allowing him to finally navigate Tinseltown on his own terms.

10. “It’s Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby”

Photo Credit: Ben King

Hannah Gadsby shot to fame with her groundbreaking one-woman show, Nanette, and now she’s sticking it to the man. Well, one man in particular—Pablo Picasso. Opening at the Brooklyn Museum on June 2, this exhibit, co-curated by Gadsby, will feature works by Picasso alongside those by feminist artists, including the Guerrilla Girls and Cindy Sherman, and plenty of pointed commentary.

Check out Hannah Gadsby introducing “It’s Pablo-matic” on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/brooklynmuseum/hannah-gadsby-picasso-introduction?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Top Image: Photo Credit: Fred Yonet

BUST has been a home for many incredible stories over the years, and has held a special place in the hearts of many over the decades. (If you’re feeling sentimental, check out this retrospective we did for our 25th anniversary, where readers share their favorite moments about the magazine.) As time passes and the social landscape changes, BUST has continued to publish fresh and innovative features on the coolest feminists of today.

BUST, like boygenius, was formed independently by a trio of badass women. BUST started out as a homemade zine in 1993. The first few issues were photocopied, stapled together, and distributed by its three founders, Laurie Henzel, Debbie Stoller, and Marcela Karp.

In those 30 years, we’ve created a bi-annual craft fair, published several books, and have had over 10,000 subscribers as of 2018. For our 30th anniversary issue, we decided to celebrate with boygenuis, the indie-rock supergroup that’s taking the world by storm.

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boygenius is composed of indie-rock singer Julien Baker, viral folk sensation Phoebe Bridgers, and singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus. In our summer issue, released on June 1st, the trio discussed their rise to being one of the most influential feminist supergroups of the modern age. The members of the band talk with BUST about their blooming friendship, their (sometimes rabid) fanbase, and Kristen Stewart, who directed the band’s short film. They also discuss their debut studio album, The Record, which was released earlier this year on March 31st.

Dacus and Baker had previously been acquainted since they both performed together in Washington DC back in 2016, but after performing on the same bill in 2018, all three women got together to record a promotional single for the tour. They decided that they were having too much fun to stop, and later that year, they released their first official EP as boygenius. How did they land on their unique and discordant name? How did the COVID-19 epidemic affect their success? How do they feel about their adoring fans? And who the hell is Maxine? You’ll just have to pick up our newest issue to find out!

But boygenius isn’t the only thing we’re highlighting this summer. Here are some other cool things to look out for in the 2023 Summer issue.

Check out our feature on Malaysian film producer and screenwriter, Adele Lim. Lim talks with us about her new R-rated comedy, Joy Ride, which came out June 7th. Joy Ride is the first major studio film with an all Asian-American (and predominantly female) cast. The film is raunchy, delightful, and diverse. Lim was open with BUST about the real-life inspiration behind Joy Ride, Asian-American representation in media, and her lengthy list of credits (including Disney’s Raja and The Last Dragon, and Crazy Rich Asians). “We’re finding joy and reveling in our own messiness, just like any other white guy’s R-rated comedy.” Succinct, substantial, and chock-full of intersectional feminism, Adele Lim’s feature is a must-read.

But that’s not all the intersectionality we have to offer; check out the other pieces on writer and activist Rachel Cargle, and our feature on comedian and “cat daddy” Marc Maron.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Caren

This issue is also full of fun treats for those long hot summer days, like our recipe for grilled peaches, and DIY Balboa Bars. The only thing better than enjoying a cool homemade treat on a hot summer day is looking cool while you do it. Take a look through our ‘Looksee’ feature, where we list all the things we’re into this season, like this cutely packaged sunscreen, these size inclusive swimsuits, and unique sunnies to shield your eyes from the sun’s rays. There’s more cool attire featured throughout; our Get The Look section highlights several Malibu Barbie-themed accessories, like these Moxi roller skates, and this vintage polaroid film camera. But we’re just as comprehensive about our fashion coverage as we are with our anthropology.

This summer’s issue is also full of cool cultural pieces and historical topics, like the extensive feature on the lives of women in the rural mountains of Tibet. The story, written by Eleanor Moseman, details Moseman’s time spent with Tibetan villager Jamyang Tsomo and her family. It covers Tsomos daily chores, which include tending to yaks, harvesting barley, and looking after her family. Jamyang Tsomo’s story is a phenomenal glance into the lesser covered fierce women of the modern world. And she’s not the only cool cultural feature we have. This Summer’s issue also has an inside scoop on “one of the Middle Ages most fascinating figures,” visionary St. Hildegard of Bingen, written by noted historian Dr. Eleanor Janega.

So if you haven’t subscribed already, you’re definitely missing out. There’s something so special about receiving a physical print publication in the mail. It’s nostalgic, and reminiscent of the simpler bittersweet days of adolescence. Relieve the days of reading horoscopes aloud to your bestie and skimming the pages of a magazine for cute summer accessories. Alternatively, indulge your curiosity for knowledge by checking out our features on the historic town of Dublin, or the origins of Midsummer (the Scandinavian Pagan tradition, not the Ari Aster film!) And of course, as always, there’s way more!

We here at BUST are proud to provide a platform for everything; and our digital articles are no different. From updates on the new Barbie Movie, to abortion rights, and from Taylor Swift & Ice Spice collaborations, to coverage on an all girls robotics team in Afghanistan, there’s always an exciting online feature for you. Sounds enticing? Keep an eye out for us on your news feed, as well as on your local newsstands. Here’s to another 30 years. And 30 more after that!

Subscribe now to get your hands on this 30th Anniversary issue!

Top Image: Photo Credit: Ramona Rosales

One of those additions includes establishing a coordinator to “lead the charge” against banning books in schools who will serve under the Department of Education. While it appears this role is still in the planning stages (and therefore vague) their overall role seems to be educating schools on the emotional, intellectual, and societal harm that book bans cause.

This, of course, comes after the rise in book bannings that the country has seen over the past few years. In fact, the amount of banned books in US schools has increased by 30% just over the last year. According to President Biden’s domestic policy advisor Neera Tanden who spoke on the issue on a call with reporters, The Biden administration’s approach to this role is to consider the fact that the growing number of book bannings “may violate federal civil laws if they create a hostile environment for students.”

Banning books is a social justice issue, especially when we consider that many of the books that have been banned include queer characters. Specifically, according to PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans, more than 25% of books that have been banned by US schools either include queer themes or characters. Per PEN, “within this category, 68 are books that include transgender characters, which is 8% of all books banned.” It is also important to note that 30% of banned books in this country include themes of race and/or racism.

Some of the most banned books in the country include Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, Flamer by Mike Curato, and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

The creation of this new role was the main story of Biden’s new plan, however, he also introduced other protections to the LGBTQ+ community including:

• “a community safety program from the Department of Homeland Security to work with LGBTQI+ community centers, clinics and small businesses like restaurants and bars to provide training for bomb threats, active shooters and cyber threats
• an advisory for mental health care providers from Health and Human Services to help provide evidence-based care for transgender youth
• regulations to protect LGBTQI+ kids in foster care and place them in safe and appropriate homes”

While change seems to come very slowly in this country, these new measures definitely show promise. A public declaration of how the federal government intends to protect the LGBTQ+ people in this country is critically important given the increase in violence against LGBTQ+ communities.

Top photo: kazuend on Unsplash

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Featuring some of our fave queers including Roxane Gay, Carrie Brownstein, Jane Lynch and many others, this fictional auditory adventure brings the “strange world of semi-suburban sapphics seeking out a deviant existence in the shadows of decent society,” to life through a series of episodes available on Audible.

The story starts in June of 1987, Ronald Reagan is president, the Iran-Contra hearings are all over the news, it’s “ten years before Ellen, five years before the founding of the lesbian avengers,” and while some of the references may be a little old school, the concerns, the controversies, the political climate (unfortunately) and the emotions are all still incredible relevant for modern queer audiences.

The main character Mo, who is voiced by the acclaimed Carrie Brownstein, starts the series off by looking for love (or maybe, just a little fun) while exploring vulnerability. In the era of Reaganism, her “hypersensitive moral compass” has caused some friction between her and her peers. She knows that queer is more than just an orientation, it’s a basis of intersectional liberation from poverty, war, racism, and capitalism, but can’t turn off the lecture when her friends just want to have fun. “If you think assimilation is liberation, you’re either delusional or a sell out,” Mo says to her friends during the Pride Parade.

“When I was young and freshly out, I pored over my paperback copies of ‘Dykes to Watch Out For,’ dreaming that I would one day get to live in a world as progressive, funny, sexy, and frankly dykey as the incredible community Alison created,” said Madeleine George, who wrote the adapted script. “Spending time immersed in this world has been like getting to move into my dream world. To hear the beloved characters brought to life by this gang of superstars has been too good to be true.”

Dykes to Watch Out For ran from 1983-2008 in Funny Times and various lesbian newspapers and online. According to the New York Times, Bechdel herself has called the strip “half op-ed column and half endless, serialized Victorian novel.” Full of cultural reflection, social commentary and political references, the strip built a semi-fictional world for lesbians to engage in, reflecting the everyday conversations that were happening in queer circles. Bechdel, who is also known for her books Fun Home, Are You My Mother, and The Secret to Superhuman Strength has spent decades capturing her iteration of the queer experience, sharing it with eager audiences from across the country.

Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

She is also the creator of the Bechdel Test, a media evaluation method that analyzes how well a work of fiction represents women characters. The criteria includes: at least two women are featured, these women talk to each other, and they discuss something other than a man. That’s it– just three small objectives that a surprising number of films, books and television shows completely miss.

“I am blown away by this podcast; it’s such a great gift to hear the characters and their world come to audio life, talking and kvetching and playing softball and going to marches,” said Bechdel in a press release. “Often when I was drawing the comic strip I would wish it could have the extra dimension of a soundtrack – and now it does. The podcast is set back in the day, 1987, which makes it a fun history lesson, but at the same time, it’s a completely contemporary-feeling romp. I’m absolutely speechless and fortunately these actors have plenty to say, and they do so with dykey aplomb.”

All episodes of Dykes to Watch Out For are now available on Audible!

Top Photo is a screen grab from “Jane Lynch and the Iconic Cast of ‘Dykes To Watch Out for’ in Conversation” from the official Audible Youtube channel

1.) Join a Queer Book Club (Or start your own!)

Literature has been a powerful part of queer history since its inception. Sapphic authors, like Eva Kotchever and Radclyffe Hall, were both persecuted for their literary works, which contained overt lesbian themes. For a wonderfully chill and bookish Pride celebration, host a book club to honor one of these infamous queer writers. We suggest Hall’s most controversial novel, The Well of Loneliness, which was the subject of obscenity trials in both the US and UK. You can also join a queer book club, like Sapphic Lit, which is a literary pop-up held in over 55 countries. Sapphic Lit is hosting events all over the globe for Pride month this year, including pop-up bookstores and book swaps. Check out their full list of events here.

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2.) Have A Queer Movie Night

Whether you’re looking for a quiet night in with your favorite queer rom-com, or a fun interactive night out with your peers, LGBTQIA+ cinema is a unique way to celebrate Pride this year. Organizations like The Bush Cinema Club, New York City’s Dyke Cinema Club, and Toronto’s Queer Cinema Club host monthly intimate screenings of queer films. The screenings are small, seating only around 50-100 people. They’re sometimes even held in private West Village lofts, or barely known dive bars. The events are usually accompanied by themed refreshments, and the occasional aphrodisiac popcorn. Annual film festivals like the Queer Vision Festival in the UK are also holding screenings of independent queer films all throughout Pride month. Can’t make it to Toronto, New York, or Great Britain? Audience participation isn’t the only way to get involved: you can also donate your time to any local queer-owned cinema organization. You can even hold your own private cinema screenings with your friends, and include some fun treats of your own. Check out volunteer opportunities for The Bush Films here, and check out our list of sapphic movies written by women here!

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3.) Go To A Silent Disco

When you’re queer, dancing is a revolutionary act of defiance. Throwing on some Jessie Ware tunes and letting loose is a great way to get down this Pride season. It’s no secret that Disco served as a safe haven for queer individuals, both out and closeted. Disco also provided a platform for queer people of color, something that remains few and far between to this day. But long gone are the days of sweat-stained velour and Studio 54. And because roughly 60% of all LGBTQIA+ individuals experience anxiety, a packed room full of blaring music might be the last place you want to be this Pride. Luckily, there’s a loophole. Silent discos have been cropping up, and they’re a great way to experience a fun night out ​​— without all the overwhelm. For a small fee, attendees rent a pair of headphones with several “music channels” that can be switched over the duration of the party. Most silent disco events are operated by Silent Events. The rental company crafted the multisensory experience as an alternative to the loud, anxiety-inducing environment that clubs and concerts foster. It’s a low pressure way to enjoy cool, queer tunes with friends. You can check out their nation-wide list of upcoming events here.

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4.) Start a Riot

Pride wouldn’t exist without riots. The first Pride parade was a riot. If it weren’t for Marsha P. Johnson throwing the first brick at the Stonewall Inn (and the infamous riots that ensued afterwards,) it’s hard to believe that we’d have the agency that we do today. Maybe don’t put yourself in danger of being arrested, but see what local protests or grassroots movements are going on in your area. New York City’s Queer Liberation March would be a great start, as they initially organized to reclaim Pride from corporations by honoring the initial intent of the Stonewall Riots. And if you can’t make it out to the East Coast, QLM offers livestreams of all their events. Additionally, the website pridefinder.com is a marvelous multipurpose resource for finding a myriad of queer events, parties and protests alike. It’s global, and even includes a list of welcoming queer cities across the world. Check out their list of upcoming event pride events for 2023 here.

5.) Support Your Local LGBTQIA+ Historical Site

Museums with queer exhibits, going on LGBTQIA+ historical walks, and speaking with elder queers in your community are all great ways to immerse yourself in the more historical aspects of Pride this summer. There are plenty of amazing museums across the world that are full of rich archival history, like the Leslie-Lohman Museum, nestled in the streets of NYC’s SoHo. The museum houses a small gift shop, a private event space, and a collection that spans over 300 years. But you don’t have to be in the city of the Stonewall Riots to explore the historical significance of the event; There’s a whole museum dedicated to the Stonewall Riots in Fort Lauderdale, of all places. The Stonewall National Museum & Archive was initially a small queer library that has since grown into a museum that hosts movie nights, tours, and fundraisers for the local LGBTQIA+ community. They even have a digital collection if you can’t make it in person. There’s also the ONE Archives in Los Angeles, California, which is known to be “the oldest active LGBTQ organization in the United States,” and hosts the Circa Queer History Festival every pride month. To find a comprehensive list of LGBTQIA+ historical museums across the world, check out this travel list.

Whether it’s supporting queer-owned artists, flipping through a book, or watching a campy queer flick with your friends, we hope you find some informative, eccentric, and innovative ways to honor your LGBTQIA+ community this summer. Don’t be afraid to break tradition!

Top Photo Credit: Norbu Gyachung via Unsplash

But it wouldn’t be a celebrity tell-all without a bit of drama. According to Page Six, production of the book has been put on hold indefinitely. Some of the more raw stories might paint certain A-list celebrities in an unflattering light, which has caused them to send “strongly worded legal letters” to the book’s publisher, Simon & Schuster.

“Britney is brutally honest in the book — there are a lot of nervous A-listers,” a source told the US Sun reporters. “There’s a fair amount of throwing people under the bus, [as well as] talking about past relationships, some of whom will be revealed for the first time ever.”

We can already think of several individuals who would object to a Britney Spears tell-all. First and foremost, The entire Spears family. Perhaps Justin Timberlake, Kevin Federline, Christina Agulera, P!nk, Colin Ferrel and plenty of other notable names would also be vehemently opposed to a Britney-lead exposé.

However, last week, Britney shared that she has reunited with her mother after three years, and that they have begun to make things right.

“My sweet mama showed up at my door step yesterday after 3 years … it’s been such a long time … with family there’s always things that need to be worked out … but time heals all wounds !!! And after being able to communicate what I’ve held in for an extremely long time, I feel so blessed we were able to try to make things RIGHT !!! I love you so much !!! Psss… I’m so blessed we can have coffee together after 14 years !!! Let’s go shopping afterwards !!!”

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CssRIeitCTB/

We’ve been following Britney’s journey for years, and look forward to learning the perspective that’s been hidden for years— her own. Maybe this part of her new journey will be the happy ending for the book, and for the singer herself.

“Britney wants this to be her moment to set the record straight,” the source shared.

The original release date was supposed to be this past February, but the legal letters, amongst other delays, have pushed the release date back to the Fall of this year. Regardless of when it will be released, I think it’s safe to say the world is ready to hear Britney’s side of the story.

Top Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rhysadams/, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to writing, half of the struggle boils down to capturing the right “voice.” Do you sound smart? Approachable? Hilarious?

Samantha Irby is one of those rare writers who has conquered all three categories, gaining an impressive following over the past decade with laugh-out-loud essays that make you think, “this person is really funny and not at all afraid to talk about poop.” When I call her at home in Kalamazoo, MI, I ask Irby, 42, what it’s like to be the kind of author who is so relatable, people would love to call her a friend. “I wish I could be everyone’s friend,” says Irby, “but then they’d realize how bad I am at texting back and they’d be, like, ‘Let’s just keep this relationship on the page.’”

 

 

 

 

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It all started in 2009, when she created her Myspace blog, “Bitches Gotta Eat” (the now-iconic story is that she did it to impress a dude). Her writing snowballed in popularity, leading to her 2013 debut essay collection, Meaty, which introduced readers to a few major facets of Irby’s identity, including her battle with Crohn’s disease and the loss of her parents at 18. But these struggles are secondary to Irby’s most defining characteristic: the fact that she can find humor in almost anything.

In the years since Meaty, Irby published three more books, the most recent of which, Wow, No Thank You, shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list as soon as it was published in 2020—and there’s every reason to believe her newest book, Quietly Hostile (Vintage Books), will do the same when it’s released on May 16th. But the last few years have seen not just her publishing career level up, but her personal life as well.

Irby married her wife, Kirsten Jennings, in 2016, and they set up a household with Jennings’ two teenage kids and a “lesbian amount of pets,” as Irby puts it, including a dog named Abe and four cats. She also made major career strides as a TV writer/producer, racking up credits on Shrill, Work in Progress, And Just Like That…, and Tuca & Bertie.

Meanwhile, “Bitches Gotta Eat” was upgraded into a Substack newsletter, which she describes as “Judge Mathis recaps + occasional sad garbage.” Through it all, Irby has continued to write about what she knows best—from public bathroom mishaps to delving deep into The Real Housewives universe. “Life is so short,” she says. “I just have to do what I can to make myself feel good. And if I tell people and they think I’m a moron, then fine, I don’t care. I’m not reading the ‘smart’ book.”

As a consummate over-sharer, Irby is a magnet for similar types of revelations from her fans. So, it should come as no surprise that strangers often want to tell her about their diarrhea and other deeply personal trials—and she welcomes it all. “Any time someone is honest about a thing they’re struggling with, I feel something unlock within myself,” says Irby. “Like, ‘OK, I don’t have to act like I have it all together. I don’t have to grit my teeth and just tough it out.’ If I can provide that for someone, that makes me happy.”

Her latest collection of confessional essays captures the ways in which the author dealt with the challenges of the last three years, from domestic squabbles to grappling with an unprecedented global health crisis. And compared to her other books, Irby says that Quietly Hostile stands apart as a chronicle of a very strange and specific time. “A feral maniac wrote it,” she says. “A person who didn’t say hello to anyone who didn’t live in her house for a year wrote a book. I hope it resonates with people.”

Top photo by: Ted Beranis 

If you’re looking to reach a new StoryGraph or Goodreads goal, or just want to get into the swing of reading regularly, you may find inspiration in an unlikely place–on your phone. 

Despite massive criticism, the media behemoth TikTok excels at creating globally engaged subcultures. Giant communities of creators and users around the world gather on TikTok to connect, discuss, and learn. These growing subcultures exist across all interests; from fashion and crafting to investing and sports, and just about everything else in between. 

BookTok, the name of the literary TikTok community, is one such growing subculture. It is the place to find book reviews, recommendations, explanations, and reactions. You’ll even find tips on how to become a more engaged reader, hacks for annotating and comprehension, and suggestions on how to create the perfect #darkacademia set up for your book nook. The hashtag “BookTok” has been viewed nearly 115 billion times and is described as the “biggest book club on the planet.” 

If you’re beyond browsing the isles of Barnes & Noble, check out some recommendations from these ten BookTok content creators.

The Ace of Books

Outside of review and recaps, Emma, aka The Ace of Books, teaches about niche literary genres and concepts. They have videos about hopepunk, a literary device (and sometimes subgenre) that describes radical resistance, and often physical violence, in pursuit of justice or a kinder outcome. Emma explains the concept of queer time–that queer people often don’t follow the same “life timelines” as their cis/het counterparts, meaning things like marriage, kids, and homeownership happen at different stages of life, if it all. The channel also does a great job helping users find books with engaging and realistic representations, including books about the autistic experience, LGBTQ+ experiences and beyond.

@theaceofbooks Replying to @dizzyclubsoda76 Leave recommendations in the comments! I don’t read nearly enough autism rep that’s actually good #ownvoicesbooks #themaid #diversebooktok #bookrecs ♬ Marimbas in Minor – Pensive, Fast, Modern – ericsutherlandmusic

Moon Girl Reads

Moon Girl Reads is the undeclared BFF of BookTok. Selene shares funny takes on book culture, reading humor, and TikTok trends that are super relatable and clever.  

The TikToker was even responsible for a major sales spike of the book The Song of Achilles because of her viral “books that will make you sob” video.

@moongirlreads_ like keep that to yourself then smh ? #moongirlreads #bookworm #bookishhumor ♬ original sound – singersewer’s name is katie

Tomes And Textiles

Carmen is a BookToker who shares insights from the publishing world, including the HarperCollins strike, compensating BookTokers, and highlighting weekly Latinx releases. She’s also a vintage fashion lover, and shows off her incredible wardrobe full of colorful and unique pieces with every video.

@tomesandtextiles Other videos to watch on Harper Collins Union and 11/10 strike: @jamieisreading & @kaludiasays . #hcponstrike #booktok #booktokcommunity #hcpunion ♬ original sound – TomesAndTextiles | Booktokker

The Lovely Things

Do you want to read more well-known novels in 2023? Follow Eboni on her journey through the classics. Her videos of meticulous note taking, annotating, and dogearring will get you pumped to read Dostoevsky, Steinbeck, Austen and other classic authors.  She only started sharing videos in January and has already amassed nearly 45,000 likes on the app.  

@thelovelythings505 i love prince andrey so much #warandpeace #leotolstoy #russianliterature #Russianlit #favoritebooks #favoritebook #annotations #annotated #artofannotating #annotatedbook #annotate #studyinspo #stufymotivation #studytok #booktok ♬ snowfall – Øneheart & reidenshi

Books With Lee

As one of BookTok’s most prolific and beloved creators, Lee brings fresh titles and recommendations to the app with every video. Right now, she’s working on a challenge called “Reading Across Asia” where she’ll read a book from a different Asian country every week in 2023. Lee talks about the financial pressure to buy all the latest BookTok reads, supporting your local library, and why she purposefully does not film videos in front of her bookshelf. 

@books.with.lee Week 9- Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Sadaawi. List of books in by-o #readingacrossasia #horrorbooks #bookreview #readingchallenge #bookrec ♬ original sound – Lee | Booktok

Melissa’s Bookshelf 

If you’re a writer and a book lover and want to learn more about the world of self-publishing, traditional publishing, or you’re just seeking tips on how to start crafting a novel, Melissa’s Bookshelf is a good place to start. Melissa talks often about writing through challenges including depression, compressed timelines, and embarrassing moments. Check out her series about Indigenous literature that includes an explanation on non-linear storytelling and several recommendations on how to start reading more Native lit.

@melissas.bookshelf Having a cover done ahead of time is essential for marketing too #authortok #selfpublishing #abrokenblade #writing #books #reading #regrets ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Bookworm Bullet

Bookworm Bullet’s account is all about diversifying the books you read. They make regular recommendations of books written by South Asian, Muslim, and Indigenous writers. If romance is your favorite genre, Bookworm Bullet has almost-weekly suggestions for what to add to your TBR list. 

@bookwormbullet My brown girls get it #booktok #theprincessstakes #amaliehoward #historicalromance #romance #southasianbooks #desibooktok #romancebooks #romancebooktok #bridgerton #bookwormbullet #fyp ♬ Why are you ppl using my audio.. – AL

Katelyn’s Library 

For lovers of the macabre, Katelyn’s Library focuses on literary thriller and horror recommendations. She summarizes stories so well that I immediately request them from the library.  She’s also sharing her journey reading through the 300+ physical books on her bookshelf, which she wildly covered in kraft paper so she can’t see which book comes next.    

@_katelynslibrary this book had me angry, it had me crying, it’s definitely one to prepare for, but it was a great book #booktok #thrillerbooklover #megangoldin #thenightswim ♬ she knows – favsoundds

Chapters of Chi

Adannia opens conversations around literature and book culture through her reviews, videos with trending TikTok sounds, and storytelling. She posts several times a week and brings fresh and creative content to BookTook. Adannia uses her TikTok to highlight Black authors across genres of romance, science fiction, fantasy and beyond.

@chaptersofchi Have you read this yet? #chaptersofchi #thegetawaybook #horrorbookrecs #thrillerbookrecommendations #blackhorrorbooks #bookreviewing #bookrecc ♬ Suspense, horror, piano and music box – takaya

Big Book Lady

Big Book Lady’s page is a great place to get recommendations based on what books you already like to read. Lauren, aka the Big Book Lady herself, shares recommendations, literary lore, and day-in-my-life videos from her cozy apartment. You can view several FFO (for fans of) recommendations, which give you a better idea of what to read next. She recently announced she’s starting her own book club on Fable. The first read is “Freshwater” by Akwaeke Emezi.

@bigbooklady Writers writing about writers #booktok #bookish #bookrecs #sadgirl #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Isaac H.P Karaoke Backup

Still looking for inspiration? Check out some of our recommended reads written by women. 

Top photo: Books With Lee, Moon Girl Reads and The Ace of Books

HAYLEY ALDRIDGE IS STILL HERE

By Elissa R. Sloan

(William Morrow Paperbacks)

It’s hard not to think of Britney Spears while reading Elissa R. Sloan’s sophomore novel, Hayley Aldridge Is Still Here, or Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes, and all of the other early ’00s child stars turned Hollywood “it” girls, whose already difficult transition to adulthood was turned into an even bigger nightmare thanks to ruthless paparazzi and the consumers who ate it all up.

Hayley Aldridge did not have a regular childhood. Normality was thrown out the window after she moved from Texas to Hollywood and secured a role on a family sitcom, pushing her into a spotlight that the Internet and gossip magazines of that time were about to make unmanageably bright. Now, 20 years later, she’s living under a conservatorship that’s stripped her of even the smallest of freedoms. And while no one questioned it then, her fans are questioning it now, using the hashtag #helphayley to do so. What unfolds is Hayley’s attempt to regain her independence. Sloan’s novel is a page-turner that speaks to our current reflections on, and past treatments of, celebrities. –Samantha Ladwig

SHOTGUN SEAMSTRESS

By Osa Atoe

(Soft Skull Press)

An old graffiti tag that once appeared on the streets of Washington, D.C., opined, “Punk means fight bullshit.” But if that’s the case, why are so many punk shows so claustrophobically, overwhelmingly white? Artist, musician, activist, ceramicist, and writer Osa Atoe set out to upend the punk paradigm when she launched the Shotgun Seamstress ’zine in Portland, OR, in 2006, celebrating everything Black and punk. On the bullshit-fighting front, it was also loudly feminist and radiantly queer. Like a prism, a great ’zine filters the world through a sensibility, resulting in an entire spectrum of rays. Shotgun Seamstress took on scene racism; highlighted Black visionaries including ESG, Sun-Ra, and Brontez Purnell; interviewed musicians like Mick Collins and Poly Styrene; explored the cultures of Nigeria and Brazil; and wholeheartedly celebrated the DIY spirit and artistic life. Gathered together here are all the pages from its eight-issue, nine-year run, and it reads like a party full of people who could change your life. You’ll find yourself reading with many tabs open to keep up with all the new knowledge. As Atoe writes, it’s about “Black people expressing, representing, and documenting the fullest range of our beings col- lectively and individually.” There’s no better way to fight bullshit than that. –Rufus Hickok

MAAME: A Novel

By Jessica George

(St. Martin’s Publishing Group)

The title of Jessica George’s debut novel is a term of endearment that has multiple meanings in Twi, a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana. “In my case, it means ‘woman,’’’ Maddie, the book’s 20-something British-born Ghanian protagonist, says of the nickname her mom bestowed upon her when she was just a little girl. The personal assistant who longs to be a novelist once “loved being viewed as a grown-up before I’d even gotten my period.” After tragedy befalls her family, she begins to unpack the baggage that comes with such a precocious moniker. George, who was born and raised in London to Ghanian parents, brings an authenticity to this coming-of-age story fo- cused on workplace microaggressions, dating outside one’s race, the unique challenges that come with being first generation, and the overwhelming loneliness that comes with growing up too fast. (The achingly naïve Maddie often turns to Google for advice, only to discover it’s a real mixed bag.) It’s hard not to root for Maddie as she tries to recapture her lost youth while also navigating the chaos of her 20s, knowing all the while that growing up is a lifelong project. –Shannon Carlin

REALLY GOOD, ACTUALLY: A Novel

By Monica Heisey

(William Morrow)

Monica Heisey’s debut novel was born out of a need. Not just to write, but to write a book that mirrored her own experience, one that she couldn’t find in any of the literature she encountered. Enter Maggie, a 29-year-old divorcée with a near-empty bank account, a directionless job, and a group of friends reminiscent of Bridget Jones who are mostly willing to join her on her bumpy journey of self-discovery. On the surface, Really Good, Actually, is a novel about heartbreak. At its core, though, it’s a book about modern life, friendship, and the struggle to bridge reality and expectation, and the Schitt’s Creek writer makes hilariously astute observations about it all. At times cringey in its grief-induced self- centeredness and painful in its truth, Heisey perfectly captures the realities of a big, bad breakup, and it couldn’t be more refreshing. Add that to the downright loveable cast and you’ve got the perfect anti-rom com. –Samantha Ladwig

SCREAMING ON THE INSIDE: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood

By Jessica Grose

(Mariner Books)

It’s no secret that American mothers have it rough, but in New York Times journalist Jessica Grose’s new book, she reveals that the struggle is likely even worse than many of us would imagine. Grose compellingly blends memoir with historical, scientific, and sociological research to provide an in-depth look at the current state of motherhood and the factors that brought us to its present, unmanageable state. Unlike other wealthy countries, the U.S. does not have paid maternity and parental leave policies, nor does it offer universal childcare, creating yet another hurdle for mothers in the workforce. Beyond just governmental policy inadequacies, Grose also points out that for centuries now, American women have had to shoulder most of the weight of parental and domestic duties, which can be near impossible when combined with the demands of a career. Through both impressive research and her own endearingly personal and candid narrative, Grose successfully contends that significant social and political changes are necessary to make the responsibilities demanded of a mother (or a parent in general) far more manageable. –Adrienne Urbanski

SUPERFAN: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart

By Jen Sookfong Lee

(McClelland & Stewart)

Jen Sookfong Lee has admittedly always had a parasocial relationship with her pop culture faves. Whether it was NKOTB or Ethan Hawke in Dead Poet’s Society, she used her love of entertainment as a way to connect with the world around her. With Superfan, a mixtape-like memoir structured as a series of short essays, the acclaimed Chinese-Canadian novelist unpacks how her celebrity obsessions saved her in the years after she lost her dad to cancer and her mom slid into a deep depression. It was Bob Ross and his happy trees that helped her grieve (“The Artist”), while Anne of Green Gables offered her a “substitute mom” when hers was too far gone to care (“The Orphan”). But those same cultural obsessions from her youth—Princess Diana, The Joy Luck Club—continue to break Lee’s heart today. And it’s in that bittersweet spot between delight and disgust where the best essays in the book lie, the standout being “The Boys on Film,” in which she writes achingly of Asian fetishization and how it’s forced her to reexamine her crush on Say Anything’s Lloyd Dobler. Lee could not be made whole by her pop culture loves, but Superfan proves that she is greater than the sum of her parts. –Shannon Carlin

THE SURVIVALISTS: A Novel

By Kashana Cauley

(Soft Skull Press)

We might all be survivors, but we’re not all survivalists. That’s the lesson learned the hard way by Aretha, the main character in Kashana Cauley’s debut novel. A high-striving lawyer whose dating life has been a bit underachieving, Aretha thinks everything has changed when she meets Aaron: the chill, dark, and handsome proprietor of the Tactical Coffee roasting company, who also owns his own Brooklyn brownstone, where she might live rent-free—a higher-order survival skill in New York City. The catch: after almost drowning in Hurricane Sandy, Aaron is a bit more serious than she’d like about surviving any potential catastrophe, and his roommates, Brittany and Jordan, are in the full-on bunker-building and gun-stockpiling stage of survivalism. Yet, as a Black millennial woman at a firm that doesn’t want anyone to make partner, Aretha starts thinking her own footing might not be so secure and maybe it could be empowering to break a few laws.

Cauley, a former antitrust lawyer who has written for The Daily Show, knows how to craft a story that is tense, funny as hell, and wise. After all, there’s a difference between living with your fears and living within them. –Rufus Hickok

SWEETLUST

Stories by Asja Bakić, Translated by Jennifer Zoble

(Feminist Press)

This collection of short stories by Bosnian author Asja Bakić, translated by Jennifer Zoble, is delightfully weird. Blending erotica, science fiction, and horror, Sweetlust asks: how does pleasure, both the pursuit of it and the prevalence of it, devastate us? It must be no accident that this book hits shelves on Valentine’s Day. A series of deviant, mostly female protagonists interrogate the disorienting worlds that revolve around them, and as quickly as you can fall into one of these worlds, Bakić pulls you to the next. In the titular essay, “Sweetlust,” a world without men has led to the construction of an erotic amusement park conglomerate, and some are fighting for its deconstruction. In “1740,” time travel may or may not be a solution to climate change, but it is a great way to escape the consequences—“the future I’m about to irreversibly abandon.” Bakić’s interpretation of abduction is also a standout, both in her Persephone-esque “Fellow’s Gully” and the alien-friendly “The Abduction.” The book closes with a wonderful upending of The Sorrows of Young Werther, waxing on the difference between tenderness and violence. Occasionally disturbing and always intoxicating, Sweetlust is well worth the read, and difficult to put down. –Robyn Smith

Weightless: Making Space for My Resilient Body and Soul

By Evette Dionne

(Ecco)

In her triumphant sophomore effort, Evette Dionne, the National Book Award- nominated author of Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box, paints a precise, clear picture of what it’s like these days (and in prior days) for Black women of size, and how we all got here. The intro is a good primer of Dionne’s history with her resilient body and what’s to come, which is not a story about eating habits. Instead, “Weightless is an excavation of a culture that hates fat people and uses institutions, including media, medicine, and marriage, to reinforce that repulsion,” she writes. In the following 13-essay collection, Dionne lays out a compelling chronicle of fat shaming. She covers the moment weight became a public issue in her essay “No Country for Fat Kids,” doubles back to getting it on in the steamy “Turn Off the Lights,” then drops us into plane-ride hell in “Back to the Fat Future.” She explains that society is already against people of size before birth and cites everything from First Lady Michelle Obama’s well-intended health initiative Let’s Move, to those crazy first days of AIM, to women of size on TV shows being relegated to mere comic relief with zero interest in sex. The book is as complete a review as has ever been seen on the topic of weight. Eye-opening is one adjective that could be used to describe it—body-affirming is another. –Whitney Dwire

Whorephobia: Strippers on Art, Work and Life

Edited by Lizzie Borden

(Seven Stories)

Filmmaker and writer Lizzie Borden spent decades obtaining essays from both cur- rent and former strippers for this anthology. While their accounts vary significantly, each provides fascinating insight into both the motivations for engaging in this line of work, as well as the positive and negative aspects of their experience. Borden opens the anthology by reflecting upon her own time working in a brothel, the earnings from which she used to fund her feature film, Working Girls, which drew upon her experiences. In an essay by Cookie Mueller, known for acting in John Waters’ movies, the writer says she found the owners of the club where she worked to be exploitative of the dancers and finally hung up her sequined G-string for good when she encountered a possible serial killer as a client. Reese Piper laments that her autism is easier to handle when working as a dancer than it is in her regular life. Each essay is followed by an interview with the author, which provides further insight into their lives. While the experiences of the writers differ, common themes are the importance of worker’s rights, being fairly compensated, and being protected by management. Overall, Whorephobia is an immensely compelling anthology that gives an honest and authentic look at stripping, and challenges many commonly held beliefs about the women employed in these professions. –Adrienne Urbanski

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2022-2023 print edition. Subscribe today!

Top photo by George Milton on Pexels

Ada Limón was just named the 24th U.S. Poet Laureate in July. Here, writer/actor Amber Tamblyn speaks with her about this huge honor and how poetry can change the world:

Mexican-American poet Ada Limón has long been the not-so-secret weapon of the poetry world—a powerhouse writer who belongs to the people. For two decades, Limón’s work has spoken directly to the hearts of our humanity, making us feel like we belong to her poems, and that, somehow, her poems also belong to us. Through her six poetry collections—one of which, The Carrying, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry—she has conjured the collective grief, joy, rage, and curiosity of a nation’s subconscious. Now, as our 24th U.S. Poet Laureate, the 46-year-old will take her singular voice to the national stage and let it do what it does best: be a salve for a bruised and hurting country in need. I caught up with Limón, a friend I’ve known for over 10 years, to talk about her new laureateship, what still gives her hope, and what comes next, for the country and for poetry.

Where did it all begin for you? How old were you when you wrote your first poem?

I’ve always loved language. Recently, my father was telling my friend how I didn’t learn to speak word by word, but rather I mimicked the music of conversation. I was probably just seven or eight when I wrote my first poem. In my final year of college, at the University of Washington, I started taking poetry while studying theater and everything suddenly clicked for me. I had spent so much time learning how to speak someone else’s language, to embody a character, and now I was asked to speak my own language—to embody myself, wholly and completely. Writing poetry felt like a new type of freedom.

You were just sworn in at a celebration in D.C. as our next U.S. Poet Laureate. What was the experience like?

It was one of the most monumental moments of my lifetime. There was a standing-room-only crowd at the inaugural reading, and I had the pleasure of bringing close friends and family to the reading rooms in the Library of Congress. There I was standing with my father holding Walt Whitman’s walking stick—totally mind-blowing. I was invited to the White House twice, and the first lady even quoted my poem, “Dead Starts,” during a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. The whole week was shiver-inducing.

What do you hope to achieve with your laureateship?

I hope to help people recognize what poetry can do, what its power is, and how it can change us. So much of our lives lately has been about numbing out the world. What I’d love to focus on is how poetry reminds us that we are feelers, not just doers or survivors, but thinking, feeling, human beings experiencing this particular moment in time.

How can poetry change the way we view the world and the brutal politics of our time?

I ask myself that question a lot—can poetry change the world? And often what I come to is, of course it can, because it changes us. I have been changed by a poem many times. I have been moved to tears or laughter, or just gone into the day holding another type of light. I am staring at a tree right now as I answer this, and it’s shivering with fall light and it feels very alive. Even that deep looking—the way a poem can describe blades of grass or the nest built under the freeway overpass—can change us. It changes us because it makes us notice, it makes us watch, and maybe, if we are lucky, even love, the world.

What gives you hope?

There are two things that I return to when I am at a loss for hope: human kindness and the natural world. I think of how many people help one another, go out of their way to be kind, to offer aid, to reach out a hand—that always brings me hope. And then I think of how nature often regenerates and how it goes on, in its own way, and sometimes without us in mind, it goes on; it’s powerful and dangerous and also wondrous and wild. That brings me hope because it shows that nature will find a way, and if nature can find a way, so can we, because we are nature.

Top Photo by Shawn Miller, Library of Congress 

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2022-2023 print edition. Subscribe today!

You’re at your public library looking for a book on abortion. Searching the nonfiction shelves, you come up with nothing, so you make your way to the information desk and ask the clerk for help. The librarian looks in the catalogue and, sure enough, there are no books on the topic in the catalogue—but they do have a few ‘zines on it. Wait, this library has a collection of ‘zines? You head over to find the information you were looking for and find, much to your surprise, even more uncensored DIY materials from all over the world, on a variety of subjects.

But What is a ‘Zine?

As you may already know, ‘zines are self-published texts that are similar in form to magazines. Easy to make and distribute, they are the perfect medium for getting a wide variety of views out there, on paper, and on the cheap. Even in an increasingly digital world, people are discovering ‘zines and adding to their personal collections. The problem is, how do you find them? Turns out that libraries of many kinds—public, special, academic—have their own ‘zine collections. And small organizations like the Queer Zine Archive Project, which can be accessed online and is run by two queer punks in Milwaukee, can designate themselves a ‘zine library without being connected to an institution.

In libraries, ‘zines can fill in information gaps and provide first-hand reports of events soon after they take place. While it can take years for a book to be published by a traditional press, folks who want to get their work on shelves as soon as possible are able to accomplish that by making a ‘zine and donating it to their local ‘zine collection. If it is accepted by the library, this ‘zinester will be part of the library in another exciting way—as an author. More importantly, this process illustrates the agency that many of us have in sharing our uncensored thoughts on issues that are important to us.

Find ‘Zines–And Learn to Make Them!—At Your Local Library

After COVID hit the world, ‘zine librarians adjusted their focus to continue to fit their patrons’ needs. Rather than simply offering ‘zines to their visitors, libraries began promoting ‘zine-making kits, which are still being distributed by some. The Library of Congress, Barnard ‘Zine Library in New York City, and Heights Library in Cleveland are among the libraries that have collected work from contributors and compiled them into COVID ‘zines. 

Kelsey Smith, who “was introduced to ‘zines and ‘zine culture in the late ’80s and began actively reading ‘zines and attending ‘zine fests in the ’90s,” started the Olympia Zine Library in the summer of 2017 with support from her supervisor, the library’s administration, and one intern. Olympia, WA, is known for its seemingly endless do-it-yourself culture, yet despite the town’s familiarity with ‘zines, getting the Olympia Zine Library off the ground wasn’t easy. “I didn’t know enough at that time to realize how much work it was going to be to start a collection,” Smith says. The ‘zine collection, which is split between the Olympia and Lacey Timberland Libraries, includes over 1,700 texts, on a variety of subjects, including community building, fat positivity, homelessness, sustainability, and, of course, punk.

Whether or not they have a ‘zine collection, libraries can, and do, hold ‘zine-making programs. Smith says that her library’s annual “24 Hour Zine Thing” event was her favorite. “Seeing a wide variety of library users, ranging in age from 5 to 85, making creative magic in a room full of typewriters, glue sticks, clip art/collage materials, long-armed staplers, and a photocopier,” she says, “is endlessly rewarding.”

Photos courtesy Alice Wynne

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2022 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! 

In light of the recent overturn of Roe V Wade, blocking access to legal abortion in at least 14 states, there has been a lot of conversation happening on reproductive rights and social practices. The book Ejaculate Responsibly by Gabrielle Stanley Blair uses 28 brief arguments fueled by meticulously sourced facts and studies to challenge men, particularly men against abortion, to take responsibility when it comes to unplanned pregnancies.

Gabrielle Stanley Blair, a Mormon mother of six and creator of the parent lifestyle blog Design Mom, calls attention to “unsexy” sex talk with Ejaculate Responsibly, the title itself being the first step: destigmatizing sex language. In Blair’s book, she tackles the conversation around reproductive rights with a fresh perspective, which is that men, rather than women, should be responsible for preventing pregnancy. (The book begins with a disclaimer stating that this book is representative of cisgender heterosexual relationships and should be regarded as such, so as not to make claim on behalf of nonbinary and transgender individuals, but follows with stating that those experiences are just as valid and important.) Her arguments are pro-choice and pro-abortion, but take things a step further by addressing the social idea that women should be mainly responsible for preventing pregnancy. By making various arguments, such as the fact that men are 50 times more fertile than women, ovulation is involuntary but ejaculation is not, and that vasectomies are less risky than tubal ligations, Blair makes an undeniable point that men, not women,  are the cause of all unwanted pregnancies.

“If you’re sincerely interested in reducing abortion…there is nothing in this book that you wouldn’t be cheering about,” Blair writes. If men actually care about reducing the number of abortions, she argues, then the responsibility for preventing unwanted pregnancies in the first place must be on their shoulders. Yet the fact remains that women are expected to do the work of preventing pregnancies by taking birth control that is often harmful to our bodies, taking Plan B pills that are also harmful, and paying the financial cost for all of it. Blair eloquently sums up this toxic social norm by saying, “We don’t mind if women suffer as long as it makes things easier for men,” she states. 

But the truth of the matter is simple: women cannot choose when they are ovulating, but men can always choose when they ejaculate. Ejaculate Responsibly explains the vast difference between male and female fertility, calls out society for normalizing the idea that men hate condoms and cannot control their sexual urges when this is completely false, and provides alternative options for birth control that depend on men—such as vasectomies and condoms. 

Ejaculate Responsibly has quickly become a literary phenomenon, hitting the New York Times Bestseller list as the second-best nonfiction paperback. The book’s publishing company, Workman Publishing, placed two dozen copies throughout New York on park benches, subway seats, and in the baskets of bikes to spread the word about responsible ejaculation.

Blair and Workman Publishing are encouraging readers to send their copy with a personal letter to anti-abortion political figures to promote education and discussion on a deeply mishandled issue.

Photo Credit: Ben Blair; Gabrielle Blair

There aren’t many astrology books that focus on the in-depth meaning of the moon. Luckily, Narayana Montufar’s best selling astrology book Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power serves as the fantastic lunar book to boost and guide us through every element of the moon.

In astrology, the moon represents our emotions, maternal instincts, emotions (how we express and experience our feelings), the divine feminine, intuition, memories, and comforts. But, it’s so much more than that. The moon shows us how we can help others — as well as ourselves — be the best person we can be. It’s the natural and oldest teller of time, giver and receiver of news or information. The moon changes signs every 2.5 days and goes through every sign of the zodiac — from Aries to Pisces once a month. It moves through its eight phases — from new to full — in 30 days. In each sign and phase, the moon brings different meaning and energy to our lives.

In an astrology chart, the moon is the will — or most important factor of one’s astrological DNA according to the astrologer. Also, the moon progresses and changes signs every year. It progresses and evolves with us as we move forward in life — it grows with us. So, we look to that aspect as well as our natural placement of the moon in our birth chart.

Shining light on the moon is essential for any astrologer — no matter what level of studying astrology that you’re at. This book does an excellent job of explaining the importance and meaning of the lunar activity and aspects. As someone who’s dedicated their life to studying the stars, I often recommend this book to my clients and students. It’s easy to understand and super explanatory. And, no, I’m not just saying that because Narayana is my colleague. The writing is superfluous and flows like a poetic love letter to the moon. While the descriptions and explanations are in depth. Not only that, but the art in the book is really cool.

One thing that’s overlooked is lunar compatibility and it’s an important factor to see how we’ll connect with others according to Narayana. Signs in harsh aspects can create tense relationships, while the ones that harmonize create lovely partnerships. Looking back on my relationships it makes sense. Being a fire sign moon, I’m drawn to and get along best with air and other fire moons. This is a theme that I’ve recently started to explore — which Narayana was ahead of the trend in her book.

If you can, grab a copy of Narayana’s book Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power. You’ll become the authority on the moon and elevate your cosmic awareness. This amazing and wonderful book is an A+! Astrologer approved! -Lisa Stardust 

A cursed priestess, radioactive cockroach women, and a warrior with her head chopped off, along with many more symbolic and oh-so-real stories of the female race through the ages fill the book, Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby. A stunning debut, this collection of twenty-one flash fiction and short stories brings women from as far back as the Trojan era right up to modern-day life to the same level, presenting the reader with a stark reality of how similar we all are in the end. 

As many women and femme people are these days, “Cassandra is done, full the fuck up, soul weary.” Kirby begins the book’s opening story, “Shit Cassandra Saw But Didn’t Tell the Trojans Because at That Point Fuck Them Anyways.” It’s the story of Cassandra—the daughter of the last king of the ancient 1300 BCE city of Troy—who is a future-seeing priestess that would later predict the fall of the Trojan Empire. Cassandra is dedicated to the god Apollo, who “when she refused his advances…spit in her mouth so that she would never again be believed.” Hitting the reader with profound symbolism of the social injustices women face when turning away from men’s desires, rendering her insignificant.

“A virgin the same as a seduced woman the same as a violated woman the same as a willing woman, all women opening their mouths to watch snakes slither out and away.”

Kirby’s witty, raw, heartfelt, exhausted, pissed-off, tender words echo through the page and will live in your head rent-free for the rest of your life, and I’m not mad about it. She calls attention to the high school girls ogled by creepy old men in “We Handle It”, a mother sitting at home hot-gluing costumes for the school play alone while berated by an 18th-century ghost in “Here Preached His Last” for cheating on her absent husband, to the divorcee mom whose sanity depends on her DIY bathroom tile job in “How to Retile Your Bathroom in 6 Easy Steps!”. Kirby pulls a thread through these characters’ stories, connecting them organically, making them as familiar as a next-door neighbor.

Through unconventional writing styles like a Yelp review in “Jerry’s Crab Shack: One Star,” and effortlessly impactful prose, Shit Cassandra Saw is a bubbling cauldron of sci-fi, historical fiction, and modern wit that quietly pierces the reader with a demand to be heard, to be understood. Kirby’s characters, while flawed, present themselves with confidence and certainty. Though some of the stories end in seemingly undesirable endings for her characters, she has mastered their tone of relentless acceptance of their fate nonetheless, running at it head-on, guns cocked, and ready to fight.

Author Photo by Claire Kirby

ACNE: A Memoir

By Laura Chinn
(Hachette Books) 

Let’s say you were to pick up a copy of a book that had a very straightforward title, something that made you think of your own goofy teen years. Pretend that the first couple of pages in this book neatly adhered to said title and took you to that dorky, hormonal place. Imagine that the book then veered into a painfully funny, raw, and even scary collection of personal essays that—stay with me—still somehow managed to incorporate the title as a unifying theme. Great news: this magical book exists. And in it, Laura Chinn does an admirable job of making her tumultuous early life relatable in a series of unflinchingly honest discourses about her ongoing battles with debilitating acne, among other onerous conditions. As a tween, Chinn is tasked with more responsibility than most adults. Navigating divorced, largely absent Scientologist parents; being biracial; and having a sibling suddenly stricken with a brain tumor—none of these experiences normally screams comedy gold. But Chinn (creator and star of the criminally underrated sitcom Florida Girls) deftly imparts her stories with such wit that they’re never maudlin. Acne delivers on the awkwardness that its name implies in more ways than one. – BRANDY BARBER

TOO MUCH LIFE

By Clarice Lispector
(Penguin)

Clarice Lispector, a Ukrainian-born Brazilian modernist author and essayist, casually known by loving readers as Clarice, blew the public away in 1943 when she was just 23 with her novel Near to the Wild Heart (Perto do Coração Selvagem). In 1967 she began writing a weekly column of crônicas—a Brazilian newspaper tradition where writers share short stories, essays, or diary entries directly with the public—which she continued for seven years. Too Much of Life is a collection of those columns, and it reads like a chatty friend popping in to tell you about breakfast, the war, or the kids, and leaves you with philosophical questions, like Why do we do what we do, and who is creating art about it all? Stories like “Yes” (a two-line exchange between friends), “Our Victory” (a brief one-page monologue), and “The Unknown Book” (one desperate paragraph) seem to distill just what’s been on the tip of your tongue or at the back of your mind. Life’s mundanity turns to art in the masterful hands of Clarice, and this collection deserves to be savored. – BRIANNE KANE

YEAR OF THE TIGER: An Activist’s Life

By Alice Wong 
(Vintage)

Disability activist and writer Alice Wong was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that affects the central nervous system. As a kid, Wong, who now uses a wheelchair and a BiPap machine, felt a kinship with the X-Men, the Marvel mutants whose gene mutations gave them superpowers. “I grew up hearing terms such as weakness, congenital, defect, pathology, and abnormal associated with me,” she writes. But those words “transformed into sources of power and resistance as I fell into my imagination,” and this book is the product of that imagination. The founder and director of Disability Visibility Project, an online community that advances disability media and culture, Wong forgoes the conventional memoir for something more creative—and more candid. Part scrapbook, part activist manifesto, Year of the Tiger includes personal essays on being “an angry Asian American disabled girl” and the fragility of her Medicaid coverage. She celebrates procrastination as a creative practice, writes of pandemic inequality, and shares her opinion on the ableist themes in 1999’s The Bone Collector. The collection offers a meticulously curated look at who Wong is: a superhero who never needed a cape. –SHANNON CARLIN

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Fall 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Amber Tamblyn’s Poetry Corner

 We Are Mermaids (Graywolf Press) is a potent meditation on personal excavations, written with wit, honesty, and introspection by the singular trans writer, cultural critic, and poet-at-large Stephanie Burt. Burt’s poems are illuminations of life’s many transitions; of living between worlds, identities, beliefs, and stories. In the poem “My 1994,” Burt writes: “I didn’t know. But I knew. I took off the dress/Kay offered and apologized for my striped boxers./I called myself a kid in a candy store/When I was a teen in a lingerie store. I wanted.” And in the title poem, “We Are Mermaids,” Burt declares: “You can live with your doubt,/that’s why it’s yours./ Some of us are going to be okay.” In a volatile world where so much makes us ask whether or not we will, in fact, be OK, Burt’s poems don’t aim to answer that question for us—to give peace or closure on existential uncertainty—but they do ask us to participate in our own lives, in the magical act of our own living, in commiseration, and celebration of our fullest potential, no matter the journey to get there. 

header photo by Danielle St. Laurent

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2020 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! 

Best known for her novels Everything I Never Told You (2014) and Little Fires Everywhere (2017), New York Times bestselling author Celeste Ng is a wildly imaginative creator of family sagas. Her third novel, Our Missing Hearts, is a suspense story revolving around a young man and his estranged mom that comes out October 4. Here, Ng shares the routines that keep her writing her way into the future.

Your new novel, Our Missing Hearts, is set in a dystopian future America. What elements of today’s world did you draw upon to create this alternate vision of reality?

When I started writing the book, it felt dystopian. In the six years it took me to finish, however, many parts of the story have become reality. That’s not me being a prophet—we have a long history of injustices in our country and when we don’t learn from the past, history repeats itself. I’m not sure it’s even accurate to call the novel dystopian; it’s more like America 10 minutes from now.

Do you prefer to write longhand or to type? If you type, what kind of software do you use?

I type, because I type a lot faster than I handwrite and I tend to lose thoughts if I don’t get them down quickly. However, when I’m struggling with a scene or an idea, I often need to slow down—then I’ll handwrite in a notebook. When I’m typing, I use Scrivener or Word.

How many hours a day do you devote to writing and do you ever take days off?

Since my son was born—so, for over a decade—my writing days have been structured around his school schedule. I get to my desk by 9 a.m. and try and work until about 3 p.m. That said, I’m not always writing during those times; depending on where I am in the project, sometimes I’m reading, thinking, or daydreaming. And there are days when writing is just not happening. That’s usually a sign that I need to take a break, and I try not to feel bad about it.

Where is your preferred writing space and what does it look like?

I usually write in my office, which is a spare bedroom on the top floor of my house. I have windows and light and plants, and lots of little trinkets and cards around that put me in the right mood—poems I love, lucky charms from friends, and so on. And a whiteboard for notes to myself, and a fuzzy blanket for when it’s cold, and a cupboard with snacks in it. And then a ton of books, of course.

Do you listen to music while writing or do you prefer silence?

I don’t need silence, but I don’t usually put on music with lyrics because the words get in the way of my words. However, I love writing in coffee shops, and at my favorite one, the staff takes turns selecting the music and sometimes they even sing along—it’s such a mood lifter.

Do you have a pet peeve about the writing life?

It gets lonely, because so much of the work you do has to take place inside your head. But that said, I really love writing and I feel lucky that I get to do it as much as I do.

–Emily Rems

Header photo by Kieran Kesner 

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Fall 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

My introduction to books about grief happened a few weeks after my mother died. It was 1996, the weekly support group I’d been attending had just ended, and the counselor invited me back to his office to give me a book that I “had to read.” It was new, he cheered, so very confident in his recommendation.

The book was Hope Edelman’s Motherless Daughters, and as the counselor predicted, it changed the trajectory of my post-loss life. In its 283 pages, I learned how other women, including Edelman, had successfully navigated their motherless lives and felt newly emboldened that I could, too. Some had built a circle of maternal support to replicate what they’d lost (leaning on older sisters, close friends, and aunts), while others seized new identities as survivors who could successfully tackle other challenges. 

Listen World!, the first biography of American writer Elsie Robinson, is about a woman who launched a journalism career without connections or a college education, endured the death of her only son, and through her own moxie and grit, became the highest-paid woman writer in the William Randolph Hearst media empire. Her story embraces the rags-to-riches trope, but also reveals how a bereft single mother created a fulfilling life despite unimaginable sorrow. “Pain is part of growth,” she wrote. “To have felt deeply is worth anything it cost.”

Understanding the details of Robinson’s life offers the opportunity to learn from her journey and be inspired. This type of uplift and validation is often associated with non-fiction, memoir, self-help, and poetry. But biography has transformative power, too. Readers can glean meaningful insight from how others grapple with loss and journey onward. 

I hope that Listen, World! resurrects Elsie Robinson’s remarkable legacy. For more than 35 years, she used her national platform to denounce racism, support workers’ rights, and call out gender inequality. “I’m tired of hearing the differences of men and women emphasized and exploited, she wrote in April 1922, more than a decade before Gloria Steinem was born. “It has built a wicked wall between the sexes and it’s time we knocked it down.” Too many women’s histories have been erased over time. But I also wish for something else: to elevate biography as an untapped tool for helping readers navigate grief. 

Below are 10 biographies that explore grief in deeply felt and impactful ways. 

Walk With Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer by Kate Clifford Larson

Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report Magazine; Restored by Adam Cuerden, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Fannie Lou Hamer was one of the most power voices in the civil rights era. She helped organize Freedom Summer in 1964, a voter registration drive aimed at increasing the number of registered Black voters in the segregated South. The grief revealed in this biography is at once what most readers might expect (the loss of a loved one, and in the case of Hamer, her parents) but also the immeasurable anguish over Hamer’s inability to bear children, the grotesque fallout of undergoing surgery for a uterine tumor and receiving an unnecessary hysterectomy – her white doctor saw the procedure as a perverse opportunity, an example of the forced sterilization of Black women to decrease the Black population. The story of this 1960s pioneer is a master class in channeling grief into game-changing activism.

Mina Loy: Apology of Genius  by Mary Ann Caws

Public domain

Mina Loy, painter and poet, long-grieved the loss of her husband, Oscar Wilde’s nephew, Arthur Cravan. The couple met in 1917, and one year later, when Loy was pregnant with their first child, Cravan disappeared at sea on a trip to Argentina. Navigating loss is often more challenging when the bereaved carry the additional weight of uncertainty. This biography captures that gnawing pain beautifully. 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This breathing examination of the life of Henrietta Lacks, a woman at the center of a decades-long medical ethics controversy, allows readers an intimate look at what it means for multiple generations of one family to make meaning of a loved one’s life and death. This book, while not a traditional biography, also paints a heartbreaking picture of a daughter seeking to understand the mother she never got to know.

American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama by Rachel Swarns

Public domain

To better understand ourselves and the lives of others, it is said, we must recognize our past, perhaps going back hundreds of years. This is the expertly delivered promise of American Tapestry, a riveting account of the first lady’s family, a genealogical excavation that includes family members who were once enslaved in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. For those of us who find comfort in the realization that pain often leads to wholly unexpected uplift and growth, this book will be a welcome salve.  

The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation By Anna Malaika Tubbs

Louise Little (Malcolm X), Alberta King (Martin Luther King, Jr.), and Berdis Baldwin (James Baldwin) all outlived their sons. And while readers come to see how each mother informed her son’s life and work (through music, writing, and poetry), an essential takeaway is how these mothers, formidable women all, were ignored by scholars and historians, prodding readers to consider how they might take steps to control how they’ll be remembered.

In the Houses of Their Dead: The Lincolns, the Booths, and the Spirits by Terry Alford

Public domain

Published this year, this biography investigates how Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, and their families were influenced by Spiritualism, a popular practice in the 19th century that embraced mediumship as a means to connect the living with the dead. The notion was of particular curiosity to Lincoln as he grappled with the death of his son and sought relief from his crushing sorrow.

Victoria: Portrait of a Queen by Catherine Reef

Public domain

Queen Victoria, the first member of the Royal family to live at Buckingham Palace, never stopped longing for her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who died of typhoid fever, according to his doctors, in 1861, when he was just 42 years old. The loss affected how she carried out her duties and lived at home. She became reclusive and slept under Albert’s coat at night, literally enshrouding herself in grief. Often, the paths other people take can serve not as a beacon but a warning.

Up from the Depths: Herman Melville, Lewis Mumford, and Rediscovery in Dark Times by Aaron Sachs

The primary argument of this biography is that loss shapes the way we view our past and how we build our future. Both subjects of this book, one the author of Moby-Dick, the other an esteemed philosopher and cultural critic, suffered the deaths of children and each infused these profound experiences into their work. As Sachs posits, it is illuminating “to rediscover the struggles of our forebears.” 

All the Horrors of War: A Jewish Girl, a British Doctor, and the Liberation of Bergen-Belsen  by Bernice Lerner

This book reveals the story of the author’s mother, Rachel Genuth, who was 14-years-old when she last saw her parents and four younger siblings at Auschwitz-Birkenau. After her family was murdered (one sister, Elisabeth, also survived), Genuth was eventually transported to Bergen-Belsen where she was held prisoner – always strategizing how to obtain extra rations of food – until the concentration camp was liberated by the British in 1945. Genuth went on to marry and now has five great grandchildren. At its core, Lerner crafts a gripping narrative that will demonstrate how to meet life with hope after enduring inhumane trauma.

The Life of William Faulkner: The Past Is Never Dead, 1897-1934 (Volume 1) and The Life of William Faulkner: This Alarming Paradox, 1935–1962 (Volume 2)  by Carl Rollyson

Public domain

Both volumes of The Life of William Faulkner explore, to varying degrees, the consequences of Faulkner and his wife, Estelle, losing their daughter just days after she was born. In response to their shared tragedy, Faulkner wrote what is now one of the most frequently quoted lines in literature, “Between grief and nothing I will take grief.” 

Perhaps a biography should be written of Hope Edelman. Reading a book about an author who suffered loss and has devoted nearly her entire career to examining its repercussions would certainly be meta – and invaluable. 

Allison Gilbert is co-author of Listen, World!: How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

 Header Photo by cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-yellow-long-sleeve-shirt-lying-on-couch-4866043/

The Fortunes of a Jaded Woman 

By Carolyn Huynh 

(Simon and Schuster)

At its heart, Carolyn Huynh’s debut novel is a love story—because love is the reason the entire Duong family is cursed. Long ago, their ancestor Oanh left her marriage for true love, a brave and unconventional decision that her mother-in-law wasn’t going to let her get away with. And so she sought the aid of a fearsome witch to ensure that Oanh suffered for her shameful choice. The curse? That no Duong ever experience true love or happiness, and that the women for generations to follow onlybirth daughters, making it impossible for their ancestors to visit their home in the afterlife.From the Hoàng Liên SơnMountains to Orange County’s Little Saigon, we follow the Duong family as they try to make do with the curse they can’t seem to shake, no matter how many medicines they consume and psychics they visit. With each effort, though, they ostracize themselves from the very people they wish to be close to.The Fortunes of Jaded Women is a hilarious and heartfelt story about a fractured family finding its way back to each other. -Samantha Ladwig

People Person: A Novel

By Candice Carty-Williams

(Simon & Schuster)

Candice Carty-Williams keeps it all in the family in her highly anticipated sophomore novel, a dark comedy whose threads are woven together by a vibrant cast of characters so different from one another, you’d never suspect they were related—and neither would they.Despite sharing an absent father, 30-year-old Dimple Pennington and her four other siblings have spent very little time together. But all that changes one night when Dimple, with no one else to turn to, sends an SOS call to her older sister after a dramatic, almost inconceivable event between her and her wayward boyfriend. The eldest arrives with the three remaining siblings in tow and, as they work to clean up Dimple’s colossal mess, they unexpectedly get to know each other along the way. What follows is a tender portrait of a nontraditional. -Samantha Ladwig

Black Cake: A Novel

 By Charmaine Wilkerson

(Ballantine Books)

It is easy to understand why this page-turner of a novel is a New York Times bestseller. For one, within its pages the same woman dies three times and lives to tell the tales. Can you imagine?! Beyond the engrossing, alluring, heart-stopping nature of the plot, it is in the details, too, that Wilkerson brings you intoBlack Cake’s world and makes you never want to leave it. The primary protagonist, Covey Lyncook, is a brilliant swimmer whose fiery personality and daring bravery lead to both her trouble and her success. In Wilkerson’s layered, multigenerational, multi-timeline story, we can see how Covey’s traits are passed onto her children, and how trauma, too, can be shared. “The biggest moments of our lives are often just that, a matter of seconds when something shifts and we react and everything changes,” writes Wilkerson, challenging readers to think about moments in their own lives that lead to pivots we would never have expected. With Black Cake, which is a joy to read and often cathartic, there isn’t a clear answer to what moments define us most, but there is one regarding what we want to leave behind for the people we love. -Robyn Smith 

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Fall 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Women in Politics’ Little Lawmakers: How to Turn a Bill Into Law teaches kids that no matter how young you are or where you come from, if you believe in yourself (and maybe the power of a crustacean pin), you can use your voice to advocate for your beliefs. Filled with fascinating historical facts and comprehensible concepts, Little Lawmakers is a funny and compelling children’s book for kids of all ages.

 

 

 

 

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The children’s book follows best friends Nina and Ronin as they visit the U.S. Capitol with their class. They meet Congresswoman Ritah Akumu, a representative for the state of Maryland who teaches them the importance of being proud of who you are and where you come from (she’s the one who wears that afore-mentioned crustacean brooch, which is the symbol for the state of Maryland). When the two lose sight of their teacher and classmates, they stumble into an important meeting and get a front-row seat to what happens when a bill is turned into law. As Nina and Ronin learn how a law is made in Congress, they have the chance to voice their beliefs and realize their own powerful roles in creating change. After accidentally encountering an important meeting in which politicians were debating whether or not to install seatbelts on buses, Nina and Ronin provided the adults with their perspective and thus promoted their beliefs. From this adventure, they learned to speak up, stand tall, and stand strong in the face of adversaries. Little Lawmakers not only makes learning fun but also highlights how women and people of color can and should be in positions of power in the U.S. government. In writing this children’s book, the organization Women in Politics educates, illuminates, and inspires young boys and girls. 

Women in Politics was founded by Rebecca Joseph in May 2020 with the aim to promote equality in politics. 10% of proceeds from this book will be donated to SheShouldRun, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that wants to increase the number of women running for public office. 

You can purchase Little Lawmakers on Amazon today.

Little Lawmakers was released on July 23, 2022. 

Header image by bookdragon on Pixabay 

Little Lawmakers cover art by Rebecca Joseph 

Imagine finally securing your dream career, only to find out that, in this field, marriage, weight gain and aging are firable offenses. This was the reality of a flight attendant’s workplace in the early to mid-20th century, where humiliation was commonplace, weigh-ins were routine and sexual harassment was encouraged. 

 Airlines all over the world branded flight attendants as sexual objects since the origin of the job, requiring them to work in sexy outfits that were severely impractical for life-saving situations and establishing rules to make sure every employee remained desirable and attainable to passengers. When a flight attendant had the audacity to surpass a certain weight (which was routinely measured by their employer), get married, or, god forbid, age past 35, they would be terminated. Because this career was viewed as offering such a desirable and glamorous lifestyle, women would enter the field despite the known fragility of flight attendant employment. 

Nell McShane Wulfhart’s The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Rebellion at 30,000 Feet, tells the story of real flight attendants unionizing and fighting against mistreatment from the airlines that employed them. For spirited Patt Gibbs, the career was a means of escape from her family farm and away from her overpowering mother. Wulfhart lets us see training camp through Gibbs’ eager eyes, experiencing a charm school of sorts where each aspiring attendant learns to become a congenial and efficient air hostess, while instructors monitor their caloric intake and handcraft each student into a “lady.” 

Gibbs eventually joins a union, which brings us to more flight attendants who were unhappy with the conditions. This is a story about finding the courage to question what is being shoved down your throat as “normal” and to fight bitterly against injustice. Being a stewardess was seen as a job you pass through before you get married and have children, while identical jobs held by men were considered respectable endeavors. Gibbs meets more and more enraged women as she rises to union leadership. We also meet Sonia Pressman, a lawyer who played a role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which had a provision regarding equal employment opportunities. This provision led to the establishment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the institution that was instrumental in the liberation of stewardesses. 

 Wulfhart develops an intersectional perspective of workplace abuse, paying close attention to the disproportionate abuse and exclusion of Black women by airlines. The stakes stay high for all of the flight attendants throughout the book, making it a gripping and exciting read. As the unions gain strength, the airlines ramp up their tactics of keeping their employees obedient, putting out even more sexual advertisements, and dressing them in increasingly impractical uniforms. With legal forces like Sonia and feminist icons like Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan by their side, the stewardesses gave the airlines hell. In 1934, the first woman piloted a commercial plane, and in the 70s and 80s, an influx of men into the industry wiped away the gendered undertones of the profession. Wulfhart captures the urgency of the flight attendant’s liberation with grace, using the stories of specific employees and allies to increase the reader’s investment in the success of the movement. This book is a satisfying victory for anyone who has ever been put in a box and has relished proving them all wrong.

Archives New Zealand from New Zealand, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Hotbed: Bohemian Greenwich Village and the Secret Club that Sparked Modern Feminism By Joanna Scutts (Seal Press)

Among the stories left untold from the women’s rights movement is the history of Heterodoxy, a secret club that helped shape first-wave feminism. Marie Jenney Howe, a Unitarian minister, formed Heterodoxy in 1912 when she came to Greenwich Village, in N.Y.C., as part of her suffrage activism. Most of the club’s members were involved in the suffrage movement but believed that achieving the right to vote would not be enough liberation for women. Rather, they hoped it could be a springboard toward greater gender equality. Among the club’s members were the writers Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Susan Glaspell. While the group initially consisted solely of privileged white women, it eventually became more diverse. Grace Nail Johnson, the group’s only Black member, pushed Heterodoxy members to gain a deeper understanding of race and how it factored into their fight. Meanwhile, working-class feminists focused on labor issues. The women of Heterodoxy pursued freedom for women on many fronts, including birth control, maternity leave, and maintaining independence in marriage. Scutts has created a narrative in which the subjects come alive as fully developed beings. This is an important work for understanding the history of feminism as well as contextualizing the current state of modern-day feminism and its potential future. –ADRIENNE URBANSKI

Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation By Maud Newton (Random House) 

Ever wondered about the story of your family’s roots beyond the DNA test results from 23AndMe? Award-winning writer Maud Newton did, and her debut book is an engaging memoir about the quest for truth and the unanswered questions buried deep within her own ancestry. In a story that is part genealogical scavenger hunt, part cultural critique, and part American history, Newton’s highly researched memoir grapples with the complexities of her family tree and how it informs her life. Since childhood, Newton, who is white, has been obsessed with—and upset by—stories of her Southern ancestors: from her grandfather who came of age during the Great Depression, to her attorney father who eulogized the virtues of slavery, to the religious fanaticism of her family’s maternal line that caused an ancestor to be accused of being a witch. The story is told in a nonlinear fashion that interweaves texts and stories from our nation’s history with those of Newton’s own ancestors, and some readers may find themselves backtracking throughout the story to connect the dots. Readers will also be transfixed by the stories Newton uncovers about her family members and moved by witnessing the transformative power that reckoning with one own’s past can have. –CHIARA ATOYEBI

Bitch: On the Female of the Species By Lucy Cooke (Basic Books)

I devoured zoologist Lucy Cooke’s latest book the way a female golden orb weaver spider devours the male: voraciously. Cooke strikes down the notion that scientists make for poor communicators—her prose is cinematic, energetic, and hilarious. The book explores female aggression and dominance, maternity, genitalia, reproduction, and sexual selection (including lesbian albatrosses!). We accompany Cooke on various adventures, from scooping whale poop (to study menopause in orcas, naturally) to climbing snowy mountains to watch the mating dance of the sage grouse. Estimably, Bitch calls for “a sex-neutral approach when forecasting animal behavior. One that [is] shaped by the environment, developmental and life history along with random events.” It embraces the idea that to be female is to be on a spectrum of sex that’s definable only by its plasticity. The takeaway is that, like with other animals, human sexual expression is akin to breathing—an involuntary process and a conscious choice. When Bitch wasn’t radicalizing my views on sex, it had me cooing over observations like that of chubby seal pups rolling unstoppably as their little flippers can’t reach the ground. This book is highly recommended to anyone who enjoy animals, humor, queer theory, feminism, or all of the above. –ROBYN SMITH

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Summer 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Mika in Real Life: A Novel

By Emiko Jean

(William Morrow)

At 35, Mika Suzuki is nowhere near where her younger self had hoped she would be. Single, recently fired, living with her best friend slash possible hoarder, and an ongoing disappointment to her traditional Japanese parents, Mika can’t seem to put out one fire before another begins. When Penny, the daughter she placed for adoption 16 years ago, reaches out, Mika believes that the only path forward is a semi-fictionalized one, giving the facade of her life a facelift while keeping her hopes, dreams, and heritage intact. But it doesn’t take long before Mika learns that you can’t build bonds with half-truths, and that maybe motherhood isn’t as straightforward as she originally thought. In her adult debut, young adult author Emiko Jean uses a timeless trope to create something fresh and new. Jean gently balances the comedy of Mika juggling her fabrications with the complicated nature of adoption, ultimately offering readers a book that’s sure to make them laugh, cry, and hug when it’s over. Mika in Real Life is a moving blend of humor and heart.  –Samantha Ladwig

The Lies I Tell: A Novel

By Julie Clark

(Sourcebooks Landmark)

Author Julie Clark returns to the domestic thriller genre with The Lies I Tell, a propulsive, modern-day Robin Hood tale centering on a con artist with a conscience and a journalist whose career was halted before it even got started. Meg Williams goes by many names, and Kat Roberts—whose life was turned upside down a decade ago by the very same woman—is intent on tracking down every single one of them. Luck falls into her lap when Meg returns to Los Angeles, this time acting as a real estate agent under her actual name. Kat, with little to lose and a lot to prove, steps into Meg’s orbit. As the two inch closer, though, it becomes clear that their reasons for coming together are more complex than either originally believed. The Lies I Tell is an intricately woven tale that at first appears to be a revenge story, but through its engaging exploration of morality and power structures, is actually rooted in restoration. Readers can expect to be totally consumed by this tense, deftly written game of cat-and-mouse. –Samantha Ladwig

Last Summer on State Street: A Novel

By Toya Wolfe

(William Morrow)

Toya Wolfe’s debut novel is set in a place that she knows well: the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago. The author, like her protagonist Felicia “Fe Fe” Stevens, grew up in the South Side housing project composed of 28 buildings that were entirely demolished by 2007. The book begins in the summer of 1999, in the early years of the nearly decade-long demolition, when 12-year-old Fe Fe becomes wise to the ways in which her community, like those buildings, is crumbling all around her. She sees her sweet 16-year-old brother get swallowed up by gang life. She spots her new friend Tonya being hauled off by strange men as her mom walks the streets looking for drugs. Last Summer is not autobiographical, but its strength is that it feels like it was written by someone who understands the pain, the joy, and the fears of growing up in a place that doesn’t seem to care about its people. Wolfe offers an unvarnished look at what it’s like to live in underfunded city housing, but she’s more interested in the hopes of a kid with an entire future still ahead of her. In the end, Fe Fe’s future, just like Wolfe’s, looks bright.
–Shannon Carlin

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Summer 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

 L.A.-based novelist Ottessa Moshfegh made a grand entrance into the literary world in 2015 when her debut, Eileen, won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her avid readership has grown exponentially since then thanks to the popularity of her subsequent books including My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Death in Her Hands, and her latest, Lapvona, out June 23. Here, Moshfegh spills the tea on how her imaginary worlds come to be.

 Your new novel, Lapvona, is a historical fantasy brimming with magical realism. What methods did you employ while writing to shut out everyday life and fully immerse yourself in a totally different world?

Honestly, it wasn’t hard to shut out everyday life because I began this project during the lockdown. There’s something about where I live, in a shady glen surrounded by mountains on one side, and the sprawl of a metropolis on the other, that made imagining a medieval time and place really easy. My home is built out of stones collected from a church after an earthquake. I even have a mission bell. So, there’s this sacred chill that runs through the place and the nature surrounding it is really magical.

 This book veers more into the realm of fantasy but much of your previous work has been very realistic. Does your writing practice change based on the style of the project?

Every book requires a different process. One thing I’ve learned to love is the practice of allowing myself to write freely, informally, to generate as many thoughts, ideas, gestures, bits of dialogue, moments, scenes, and happenings as I can before I start drafting a novel. That has been consistent for a while. For Lapvona, that practice clued me into the fact that the story was not one that could be told through one character’s perspective. Unlike my previous novels, I knew I had to write this one in the third person and from multiple points of view. That certainly changed my practice—as well as the style.

 Do you prefer to write longhand or type or use apps?

I will make notes longhand if I’m not at my computer. I do a lot of dictation when I’m driving—the hypnotic state always gives me space to think of new things (like being in the shower). I use the Voice Memos app on my iPhone for that. I composed Lapvona in Word on my MacBook at home.

 How many hours a day do you devote to writing and do you ever take days off?

It varies according to where I am in the process. When I’m writing a first draft, I can’t write for more than a few hours a day. But when I’m revising, I can work 8, 9, 10 hours. I don’t like taking days off when I’m working on a novel, but I often take breaks between drafts to give myself room to breathe.

 Where is your preferred writing space?

I work in my bedroom, often surrounded by dogs. Because I have a spinal issue that can make sitting very painful, I write in bed quite a bit.

 Do you listen to music or do you prefer silence?

I’m a silence person. If one dog is snoring, that’s kind of nice. But if two are snoring, it’s too much.

 Are you alone when you write?

I live with the aforementioned four dogs and my gorgeous and fascinating husband [Luke Goebel]. I spent the earlier part of my life so isolated and alone, it’s really nice to keep the door open and feel like I’m still swimming in the river of life these days.

 What do you like to wear when you write?

Versace, Versace, Versace. Just kidding! I am addicted to old-fashioned, men’s-style cotton pajamas. My mother-in-law gave me a long, gray, cashmere sweater that I wear during the winter. I own six pairs of the same fuzzy socks. Feeling like I might slip into a dream at any moment is key for me.

Lapvona is on sale now. 

 Photo: Jake Belcher

 This interview originally appeared in BUST’s Summer 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

 “There is so much more to drag than what you see on television.”–LA drag queen Psycadella Facade.

 If the scope of your drag knowledge starts and ends with RuPaul’s Drag Race,, a few drag brunches, and bachelorette parties, you’re doing yourself a disservice. TV shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race helped bring drag from the underground to the cultural mainstream, but have also drawn criticism from queer and drag communities into what drag is, was, and could be. From Brooklyn based artist and lifelong drag performer Harry James Hanson and San Francisco based writer and floral stylist Devin Antheus comes Legends of Drag: Queens of a Certain Age—a stunning 240-page photo book and rich archive of living drag history, that seeks to widen the narrower ideas of the art form, expand the world’s knowledge of the roots of drag and gay liberation, and reinvigorate the value of acknowledging/honoring our trailblazing queer elders.

Authors Hanson and Antheus traveled across the U.S. hitting 16 different cities to meet with and photograph a whopping 81 drag pioneers, some of whom passed away soon after their interviews took place. Hanson served as the book’s photographer, capturing the queens’ larger-than-life personas in striking portraits complete with Antheus’ custom floral arrangements. The accompanying biographies offer a window into these drag legends’ groundbreaking journeys; the hardships, the joy, the bliss and the grit. 

The biographies are full of anecdotes from the icons themselves, soundbites that showcase their charisma, wit, and at times, their knack for hyperbole. 

“Tony Danza came to see my show once. I sat on his lap and he got a boner. He still follows me on Instagram,” LA icon The Goddess Bunny said. Sadly, the queen passed away January 2021, but like many, her essence was captured within the pages of this book. Hanson and Antheus said the last time they spoke with her, Goddess Bunny said she’d just befriended the director of the CIA while on Brad Pitt’s Instagram. “I’ve known Brad since he was a twink! We were both twinks!” Bunny added.

 But it wasn’t just performative storytelling that made the profiles interesting—the queens were also vulnerable. They shared stories of devastating loss from the AIDS epidemic and substance abuse. Like Dallas drag queen Tasha Kohl, who was very open about her “demons and struggles with anxiety and depression.” 

 “I was a desperate alcoholic and addict. I disappeared from the craft for a decade because of that,” Tasha shared. “Then the late eighties and nighties hit, when all my friends dropped dead around me, and it took me to a really dark place. When I finally got some help, I had to learn to reprogram my brain when it tries to go to those dark places.” She credits drag as essential to her healing process: “When I get creative and put myself to work, there’s no room for the darkness.”

 The book also highlights the queer community’s endurance of constant police brutality, and how the compounding abuse led to the pushback that sparked the gay liberation movement. 

 Houston legend Dina Jacobs puts it plainly: “Who fought hardest for our gay pride? The drag queens. And they were drag queens—I don’t care what anybody says. Who was there doing all the benefits for AIDS, back in the eighties? The drag queens…There were so many trials and tribulations back in the sixties, but we didn’t care. We’d get beat up by the cops and all that. It was a nightly thing. But we didn’t worry about the repercussions—we just did what we wanted to do with our lives.”

The book shares the types of “draconian methods used to police queens” back in the day–like in Oregon, needing to wear two articles of men’s clothing under your drag or you’d go to jail immediately, or in Hawaii, where it was required “that men performing in drag had to wear a sign that said, ‘I am a boy.’” If the queens were caught without their signs, “they faced hefty fines due to an ‘intent to deceive’ clause in Hawaii’s disorderly conduct statute.” Antheus and Hanson emphasize that clubs and private homes were not that much safer, since “the clubs were subject to frequent raids, as were the queens’ homes—the cops knew where each of them lived.”

“The cops were really ugly to the drags, but there were some cops who were going with the drags at the same time,” queen Dina Jacobs added. “As long as nobody saw, they were good with it. I want people to know what we went through in the sixties, because it wasn’t just my life. It was everybody around me. We all went through the same thing. We were fighting all of this bigotry before Stonewall; we were doing all of it.” 

Ultimately, the elder’s stories are ones of survival, and ones that need to be relayed and heard. From the trans women that started the Compton Cafeteria Riots and the Stonewall Inn Uprising (hey Marsha) that catapulted the gay liberation movement, to serving the community virus after virus that continue to devastate marginalized communities the most, Legends of Drag is a reminder of how important it is to pay tribute and listen to the drag queens and queer icons that paved the way. With this book, Hanson and Antheus hope to foster intergenerational communication.

SF queen Renita Valdez expressed this need for transmission in her profile: “I have done things that you have not done. Young people need to understand what we went through.” The authors add, “In SF, those who hold the stories of the old city, quite literally ghost stories, are becoming rare creatures. Especially within those communities who’ve lost entire generations of elders to AIDS and the biopolitical nightmare the disease wrecked upon the city throughout its first decades. Having borne witness to the transformations and resiliency of the queer undercurrents over the better half of the last century, Renita stands as a mediator between the living and the dead.”

Although drag as an art form is ephemeral and transcends distinct genres, the book highlights that there are common threads that are tightly woven within drag’s foundation, and that is the principles of community, activism, and service. 

 “Fundraising is really why I started performing,” New Orleans queen Moanalot Fontaine said. “I reached a point in my twenties when I had to get all new friends because all of mine died.”

 NYC drag queen Coco LaChine recalls how her community had to come together and raise money for bail funds and to help people financially due to the constant police raids. “We had to fight for ourselves,” Coco said. “If we don’t help our own communities, nobody is going to help us. We saw this especially during the AIDS crisis. So, we put some differences aside and worked together.”

 In the book’s introduction, the authors highlight how “Drag Race signaled a type of revolution for the drag-industrial complex” by “bringing one version of the art form to an exponentially wider audience while also promising previously unthinkable career opportunities for a new echelon of performers.” The opinions on the show vary and reach both ends of the spectrum, but many share in a feeling of alienation due to televised drag’s focus on competition and omission of “the spirit of collaboration,” which many queens believe is what makes traditional competitive pageants and balls possible. With the rise of televised drag, DIY YouTube tutorials, and social media influencer culture, many older queens are concerned about a lack of sisterhood and community. 

 “These days everyone is out for themselves. Everyone is so cutthroat now,” Milwaukee queen Shannon Dupree said. The authors added how “she lamented the way Drag Race has, in her words, diminished the art form…she worries about new girls modeling their performances off what they see on television, rather than learning the actual craft of drag.” Shannon explains, “Everyone wants a shortcut but doesn’t want to use the foundation—the padding, the tucking, the paint—we’ve established. They think we are old school, but it’s just the right way to do it.” 

 But Raleigh, NC queen Ebony Addams has a different opinion, “I’ve learned to respect every type of drag in this business. Some girls don’t wear wigs, some girls are bald. And I respect them being bald! That’s their style. Their drag is anything they want to do. It took me a while to learn that: you’ve got to respect that drag is anything you want to do.”

 Throughout the book, the definition of drag is strengthened, not so much by providing more precision, but by emphasizing that drag, in its purest form, is uncategorizable. LA legends The Fabulous Wonder Twins reminisce of a club they used to hit as teens: “There we met other fellow weirdos, a gathering of fabulous people. We felt at home.” The Twins would  create outfits inspired by anime and superheroes, “but always with a super gay kinda look. We’d show up at the nightclubs wearing bodysuits with laser guns. We knew how to accessorize, let me tell you that!…Drag is all about empowerment. When you put on a wig and some makeup you feel so powerful.”

 The direct and intimate way the elder queens spoke makes it easy to feel like you’re just sitting with them at a Hollywood vanity mirror as they get ready for a show: they’re skillfully beating their face to the gods and rehashing their past, and you—like a drag daughter fervently listening to their drag mother—are hanging on every word, extracting inescapable wisdom that you are privileged to walk away with. 

Within the profiles, the direct quotes from the queens were balanced with Antheus and Hanson’s historical context. The result was a supremely long but rich archive that is definitely meant for the coffee table. The book is challenging to read in one sitting, and is most useful as a text to keep returning to when wanting to add to your body of queer knowledge. Through its attention to archiving drag history and capturing the precious and fleeting moments with our queer elders, Legends of Drag will go down in history itself. It is essential reading, and in this day and age, when LGBTQ+ literature, chronicles, and history are being banned, this book is more important than ever.

Legends of Drag is on sale now. 

Photos: Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus

Illustrations: Lynda Barry 

 This article originally appeared in BUST’s Spring 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

WITH THE TAGLINE, “Reading Material for the Homies,” Noname Book Club is putting its mission of connecting Black and Brown people with radical books front and center. The project was founded in 2019, after Chicago rapper Noname, now 30, tweeted, “Tryna see something: Retweet this if you would be a member of Noname’s Book Club.” After receiving over 5,000 retweets, she saw it was a project people would get behind, and she got to work.

BOOKS OF THE MONTH
Rifqa by @m7mdkurd, and Anarchism And The Black Revolution by Lorenzo Kem’boa Ervin

Happy reading ? pic.twitter.com/5bjuCAuC6U

— Noname Book Club (@NonameBooks) May 2, 2022

Each month, two different titles by BIPOC authors are chosen for members of the group’s 12 digital chapters around the U.S. to read and discuss. In April 2021, the collective also started offering books to incarcerated communities. And in October of last year, the club went IRL, opening its very own HQ, the Radical Hood Library, in L.A. Get connected, get involved, and get reading at nonamebooks.com. –NIESHA DAVIS

Photo: Courtesy of Noname Book Club

 This piece originally appeared in BUST’s Spring 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

I KISSED SHARA WHEELER: A Novel 

By Casey McQuiston 

(Wednesday Books)

I Kissed Shara Wheeler is a love letter to all of us queer kids who were high schoolers in the ‘90s. Especially those of us who lived in small towns and whose social scenes revolved around Friday night football games and church on Sunday.

Shara Wheeler mysteriously disappears weeks before she is set to become her school valedictorian–seemingly without a trace. But the last night she is seen, she kisses three people: her quarterback boyfriend, her broody musician neighbor, and Chloe. All throughout high school, Chloe and Shara are archenemies competing over everything from science lab scores to winning essays. But Shara leaves a trail of pink envelopes for Chloe to find that reveals the tension she felt was maybe not what it seemed. It’s not just Chloe and Shara who rebel against their very specific identities; the jocks, the theater kids, and the mean girls all find ways to also buck the status quo. I Kissed Shara Wheeler is an unexpected mystery and love story all in one. -REBEKAH MIEL

RUN, ROSE, RUN: A Novel 

By Dolly Parton and James Patterson 

(Little, Brown and Company)

I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Dolly Parton was collaborating with James Patterson to write Run, Rose, Run, her first novel. But this book turned out to be delightful–just as long as you don’t go in expecting page-turning suspense and sharp plot twists.

AnnieLee Keyes runs away to Nashville to escape a mysterious past. She walks into the first dive bar she comes across and convinces the bartender to give her a spot on the stage. One song in, and it’s clear she’s going to be the next big thing in country music. But the real star of the book is Ruthanna Ryder, a retired queen of country who goes out of her way to make sure that AnnieLee isn’t taken advantage of by anyone. Throughout the story, Ruthanna speaks in Dolly-isms as she helps AnnieLee navigate the boys’ club that is country music–a reality that no one understands more than Parton herself. -REBEKAH MIEL

Believe it or not, the American Library Association has recorded over 155 attempts at book censorship in the U.S. since June 2021. And this number is vastly underreported, since it doesn’t account for the types of censorship that happen quietly—like when a book is pulled from a library or never included in a library collection because it might become a target to censors. Intellectual freedom—or the right to access any information you desire—is baked into our First Amendment. But to ensure that freedom, it’s vital to advocate for that right. Disrupting book censorship at your local library, and defending intellectual freedom, can be a quick, five-minute investment of effort or a long-term campaign of engagement. Use the tips below for some activist inspo.

Write a Letter to Your Library

Spend a few minutes identifying what it is you love about your local library and then write to them letting them know. It doesn’t need to be a long letter, but it should be clear about what your library provides to the community. Send that letter to the library director and to members of the library board—their contact info is on the library’s website.

Why This Matters: Your library’s board meetings are open to the public and all feedback is made available to them. Positive feedback about what the library offers encourages the board to continue allowing the library to do what it does best: serve the community. Plus, it’s just nice for library staff to hear they’re appreciated.

Request Materials for the Library

Most libraries have a form on their website that allows anyone to request books for collection consideration. This is your opportunity to specifically request inclusive and frequently censored material, particularly by marginalized authors, to aid in building a more representative library.

Why This Matters: Not all materials requests can be accommodated, but most can. The collection reflects the needs of the community, which is why your local library may have items that a neighboring library does not. By specifically requesting material that’s being challenged elsewhere, you’re highlighting the value of such items to your specific area. When those books become available, check them out. Circulation statistics are another metric by which a library understands and better serves its whole community.

Vote

Many library boards and most school boards are comprised of individuals appointed through local elections. Get to know the candidates who are running, and vote for those who value intellectual freedom.

Why This Matters: Local elections have lower turnout rates than national elections. During times like these, when groups that like to censor are endorsing their own board candidates, your vote can make the difference between individuals working for their communities and those working on behalf of a political affiliation.

Sit on a Board

Want to help govern your local public or school library? If you can dedicate a few hours a month, run for a school or library board position. Note that in some cases, these positions are appointed, so learn how the process works and apply accordingly.

Why This Matters: You’ll get an inside look at these institutions while helping them to remain essential community resources. This service plays a crucial role in ensuring intellectual freedom for all. –KELLY JENSEN

header photo: Lara Jameson

BODY WORK: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative

By Melissa Febos

(Catapult)

For her latest book, acclaimed memoirist Melissa Febos offers a master class for would-be writers looking to find their voice. The text is divided into four parts, each of which tackles one specific area of memoir writing, focusing in particular on the sort of raw and intensely personal writing that Febos is known for. The first part of the book starts off with powerful words of encouragement as Febos discusses the importance of sharing one’s story, hitting back at those who dare call writing about personal trauma “navel-gazing.” She notes quite aptly that, “the resistance to memoirs about trauma is always in part…a resistance to movements for social justice.” Febos’ words of advice are wisely peppered with bits of her own life experiences and past struggles as a budding writer, making this an engaging read. Her discussion of writing about sex is particularly compelling, as she emphasizes the importance of dismantling the patriarchal heteronormative sexual norms and finding new ways of thinking about intimacy. Overall, Body Work is a riveting read full of encouragement and inspiration that will drown out your inner critic and help you see that your story is valid and worth writing.–ADRIENNE URBANSKI

Women Talk Money: Breaking the Taboo

Edited by Rebecca Walker

(Simon & Schuster)

Money, like politics and religion, has long been considered a taboo topic, one that you don’t talk about in mixed company. Rebecca Walker’s new essay anthology bucks that tradition—and for good reason. Over the course of 320 pages, writers including Rachel Cargle, Tracy McMillan, and Sonya Renee Taylor get honest about how staying silent about our finances is hurting women—especially women of color and transgender women. “The way money moves in women’s lives, mysterious and mystified, shuts us down just as we begin to speak,” Walker notes.

To break this cycle of silence, the collection shows how money impacts our relationships, health, and identities in ways we never imagined. In “Money Wounds,” Latham Thomas recalls how her money stresses stemmed from seeing her successful mom get arrested at their bank when she was young. Lily Diamond offers an insider’s look at the inauthenticity surrounding the “whitefluencer” movement. And Nancy McCabe’s essay on financial tips for single mothers quickly becomes a brutal look at the failures of a system that prioritizes profits over people. Women Talk Money shows why honest conversations about money need to happen—and the sooner the better. –SHANNON CARLIN

You’ve Changed: Fake Accents, Feminism, and Other Comedies from Myanmar

By Pyae Moe Thet War

(Catapult)

A debut collection of personal essays perfect for fans of the podcast Armchair Expert and the Netflix show Never Have I Ever, You’ve Changed reveals Pyae Moe Thet War’s attachment to her name, her love of baking (and indifference toward cooking), her family, and—in a standout essay—her unique appeal as a woman from Myanmar. “I have to remind myself that I shouldn’t be one of the voices that frames my ethnicity as my unique selling point, or at least, as my only selling point,” she writes, “and that the weight of representation will be much easier to bear if and when I can share it with others.”

You’ve Changed is a portrait of someone who is mostly unapologetically—though sometimes mildly apologetically—herself. For example, after a section on how to pronounce her name, Pyae with a soft P, she delves into how she chose to pursue nonfiction writing because of her nosiness. There should be way more books by relatable people who describe themselves as “pretty average,” and who celebrate “fluff,” but who don’t shy away from heavy topics—and Pyae Moe Thet War does just that. –ROBYN SMITH

Diane di Prima’s posthumous book Spring and Autumn Annals (City Lights), is filled with all the curiosity, tragedy, desire, and insight that di Prima carried her entire life and was revered for. A rare female voice in the iconic Beat poetry movement of the ’60s, di Prima blazed a path for more women who wanted to become unabashed feminists, thinkers, and change makers through art. She was one of the first to show that being daring, angry, dangerous, and even ugly on the page was a weapon worth wielding against a patriarchal world. Best known for her books Loba and Revolutionary Letters, di Prima’s creative wilderness is revived once again with this new collection. The book is comprised of prose writing and poems in the form of letters to her best friend Freddie Herko, a dancer and artist who was part of Andy Warhol’s scene in the ’60s, and who died tragically at age 29. Herko’s untimely death opened a door to grief unlike anything di Prima had experienced before. These letters and poems are an ode to that era of free love, revolution, and radical writing, and di Prima masterfully captures all that was celebrated and admired about that time through her singular voice—a voice for the ages. 

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Spring 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

ONE OF THE MOST influential designers working today, Debbie Millman is the host of Design Matters, one of the world’s longest-running podcasts; she co-owns Print, the oldest design magazine in America; and she co-founded the Masters in Branding program at New York’s School of Visual Arts. She’s also the author of seven books, including How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer, Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits, and her new anthology, Why Design Matters: Conversations With the World’s Most Creative People, which came out in February. Here, Millman shares how she organizes her life for maximum creativity. –EMILY REMS

Why Design Matters is based on over 15 years of podcast interviews. How did you go about tackling such a huge task?

Well, my original manuscript deadline was September of 2019. But I met (my now wife) Roxane Gay in October of 2018 and fell madly in love. Nothing else mattered. I was, like, “Book schnook! I am in love! I can’t do anything but be in love!” I put off writing for so long I had to ask for an extension and—when I was given an extra year—I was still late. The most difficult aspect of organizing the book was determining who to include, since I had over 400 interviews to consider. So, I created criteria for decision-making based on timelessness of the interview, quality ofthe conversation, and my ability to secure photographs that revealed the soul of my guest.

You area writer, an artist, an educator, a curator, and a podcast host. Does your writing practice change, based on the genre or project?

Yes. When I am writing and designing something (like a visual essay), I often edit in service of the design. When I am constructing podcast questions, I try to tell a story via my questions that reveals the linear arc of my guest’s life. When writing design criticism or a piece like my recent essay in TheWashington Post, I spend hours writing and rewriting. This type of writing is much harder for me as it is less dependent on the visuals or voice.

Do you prefer to write longhand or to type? What kind of computer and software do you use?

When I am creating visual essays, I use Procreate with an Apple Pencil on my iPad, and I almost always draw and write “by hand” with my pencil on the device. When I am writing essays or writing for my podcast, I use my MacBook and Microsoft Word. For presenting, I use PowerPoint, and for revising art and graphics I use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat.

How many hours a day do you write, and do you ever take days off?

My schedule for writing and making art is mostly mandated by project or assignment deadlines. For every original podcast, I spend about 10 to20 hours preparing. I do take time off to travel, but when I do, I also love making visual stories. I find those to be utterly inspiring and extremely relaxing.

Where is your preferred writing space?

My absolute favorite place to work is in my home office in Los Angeles, which I think is the most beautiful and inspiring place on the planet.

Do you listen to music or keep on some other background noise while writing or do you prefer silence?

I prefer absolute silence when writing or researching, but my wife lovesworking with the television on, so when we are parallel working, I’ve begun to do that, too, unless I really need deep concentration.

Are you alone when you write or are there loved ones/pets/cafe people around?

I am almost never alone, especially now during COVID times. I am either with my wife, cats, and dog at home, or with one or two masked colleagues at the School of Visual Arts.

What do you like to wear when you write?

Sweatpants, super-soft T-shirts, fuzzy socks, and an oversized sweater.

Do you have a pet peeve about the writing life?

How easy it is to procrastinate!

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Spring 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

 Photo: John Madere

Before I started reading Ghanian author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah’s The Sex Lives of African Women, I was prepared to read titillating stories of women having clandestine meetings with random sexual partners and having wildly passionate liberated sex.

But that’s not what this book is about. Instead, in the preface, Sekyiamah shares how she conducted countless interviews from 2015 to 2020, with African women between the ages of 21 to 71, from 31 countries around the globe, about their sexual experiences, in the hope of eradicating some of the taboos surrounding the topic. Her subjects included women who self-identified as cis, trans, femmes, heterosexual and pansexual to name a few. Each woman’s identity is deeply personal, shaped by aspects of their culture, and written under a pseudonym. The latter is a possible indication of the work that still needs to be done for these women to safely stand in their truth without repercussion.

While the confessional stories in The Sex Lives of African Women had strong sexual overtones that ran alongside their trauma, there was more than just sex and pain on the page. There are moments of clarity beyond the suffering of rape, trauma, abuse, and genital mutilation—all of which create a more hopeful, sex-positive stance, centered around truth and healing.

The book features stories of women like Nura, a Muslim woman from Kenya struggling to adjust to her polygamous marriage; Amina, a queer feminist residing in Egypt navigating the sexual politics of her current landscape; and Miss Deviant, a South London Dominatrix in her 50s who makes her wealthy white male patrons “perform acts of service for their wives and partners.”  

Reading these unfettered accounts of African women—examining their sexuality through the lenses of intersectional oppression and patriarchy, and using it to reclaim their agency—liberates me by proxy.

Religion was also a strong theme in the book. The author’s own story centered around the ambivalence concerning her chastity while growing up. She grappled with notions of needing to be chaste throughout her life, and also the fear of being seen as respectable and pleasing in her future husband’s eyes. Many of the women in The Sex Lives of African Women, held tightly to similar beliefs that often left them sexually stunted, confused, and unequipped to be in consensual and casual relationships without anxiety. At every turn, they felt that men had been raised to be freer to explore their sexuality whereas women, especially as they aged, felt displaced or resentful that they didn’t sow their wild oats in their youth. There are lots of stories of denial of sexual desires, furtive lesbian affairs, and shame around orgasms. Each woman seemingly suffering from what the late intersectional feminist bell hooks writes about in her 1994 essay, Feminism Inside: Toward a Black Body Politic, as Black women’s ability to, “be in touch with our bodies in a way that is liberatory.”

Sekyiamah’s book seeks to provide the roadmap to recovery through a collection of shared experiences. In essence, whether some African women desire to break free from the social norms that currently shape womanhood, and others choose to embrace them, all of them should be opined without shame. Hearing the stories of these women in their own words makes them all the more powerful by revealing our interconnectedness as women. And reading these unfettered accounts of African women—examining their sexuality through the lenses of intersectional oppression and patriarchy and using it to reclaim their agency—liberates me by proxy. No matter how you identify sexually, readers will resonate with the honesty of these stories, and hopefully feel more courageous to live their truth each day.

Top Photo: Nyani Quarmyne 

This spring, check out these new books about powerful and women from today and yesterday. 

The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer

By Janelle Monáe

(Harper Voyager)

Janelle Monáe is a creative superstar who has tackled everything from music to fashion to film. And with The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, she enters the literary world, proving that there’s truly nothing she can’t do. 

The Afrofuturistic collection expands on her hit 2018 album-turned-“emotion picture,” Dirty Computer, which dealt with themes of sexuality and self-expression. Collaborating with a team of up-and-coming creatives including Danny Lore and Alaya Dawn Johnson, Monáe weaves together stories where totalitarianism meets resistance. Echoes of classics like Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind mix powerfully with explorations of genderqueerness, love, race, and more. What unfolds is an untangling of control versus freedom. True to the science fiction genre, The Memory Librarian is an assemblage of hope; liberation emerges when our memories and histories are used as educators. This one is sure to leave an impression. –Samantha Ladwig 

Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk

By  Sasha  taq?^wš?blu LaPointe

(Counterpoint)

“This is a story about healing,” writes Sasha  taq^wš?blu  LaPointe, an indigenous writer from the Nooksack and Upper Skagit Indian tribes, in her “ancestral autobiography,” Red Paint. The Pacific-Northwest native’s story is one of survival, having first endured sexual abuse at a young age that resulted in lifelong PTSD—but it is also about the historical trauma that scarred generations of women in her family. According to LaPointe, she once wore her “delinquency with pride, like some sort of fucked-up Girl Scout badge.” But she realizes that she was also “reckless with memory and trauma,” which took its toll on her marriage and health. 

LaPointe reckons with a fraught past by weaving together memoir and poetry to create something that feels raw and unfiltered. “Some houses are haunted by ghosts,” she explains. “Our house hangs on to words and stories.” Along the way, she laments how much her people have lost to industrialization, deforestation, and gentrification—but she knows there’s no going back. When one’s spirit is distressed, it can abandon you. And Red Paint offers an important reminder: “Healing is exhausting.” –Shannon Carlin

In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial

By Mona Chollet, translated
by Sophie R. Lewis

(St. Martin’s Press)

In Defense of Witches, penned by French feminist and Le Monde diplomatique editor Mona Chollet, is less of a deep dive into witchcraft and more of an explanation of what free-thinking, adventurous women across the globe did to earn themselves that title. The book opens with a foreword by acclaimed author Carmen Maria Machado, followed by a toothy introduction reviewing common first exposures to the witch archetype, such as in Snow White. The rest is laid out in four illuminating chapters. “A Life of One’s Own” discusses how women’s autonomy became a threat, e.g., Gloria Steinem. “Wanting Sterility” is a sobering history of women choosing sterilization, and in some cases killing their own children, for freedom. “The Dizzy Heights” traces the history of hostility against aging women. And “Turning the World Upside Down” explores the conditioned cultural slant against women in science and academia. The backbone of this irrefutable publication lies in its myriad citations evidencing the author’s academic rigor. Wanna know why women are still under attack right now? It’s all here. –Whitney Dwire

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Spring 2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

In this essay I use a word some might find offensive; fat. I choose to use this word not as an insult, but as a neutral descriptor, actively choosing to separate it from its typically negative connotations, as a fat person myself.  I encourage you to be curious about your feelings around this word and what it evokes. 

The conversation about the need for diverse, non-stereotypical representation of characters with marginalized identities has become increasingly and rightfully widespread within children’s literature spheres. And while fat representation is no more important than that of any other community, the ways in which fat characters appear, or don’t appear in children’s books aren’t often included in discussions about the need for more diverse books.

Maybe as you read this, you’re thinking, “Hey! I can think of a few fat children’s book characters.” And I’m sure you can—but I invite you to be curious once again.

How many of the characters coming to mind are:

• Bakers or chefs? 
• Described as jolly?
• Greedy or mean? 
• Always eating? 
• Sassy and precocious?
• Anthropomorphized pigs, hippos or bears?
• Santa or Mrs. Santa?
• Lazy, slobbish or unintelligent? 
• The butt of the joke? 
• Kindly big-bosomed mothers or grannies? 
• Or babies?
• How many are the hero?
• How many are the love interest? 
• How many depict fatness as a truly neutral trait?

I don’t know about you, but my answer to the last two questions, are very few. 

Most often, a fat character’s body is used as shorthand to show an embodiment of gluttony, greed, lack of self-control, stupidity, or laziness (think The Stupids by Harry Allard & James Marshallby Harry Allard & James Marshall, Augustus Gloop from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, the Dursleys and Slughorn in Harry Potter). In instances where fatness is more positively or neutrally associated, characters are still often extremely pigeon-holed, and given special permission to be fat only because of their specific job, role, or species. Mother or grandmother figures are usually allowed to have larger bodies, having “graduated” from the maiden archetype and moved on to their next role as the neutered human body pillow that lives mostly to comfort, feed and scold thin characters during times of need (e.g. Mrs. Weasley, who is largely exempt from the fatphobia of Harry Potter due to her maternal role, and Strega Nona, who spends most of her time performing labor for characters like Big Anthony).

Baker and chef characters’ bodies serve simultaneously as living examples of exactly how delicious their food is (so good that they can’t help but indulge themselves!) and as cautionary tales, visual reminders of how too much adjacency to food can affect your body (think The Donut Chef, by Bob Staakeby Bob Staake, Walter the Baker by Eric Carle by Eric Carle, and In The Night Kitchen, although Sendak’s bakers in particular offer a more stereotypical depiction of fat people as foolish and negligent). Animals, especially anthropomorphized ones, are often given more leeway for size diversity, but still their weight, when acknowledged, is often negatively associated; “Late at night George would raid the refrigerator to satisfy his sweet tooth. “You’ll weigh a ton,” said Martha.” (George & Martha, Tons of Fun) James Marshall gives us no choice but to infer that to face weight gain and trust your hunger cues is a dangerous and terrible thing. 

As a chubby child, I was hungry for representation of bodies like my own in the books I consumed. And all too often, my hunger either went unsatiated, or was fed only with shame (along with this, I want to acknowledge that where I didn’t see my body positively represented, I DID see my Whiteness, and many other privileged facets of my identity, something many other children don’t get). At eight years old, I was writing in my diary about my weight being something that kept me from being deserving of love. Would that be different if I had encountered as many fat princesses being wooed in fairytales as thin ones? How would my assumptions that I was lazier and less athletic have been challenged had I read about more fat adventurers and superheroes? Our culture drills a very clear message into children; that their worth is conditional. Based on a set of sexist, white supremacist, ableist ideals of health and beauty. And children’s books, unfortunately, do their part in that messaging, through both overt stereotyping, covert coded language or visuals, and complete invisibility altogether. 

As a chubby child, I was hungry for representation of bodies like my own in the books I consumed.

There have been books that have tackled fat-shaming and self-acceptance (check out Abigail the Whale, by Davide Cali & Sonja Bougaeva). The importance of these books cannot be understated, considering that larger-bodied children are more likely to be bullied than their thin peers^[1], and that the effects of weight stigma have been shown to be incredibly harmful to health & wellbeing.^[2]  

But equally important, are representations of fat characters living lives not solely defined or confined by their size. I want to see fat knights and doctors and mermaids… scientists and mountain climbers and musicians, all given the chance to embody stories as diverse as fat people themselves. Not only to show fat children that their bodies deserve to be seen and respected, but thin children as well.

As an author and illustrator, I’m always trying to consider how I can do better. Every project offers a new moment to reflect on the stories and characters I choose to bring into the world. There is a unique relationship that a storyteller has with a reader—one of immense power and trust. We have the ability to invite readers into the most magical and vulnerable places, which should not be treated lightly. As a child I fell head over heels for the worlds that J.K. Rowling, Roald Dahl, and James Marshall offered me. Which is why the portrayals of Dudley Dursley, Augustus Gloop, and The Stupids sting so deeply. How can children’s book authors and illustrators wield our power more responsibly? It might be by creating that fat fairytale princess and challenging what a heroine looks like. Or by including a happy fat person walking their dog in the crowd scene of your next illustration. It might simply be by not using “fat” as an insult in your next manuscript. By choosing to represent fat characters as human, with as many varying traits and life paths as thin ones, we can begin to create narratives that will counter and chip away at the stigma-steeped alternatives offered in most other forms of media. We can begin to teach children that fat bodies, whether their own or others, are deserving of respect, love, and access to life. 

(Since this article was originally published, many new picture books featuring positive and neutral depictions of fatness have been released. Some explicitly fat-positive ones include: Beautifully Me by Nabela Noor, Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder, Perfectly Imperfect Miraby Faith Pray, and Francis Discovers Possibleby Ashlee Latimer and Shahrzad Maydani.)

Top illustration: copyright Phoebe Wahl

This essay originally appeared in journal of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and is reprinted with permission.

Libraries have always been a paradise for bookworms. But as public life emerges once again, it’s important to remember that reading material is far from the only free resource your local branch has to offer. “Libraries are truly a treasure trove,” explains Kate Patterson, Director of Communications at the San Francisco Public Library. “No matter what one is interested in, we have it.” Here are some of the services you won’t want to miss out on, and they won’t cost you a penny.

CLASSES

If you’ve been meaning to pick up a new skill, look no further than your local library. There, you can find an array of in-person and online classes. For example, at the San Diego Public Library, you can learn how to crochet, play chess, or even repair your bicycle. While course offerings differ depending on the branch, many libraries across the country also provide yoga classes, music lessons, and writers’ workshops. Subjects can range from practical to whimsical, so whether you want to learn to code or learn to salsa dance, check your library’s programming schedule before you pay for classes elsewhere. 

EVENTS

Musical concerts, theatrical performances, author talks, film screenings—if you haven’t taken advantage of the events at your local library yet, it’s time to start. The New York Public Library hosts over 93,000 free events annually all over the city. In addition to on-site events, some libraries offer passes to local museums, theaters, or other cultural destinations. And many libraries themselves host exhibits of art, rare books, local historical artifacts, and more.

“THINGS”

Books aren’t the only items available for check out at the library. In Burlington, Vermont, you can borrow everything from a garment steamer to a fake human skull. Their extensive “Library of Things” also includes a power drill, a telescope, and a set of bongo drums. The Keokuk Library in Iowa has a considerable collection of cake pans available, and Texas’ Dallas Library offers fishing poles you can take to the nearby lake. If you’ve always wanted to grow your own food, many libraries across the nation also participate in seed-lending, and staff can teach you how to plant and cultivate your garden.

SERVICES

Have you been putting off filing your taxes or renewing your passport? The library can help with that, too. Whether you need legal aid, a health screening, or a social worker, libraries often partner with organizations that can provide these resources free of charge. If you are job hunting, your library will be able to help you with your resume and interview skills. In addition to assisting with individual services, libraries are community centers that often adapt to fit the needs of the places they serve—in Baltimore, the library has responded to the opioid epidemic by offering classes on how to administer Narcan in case of an overdose. 

MORE RESOURCES

Podcasting equipment, genealogy databases, sewing machines—the resources are countless. Libraries both rural and urban have started lending out mobile wi-fi hotspots, as well as offering streaming services for movies, music, audiobooks, and eBooks. Additionally, many libraries in the U.S. are going “Fine Free,” to eliminate charges for overdue materials and ensure the library remains accessible to all. Whether you’re a long-time patron or applying for your first library card, your local branch probably offers more than you realize. Stop by and discover all that’s waiting for you. –Cora Womble-Miesner

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2021/2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

You Truly Assumed

By Laila Sabreen 

(Inkyard Press) 

In this gripping YA novel by up-and-coming author Laila Sabreen, a terrorist attack rocks Washington, D.C., causing three Black Muslim girls—ballerina Sabriya, painter Zakat, and coder Farah—to become accidental teen activists. It starts with a blog post Sabriya never intended to make public. “You truly assumed,” she writes in response to early speculation that the terrorist was Muslim. He’s not, but that doesn’t stop anti-Islamic fervor from spreading across the country, impacting the girls’ lives in profound ways.

With each chapter, the narrators trade-off, offering their personal views on what it means to be both Black and Muslim, an intersection historically overlooked by the media. Like many teens, they feel helpless. But blogging allows them, in Sabriya’s words, to “do something, anything really, besides sitting at my desk waiting for things to feel normal again.” It’s a feeling adult readers may relate to after months of pandemic isolation compounded with racial justice protests and a rise in AAPI hate. Sadly, 20 years after 9/11, this tale may also leave readers wondering what, if anything, has really changed. –Shannon Carlin

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2021/2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

The tragic and senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery coupled with the rise in Asian American hate crimes amidst a literary censorship of voices of color; not only sparked a nationwide outrage, but subsequently unearthed global interest and conversations surrounding diverse books, narratives, and businesses. Due to a lack of representation both in publishing and in bookstore ownership prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, women of color have moved to the forefront of the narrative and are slaying it on the literary frontlines. With so much information out there, and a rapidly evolving literary landscape to navigate, BUST is here to assist you with a roundup of awesome WOC owned bookstores. 

Here are 13 WOC-owned bookstore—and the powerhouse women behind them—you can get into right now: 

Duende District: New Mexico and Washington DC

Angela María Spring is a poet, author, editor, journalist, and the owner of Duende District. Spring, a Latinx woman of Puerto Rican and Central American descent, has been delivering rich cultural content via her bookstores for nearly 20 years. Her boutique, pop-ups and mobile bookstores proudly cater to the BIPOC community which is a testament to her motto todas las voces—all the voices. For us, by us. Not only is she a champion for her community, but she’s also an advocate for decolonizing publishing. In an interview with Lithub, Spring expressed her ambivalence surrounding race growing up, “I have never been blind to the deep racial inequalities this country was built upon, but my privilege has allowed me to exist in a state where I believed our institutions were capable of change.” Duende District continues to be at the forefront of literary change. They currently have locations in New Mexico and Washington, DC. Wherever they are we are here for it. You can visit: www.duendedistrict.com for a specially curated list of books. Wepa!

SemiColon Bookstore: Chicago, IL

Semi Colon Bookstore is a one-of-a-kind Black woman-owned bookstore and gallery space that focuses on Black comfort. Owner, Dr. Danielle Mullen started her business after her fight with cancer left her unable to work. “I want to see little Black babies deciding that they want to own a bookstore of all things. You don’t have to rap, sing, act, play basketball, you don’t have to do that, you can do whatever you want. Black people are incredibly nuanced, and I try to prove that fact, every day,” Mullen said in an interview with ABC News Chicago. The bookstore has a #cleartheshelves initiative where each month, they invite students from Chicago Public Schools to the store for free books. Visit www.semicolonchi.com for more information on what they have coming up. 

Phillipine Expressions: San Pedro, California

Phillipine Expressions is a Filipina-owned bookshop dedicated to Filipino Americans in search of their roots, which is an important endeavor considering the wide-scale and systemic whitewashing of Phillipine culture that is frequently found in American literature. It’s no wonder Philippine Expressions’ trailblazing owner Linda Nietes has been in business for over 37 years. The place feels like a sanctuary for your mind. The bookstore carries books in Tagalog and English for all ages. Guests are encouraged to  join a book club, shop their art gallery next door, and participate in story time with their little ones. Visit: www.phillipinebookshop.com.

Photo Courtesy of You & Me Books 

You & Me Books: NY, NY

“Come stop in for a cozy home that welcomes you too.” These words invite you to visit Yu & Me Books, the newly minted bookstore/bar/cafe, located in NYC’s Chinatown, from the store’s website. The shop is owned by 27- year old Lucy Yu, a former Los Angeles resident and chemical engineer, who felt books were more her calling and decided to open up shop. Yu is believed to be the first female Asian-American bookstore owner in New York City. The shop is filled with books that are carefully curated for “you and me”, with mainly immigrant stories and stories with people of color at their center. Yu & Me Books carries almost 16,000 titles, with titles that range from YaYa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom to memoirs like Qian Julie Wang’s Beautiful Country, and other lesser-known writers from Southeast Asia and Oceania. From the beginning, Yu wanted a place that featured narratives where she felt she could find her grandmother. It would appear that she cares deeply about family considering her website is filled with framed photos. Kind of like what you would see at—home. In the near future the shop will feature food. But in the meantime, you can catch up on your Lunar New Year reading, or pick up the latest novel by your favorite author. Between Yu & Me, they’ll have you covered. Visit www.yuandmebooks.com. 

Harriett’s Bookshop: Philadelphia, PA, & Ida’s Bookshop, Collingswood, NJ

Jeannine Cook is the writer, educator, and mastermind behind this Philadelphia bookstore that conjures the spirit of Cook’s muse Harriet Tubman. A woman of color-owned feminist bookshop, Harriett’s is an intersectional space for healing, art, and activism, and serves as a celebration of Black women. A visit to the brick-and-mortar location as well as the virtual space is like entering a sanctuary. There is live music from local artists, guided tours of the shop, and a slew of events. Cook is the author of Conversations with Harriet, which you can also purchase from her second bookstore, Ida’s Bookshop. Ida’s is named after famed investigative journalist, activist and author Ida B. Wells. In the spirit of both Tubman and Wells, Cook is drawing on some powerful energies. It’s no wonder business is doing well, Cook’s vision feels expansive, and she has somehow created an online community that feels magical. I don’t think she’ll be slowing down any time soon. In fact, I think she’s just beginning. You can support Harriett’s Bookshop by stopping by her website and shopping.

Ever been to a Blk woman owned bookshop w/ a Blk woman playing vibraphone while you browse? We are open today from 12-6 pm, pic.twitter.com/DPZ75i8bUp

Birchbark Books: Minneapolis, MN

This Indigenous bookstore is owned by Louise Erdrich, the Pulitzer-winning author of The Nightwatchman, and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Birchbark is a neighborhood bookstore, fueled by people who believe in good writing, handmade crafts, and the beauty and strength of native culture. All of the books are chosen with love and with their readers in mind. The store goes beyond books in its efforts to carefully assist educators with book choices (they have an in-house educator specialist!) and thoughtful suggestions on handmade items to accompany your purchase. If you enjoy a more personalized encounter and concierge book services delivered with care Birchbark has you covered. Be sure to pop in and say Boozhoo! (That’s Ojibwe for hello). 

Elizabeths Bookshop and Writing Centre: Akron, Ohio

Elizabeths Bookshop and Writing Center – is a Black Woman Owned bookstore and writing center. Founder Rachel Cargyle is a modern-day renaissance woman with her hands in all things literary, entrepreneurial, and philanthropic. She also founded the Loveland Foundation, which has a special mission of uplifting Black women and girls and showing up compassionately for communities of color. Cargyle’s whole vibe feels welcoming and authentic. It’s probably why her endeavors draw people from all walks of life, including some big celeb names and organizations like Saint Heron and Kelis – who follow her on Instagram. According to their website, Elizabeth’s Bookshop and Writing Center “highlights, promotes, and honors the work of writers of color, LGBTQ+, disabled and other marginalized authors who are often excluded from traditional cultural, social, and academic conversations.” For more information about the bookstore and its many events visit: www.elizabethsofakron.com. 

Turning Page: Goosecreek, South Carolina

Valinda Miller is the owner of this South Carolina treasure. This Washington, D.C. native was raised largely by her grandmother and has been a low country bookseller for over six years. In an interview with the Southern Independent Alliance of Books, Miller shared the fond memories of how she fell in love with books:

“The love generated by my grandmother (she had to drop out of school when she was 14 years old) who walked me to my first library because she knew Rep. John Lewis and other blacks were denied a library card. Rep. John Lewis, as was my grandmother, was told that libraries were for whites only and she was powerfully determined to see that I got a library card and read every book in that library.”

This history fuels her mission to amplify Black voices in literature and for other marginalized groups. Miller is currently looking to open a second location. For now, you can visit her in person, or on the web at www.turningpagebookshop.com.

The Lit: Bar Bronx, NY

The Lit Bar opened its doors in 2019. It is the only brick and mortar bookstore serving the 1.5 million people located in the Bronx, NY. Noelle Santos, who is of African American and Puerto Rican descent, is the proprietress of the establishment. What makes the Lit Bar so fun, is it’s literally “lit” in there. There’s not just books, but a wine bar, where guests can both sip and read. What better way to unwind on Friday night than with a glass of Bourdeaux and a good read? Lit Bar carries a variety of titles for people of all ages. Feel free to pull up in person, or on the web, at TheLitBar.

The Secondhand Librarian: Rochester, NY

The Secondhand Librarian (TSL) is a bookshop focused on sustainability and accessibility. Their website slogan states: “Reading Is Knowledge and Knowledge Is Power.” Based on TSL’s insta, Taylor has some pretty interesting fantasy options to explore. She seems to be on a Sara J. Mass kick, but she could be over that now– don’t hold me to it. Taylor Ellis, the owner of The Secondhand Librarian, began her bookselling journey by selling her old books online, and at pop-ups in and around her Rochester, NY neighborhood. If you are looking to shop in person, they’re located inside the LaLuna Co-op in Rochester, NY. Visit: www.thesecondhandlibrarian.com. 

Barrio Books: Tuscon, AZ

This LatinX bookshop is quickly becoming a local Tucson staple for independent books. The bookstore, owned by Syrena Arevalo-Trujillo, is rooted in its mission of cultural representation. Arevalo-Trujillo founded Barrio Books in the spring of 2019. According to their site, “it’s the only bi-lingual bookstore in the area touting new and used book for all ages. In January of 2021, Barrio opened their brick-and-mortar location in partnership with the vingtage styled Hotel McCoy. The hotel gives a 10% kindness discount for being kind. All you have to do is tell them what you did when you check in. And while you’re there, don’t forget to grab your book from Barrio Books. 

 Top photo courtesy of Thought Catalog via Unsplash 

More From Bust

The Second Shelf Is Fighting Literary Sexism

This Anthology By Women of Color Tells The Stories We’ve Been Missing

“To be clear, I was a bitch to work with,” bookseller Nadia Wassef confesses in this unapologetically feminist collection of essays about co-founding and managing independent Egyptian bookstore Diwan in the years surrounding the Arab Spring. Loudmouthed with a proclivity for f-bombs, Wassef is frank about the challenges of being a woman and a boss in culturally conservative Cairo. When a would-be business partner says he “doesn’t shake hands with women,” Wassef retorts, “Hug, then?” 

These essays cleverly use Diwan’s different locales—its community-oriented café, its carefully curated “Egypt Essentials” section, its uncomfortably popular “Self-Help” collection—as springboards for commentary on bookselling, class, gender, history, parenthood, and patriarchy. Reflecting on the store’s “Business and Management” section gives Wassef an opportunity to discuss entrepreneurship and the empowerment she experiences when cursing. In a chapter on cookbooks, an order for Jamie Oliver’s The Naked Chef leads to an encounter with a state censor that must be mediated by Wassef’s lawyer. “This book is my love letter to Diwan,” she writes. Fortunately, these unconventional chronicles are much more incisive, outspoken, and candid than any valentine. –erica wetter

TOP PHOTO: Author, Nadia Wassef (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

This Boy We Made: A Memoir of Motherhood, Genetics, and Facing the Unknown

By Taylor Harris

(Catapult)

In her moving memoir, author Taylor Harris traces her son Tophs’ journey as he struggles with difficult, hard-to-categorize hypoglycemia and developmental delays. Whether she’s describing working on independent education plans in the Virginia public school system or rushing her kid to the ER, Harris grounds and guides readers through bigger questions surrounding personhood, intelligence, empathy, and expression. 

This is not an easy read, but it is wholehearted and captivating, with peaks, valleys, and plenty of tension relief (like when Harris segues into her love of Starbucks or describes her son’s instant recall of beloved sitcom lines). Harris also has a knack for drawing readers into her relationship with Christianity and how it motivated her without making one feel like they’d have to share her faith to understand. Especially successful are her vivid depictions of her family, of the roles they’ve played in this journey, and of the ways they remain connected to her. After the final page, one can’t help but hope for a happy ending—one in which Tophs truly thrives. –Robyn Smith

This review originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2021/2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

FIVE TUESDAYS IN WINTER: STORIES

By Lily King

(Grove Press) 

On the surface, the 10 tales in novelist Lily King’s debut short-story collection don’t have much in common. There’s “The Man at the Door,” in which a struggling writer meets a mysterious man who’s somehow read her private novel; “Waiting for Charlie,” about a grandfather visiting his unconscious granddaughter in the hospital; and several mediations on grief and love. But at the heart of every story is someone changed by an unexpected relationship or encounter. The most memorable tale is “When in Dordogne,” about the bond between a sheltered teenager and the two college students hired to care for his home while his parents are away. Also excellent is the titular “Five Tuesdays in Winter,” which reads the most like King’s acclaimed novels. The author is at her best when she focuses on the small, simple ways people touch each other’s lives. –LYDIA WANG

MANYWHERE: STORIES

By Morgan Thomas

(MCD)

While transgender and nonbinary identities have seen increased presence in media, the literary world is still lagging behind. Morgan Thomas’ short-story collection Manywhere helps bridge that gap, offering tales with protagonists who are trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer—all living in the South. In “Bump” a transwoman longs for motherhood, so when an office rumor circulates that she’s pregnant, she plays along with forged ultrasounds and a fake belly. In the title story, a young, gender-noncon-forming person imagines a conversation with historical figure Frank Woodhull, who lived as a man in the early 20th century, only to be declared a woman after his death. Thomas (who identifies as genderqueer) creates vignettes that offer a deeper under-standing of gender-nonconforming folks, and how they navigate a world that is not always welcoming. –ADRIENNE URBANSKI

SLUG AND OTHER STORIES

By Megan Milks

(The Feminist Press at CUNY)

Few short-story collections are as breathtaking or pleasantly shocking as Slug and Other Stories by Megan Milks. Across 15 selections, Milks demonstrates how to do it like a slug, live like a wasp in a monogamous relationship with an orchid, and recontextualize one’s relationship with Seventeen Magazine. To be blunt, there is a lot of fucking and sucking in these stories. Some encounters are weird (and some even weirder), but all are imaginatively and passionately written. Stylistically unrestricted, chapters vary from teenage romps to Choose Your Own Adventure-style capers to intimate drawings that look like they’d be at home in an AP Bio textbook. Not for the faint of heart, these stories engage all the readers’ senses, and there’s no avoiding the explicit, violent, and even deviant aspects of the characters this author creates. –BRIANNE KANE

Passport: A Graphic Memoir

By Sophia Glock

(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Cartoonist Sophia Glock spent her youth in the 1990s growing up in gated and heavily guarded residences in Latin America, while attending a series of private schools. In young Sophia’s family, certain topics, especially those concerning her parents’ jobs, were fundamentally never discussed. Though she didn’t completely understand why, she learned from an early age not to ask questions. Until she eventually stumbled across a shocking discovery: her parents both worked for the CIA. 

In this cathartic debut graphic memoir, Glock brings readers back to her high-school years, depicting the awkwardness of growing up as the daughter of secret agents, being compelled to constantly move around and make new friends in different countries, and feeling the guilt that stemmed from living a privileged life amidst intense poverty and violence. (As a young child, she and her siblings rode out an unspecified government coup by staying inside their locked compound and watching Disney movies.) A gripping read, Passport also describes classic adolescent scenarios like Glock’s first crush, moments of teenage rebellion such as sneaking a crop top under her blouse, and the blurred boundaries of confusing female friendships. –renate robertson

This review originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2021/2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Are you trying to cozy up with some good books as the weather gets cooler and we welcome in 2022? Are you looking for some compelling new reads with strong female protagonists and thought-provoking themes over the holiday season? Look no further. Here’s a round-up of BUST’s best 2021 page-turners. We’ve got everything from memoirs on grief to graphic novels to queer love stories. Check them out!

Memoir

Crying in H Mart 

Grammy nominated musician, Michelle Zauner, also known by her stage name, Japanese Breakfast, beautifully weaves her experience of losing her mother to cancer and exploring the Korean half of her identity in her best-selling memoir of 2021. The Korean-American artist created another stunning piece of art along with her album, “Jubilee” this year. She tells her raw story of grief and identity by intimately detailing her mother’s decline and her Korean recipes.

Misfits: A Personal Manifesto – Emmy-award winning screenwriter, actor and producer Michaela Coel of ‘I May Destroy You’, writes powerfully about her experiences with racism and sexual assault in her new memoir. Her TV show, ‘I May Destroy You’, was a 12-episode sexual assault drama. In Misfits, Coel gives her unique perspective as a black woman on the racism and misogyny in the world of TV. The core of the book is a speech she gave at the 43rd MacTaggart Lecture. She was only the fifth woman to take the podium and the first person of color.  At just 102 pages, her words can be read in an afternoon. 

The Natural Mother of The Child – In the crowded space of memoirs about motherhood, Krys Malcolm Belc tackles the specific challenges of nonbinary parenthood in his new memoir. His book begins with his experience as a pregnant transmasculine person. Throughout the memoir, he begs us to ask questions about the highly gendered ways in which we think about parenthood. According to our reviewer, the book is “an absorbing book that challenges preconceived notions about what it means to be transgender and what it means to be a parent.” 

Non-Fiction

When Women Invented Television – New York Times’ bestselling author, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong brings us another spectacular book that sheds light on the lost history of female television writers such as The Golden Girls’ Betty White and Soap Opera writer, Irna Phillips. Her research and book focus on four ambitious women who shaped television to this day.

The Barbizon – Historian Paulina Bren takes readers into the women-only residential hotel, The Barbizon in New York City. The Barbizon offered a safe place for young women who were new to the city to live. Bren’s work centers around place, but offers thought-provoking analysis on women’s’ rights, class, and sexuality. The Barbizon hosted countless female icons from Sylvia Plath to Joan Didion. Bren lets us into the private rooms of these women in her new book.

Graphic Novels/Comics 

This is how I Disappear – The French illustrator, Mirion Malle, depicts a portrait of all-consuming depression, trauma, and healing in her new graphic novel, This is how I Disappear. Her protagonist, Clara, is a young artist whose life seems to be coming together. She has a steady job and is about to publish a book, but on the inside she is unravelling. She struggles with depressive tendencies and suicidal thoughts.  Malle is able to translate the deep agony of her protagonist onto the page through her gorgeous black and white drawings.

M.O.M.: Mother of Madness – In this brilliant first comic book in a new comic trilogy, ‘Game of Thrones’ actor Emilia Clarke and company create a magical world of powerful characters and emotions where the protagonist, Maya, gets superpowers from her period. Maya is a young single mother whose powers shine through when  she allows herself to feel emotion. She must navigate through motherhood and a misogynistic office culture with these powers on hand.

Fiction 

The Other Black Girl – In this eye-opening novel, former editorial assistant at Knopf Zakiya Dalila Harris catapults readers into the racist world of the publishing industry. The book is a genre-bending “slow-burning thriller” that follows the protagonist, Nella Rogers, in a fictional publishing house full of micro aggressions and gaslighting.

Build Your House Around My Body – Writer Violet Kupersmith covers decades of Vietnamese history in her sweeping debut novel, Build Your House Around My Body. She tells the story of Winnie, a young American woman who disappears while abroad in Vietnam. This novel is a whirlwind of emotions, masterfully depicting everything from rage to fear to loneliness to loss.

One Last Stop – Queer love is put on display in Casey McQuinston’s romance novel, One Last Stop. August, the protagonist, meets Jane. But August soon learns that Jane is displaced from the 1970s and it is up to her to figure out how Jane got stuck time traveling. The adventure ensues over the back-drop of love.  

Photo of Michaela Coel by Jeaneen Lund

Photo of Emilia Clark from Youtube

A Minnesota-based member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa (Ojibwe), Louise Erdrich is a master of multiple genres who won a Pulitzer in Fiction this year for The Night Watchman. On November 9, she released her latest novel, The Sentence (Harper), and here, she shares the habits that keep her humming. –Emily Rems

The Sentence is a ghost story set in Minneapolis between November 2019 and November 2020 and it incorporates both the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. Did you feel an urgency to finish while these events were still fresh?

I’m an obsessively lapsed Catholic, so my deadline had to do with the liturgical calendar. The book begins on All Souls’ Day 2019, and I wanted it to be published around All Souls’ Day 2021. The veil between the worlds feels thin at that time and the idea that a ghost could emerge took hold.

 Do you prefer to write longhand or to type?

I write longhand then transfer to computer.

 How many hours a day do you write?

I can’t answer in hours. I write whenever I can, using whatever comes to hand—blood, chalk, crayon, tears—I’ll use anything.

 What is your preferred writing space?

I have several cozy spots. I use a treadmill desk when I’m transferring writing to the computer. There’s a big, soft writing chair in my bedroom, another station in a back room, and there’s always the dining room table.

 Are you alone when you write or are there people or pets around?

Sometimes a dog will sleep nearby—that’s the best. My door is never closed to my family, but they rarely disturb me.

 What do you like to wear when you write?

I own a black cotton cardigan, thick and slouchy, with pockets for pens. When I put this on, I mean business.

Top photo Courtesy of Jenn Ackerman

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2021/2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Emily Ratajkowski is famous. Like, really famous. Like, 28-million-Instagram-followers famous. The supermodel is so famous that street sightings of her dog Colombo, a husky/German shepherd mix, get shared on celebrity gossip feeds like Deuxmoi, even if she’s not the one walking him. One day, she was doing catalogue work and posing free for indie magazines just for the exposure; the next, she was the strikingly sultry girl in Robin Thicke’s viral “Blurred Lines” video that everyone was talking about, dancing goofily, red-lipped, and frequently topless. And then she was everywhere—magazine covers, supporting roles in TV and film, major ad campaigns—as her notoriety snowballed. Especially since it came with a side of outspoken politics. In a world that mostly views models as living mannequins, she’s been determined to rise above the stereotype. Now she’s a regular at the Met Gala, takes selfies with Kim Kardashian, and has strutted the catwalk for just about every major designer including, most recently, Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Fashion Week show. 

Ratajkowski also considers herself a staunch feminist. In 2018, she was arrested while protesting Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. She appeared in the September 2019 issue of Harper’s Bazaar flaunting a full armpit of hair (unheard of in a magazine that mostly pretends women don’t have any). Later that year, she walked the red carpet for the Uncut Gems movie premiere with “Fuck Harvey” Sharpied on her arm after news broke that the movie mogul had settled out of court with his accusers, circumventing admission of any wrongdoing. She officially endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2020 election, citing the attacks on Roe v. Wade as one of her main motivations. And yet, that endorsement was followed by a GQ cover featuring Ratajkowski sporting Bernie’s famous “Rage Against the Machine” shirt—with nothing but undies underneath. And that’s where things get tricky. Her rise to fame, and even her maintenance of it, can sometimes feel decidedly un-feminist. It’s a contradiction best inadvertently captured by a 2016 article on Vogue.com: The headline reads, “All the Times Emily Ratajkowski Fought the Patriarchy,” just above a photo of her very famous body in a very tiny bikini. 

The 30-year-old knows she’s a polarizing figure. She also knows that her level of fame is why people listen when she talks about feminism and the issues women face in the first place. It’s something she delves into deeply and intimately in her new book of essays, My Body, which came out November 9. “I wouldn’t have been able to write any of these and be really honest with myself had I thought about what the world would think of them,” she admits, when we chat over Zoom. That’s probably because much of the book is personal and revealing, chronicling her childhood, her budding adolescent sexuality (and sexualization), and the casual degradation she sustained in her early modeling days. She also turns a thoughtful eye on herself, investigating her desire for attention, the power it has both afforded and taken from her, and how her feminism has evolved in its wake. 

“Would anyone care to read what I write if I hadn’t impressed men like you?” she writes in the essay “Men Like You,” an excoriating admonishment of Steve Shaw, the editor of erotica magazine Treats, the cover of which featured a nude, 20-year-old Ratajkowski. In the essay, Ratajkowski recounts how the shoot’s photographer, Tony Duran, tried to send her home, seeing nothing special in her. But knowing she needed more editorial work to forge a successful career, she appealed to Shaw, engaging him in conversation until he suggested she undress. When she did, he gawked at her body, then walked her right back to the photographer. “I suppose that, from your perspective, this should be the moment I thank you for. When I was younger, I would have thought so, too,” she writes. “Besides, some part of me figured, I love being naked, who the fuck cares? I’d just started to learn that, actually, everyone seemed to really, really care.

I was beginning to understand that I could use this attention to my advantage. I wanted to test the waters: What is the power of my body?”

She soon found out. It was this cover that caught the eye of Diane Martel, the director who then cast her in the project that would catapult Ratajkowski to fame: Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video. The song was inescapable in 2013, sparking a firestorm of backlash against its rape-y, objectifying lyrics, and the video fanned the flames. In it, Ratajkowski, along with two other models, is mostly naked, dancing around Thicke, Pharrell, and T.I., while also cuddling…farm animals? In the essay “Blurred Lines,” she writes that at the time, it felt like an empowering project, dancing and owning her sexuality on a set that was made up mostly of women.

But then she recounts how a too-drunk Thicke groped her breasts on camera, a violation of her autonomy it took years for her to fully acknowledge. “Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt the coolness and foreignness of a stranger’s hands cupping my bare breasts from behind. I instinctively moved away, looking back at Robin Thicke,” she writes. At the time, she was embarrassed, “desperate to minimize the situation…I was also ashamed—of the fun that, despite myself, I’d had dancing around naked. How powerful I felt, how in control.” But as she writes, now she can see it for what it was: “With that one gesture, Robin Thicke had reminded everyone on set that we women weren’t actually in charge.”

“[My shift in thinking] came with age and experience. What I want to capture in that essay is the two sides of the coin—there was this joy in the experience of shooting that music video, a kind of silliness and fun, but it was not power in the way that I thought it was,” she says. “It wasn’t until I got older that there was an unhappiness that I had to address in the way I saw myself—the way I internalized some of the work I had done—and the way that the world saw me, that made me have to take a harder look at what my experience was like.” 

Ratajkowski grew up in Encinitas, CA, raised by creative, progressive, political parents—her dad is an artist and high school art teacher, her mom is an English professor who taught Women’s Lit and Gender Studies classes. “[Feminism] was just a part of my life,” she says. “But I didn’t really feel like I understood.” It wasn’t until later, when puberty hit, along with all its patriarchal trappings, that feminism felt personal. “I started to understand that there were things that made boys notice me, but I also needed to cover up. That was where the root of a lot my early ideas about feminism started. I was mad that there was a dress code, that a vice principal could snap my bra strap because it was slipping out of my tank top, and that that was allowed. There was all this shame around my body. And I felt very headstrong about [subverting that]. It was also a way for me to emotionally protect myself as I started to model. It was a way to say, No, I wanna do this stuff, it’s going against this puritanical way [society’s] telling me I’m not allowed to [look]. Like, I wanna have agency over what my sexuality is and how to use it, and I like that. That feels powerful.” 

That’s what she calls “point A” of her feminism. Now, after more than 15 years of modeling, some acting (including roles in Gone Girl and I Feel Pretty), marriage (her husband is film producer Sebastian Bear-McClard), motherhood (she gave birth to her son Sylvester in March), and a meteoric rise to fame, she realizes it’s not that simple. “In my early 20s, it had never occurred to me that the women who gained their power from beauty were indebted to the men whose desire granted them that power in the first place,” she writes in “Blurred Lines.” “Those men were the ones in control, not the women the world fawned over.” This idea gets at the crux of Ratajkowski’s collection, and seemingly, the next stage of her feminist evolution: What does it mean to feel empowered within a disempowering system? 

This evolution has played out beyond the pages of Ratajkowski’s book, into real life, and even into the courts—shifting her idea of what empowerment truly means as she fights to assert ownership over her own image. In 2016, Ratajkowski was sued by a paparazzi photographer for posting a photo he took of her to her Instagram stories. A couple years before that, she found out that she was the subject of two “paintings” in a show by artist Richard Prince—images from her Instagram feed that Prince had commented on (“Were you built in a science lab by teenage boys?” he wrote on one), blown up, and printed on huge canvases that sold for $80,000 apiece.

Even more violating was the succession of “art” books released by Jonathan Leder, a photographer who shot a magazine spread she’d posed for early on in her career. An essay she wrote for The Cut, “Buying Myself Back” (which also appears in My Body), details the sketchy encounter she’d had with Leder, during which the photographer convinced her to strip, got her drunk, and sexually assaulted her. Once she became famous, and without any consent from Ratajkowski, he took all of the shoot’s outtakes, many of them nudes, and published them. “That experience was one I was super humiliated by and felt really responsible for and had so much shame around,” she says. “I felt like, Oh, I didn’t make the right decisions in my life and that’s why these things have happened to me. Like I was stupid. It took a lot for me to offer myself a little bit of generosity and compassion.” 

All those decisions have brought her to where she is now. A woman with a global platform and the ability to make a difference. I can’t help but ask if continuing to capitalize on her looks while catering to the male gaze feels contradictory to what she ultimately wants to accomplish. “I think it’s a really great question. It’s not unlike capitalism, which I think a lot people agree is really bad for the majority of people, but we continue to want to succeed in the framework that we live in,” she says. “I do not judge any woman for trying to hustle her way through this system, because one of the truths of my life and of the book is that people wouldn’t necessarily read my words and [care about] my experience had I not commodified my image in the way that I did. It’s up to personal choice whether you want to use your sexuality to get ahead or not. But ultimately, you’re a woman living within very specific confines and the people who have power are generally men, and that’s that. It’s like, don’t hate the player, hate the game.” 

One of the reasons she wants people to read her words is to jumpstart the cultural conversation around the topics in My Body—sexuality, consent, objectification, control, and power dynamics. “I’m really interested in nuance. I think there are a lot of complex things that are part of being a woman in today’s world,” she says. “I feel like those conversations happen in very quiet, private moments between women who trust each other, and I want those conversations to happen on a larger stage, and I want men to be a part of them, too.”

Top headshot photo by: Katherine Mendenhal

Middle: Courtesy of Emily Ratajkowski

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2021/2022 print edition. Subscribe today!

Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell’s classic 1949 novel about a future totalitarian surveillance state, will soon be revisited with fresh eyes. The British author’s estate has approved a retelling of the original work, titled Julia, to be written by Sandra Newman, author of the feminist dystopia novels The Heavens and The Country of Ice Cream Star. 

With Julia, Newman will retrace 1984’s plot through the eyes of its romantic interest, Julia, and examine Orwell’s dystopian vision through a critical, feminist lens. As the Orwell Estate told The Guardian, this retelling has been a long time coming; it was simply a matter of finding the right person to do it. Newman, nominated for prestigious honors such as the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Guardian First Book Award, quickly emerged as the Estate’s first choice.

“[Newman] gets under the skin of Big Brother’s world in a completely convincing way which is both true to the original but also gives a dramatically different narrative to stand alongside the original,” the Orwell Estate’s literary executor, Bill Hamilton, told The Guardian. “The millions of readers who have been brought up with Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four will find this a provocative and satisfying companion.”

The original novel presents a darkly prophetic vision of near-future London, following an ordinary British worker, Winston Smith, as he awakens to his own oppression within a fascist superstate overseen by an omnipresent dictator, Big Brother. The book has been a decades-long mainstay in high school classrooms for good reason: its commentary on the dangers of government supervision, groupthink, and mediated truth vs. fiction is more relevant than ever in our post-Trump era. 

However, if there’s one thing 1984 is unequivocally not, it’s feminist. In fact, Orwell’s novel is laden with blatant misogyny. Not only is there a noticeable lack of female characters to begin with, but Julia, the only female character of note, is often reduced to little more than the lustful subject of Winston’s gaze. The 1949 novel’s Julia displays self-assuredness and wisdom, aggressively rebelling against the fascist regime in a way that Winston never quite manages; however, despite her admirable qualities, we’re never given her full picture. 

As “girl boss” as Julia may seem on the surface, Orwell utilizes her as nothing more than a vehicle for Winston’s personal awakening, both politically and sexually. Her character exists to implant desire in a male protagonist who clearly has some deeply-rooted women issues of his own to work through. Take, for instance, a passage from just after Winston and Julia’s first encounter: 

“He hated her because she was young and pretty and sexless, because he wanted to go to bed with her and would never do so, because round her sweet supple waist, which seemed to ask to encircle it with your arm, there was only the odious scarlet sash, aggressive symbol of chastity.” 

How lovely. 

Winston’s conflicting perceptions of Julia – especially regarding her body – are a recurring thread throughout the novel. Julia becomes both his salvation and his damnation: the long-sought key to all his repressed sexual fantasies and the toying temptress that will never grant him her full self. 

On the one hand, Julia’s lack of characterization is a clever literary maneuver. By alluding to Julia’s promiscuity but never addressing it explicitly and, furthermore, denying her character a fully-fleshed past, Orwell creates mystique and intrigue; Julia’s underdevelopment is what makes the novel such a page-turner. But still, it’s difficult to ignore her jarring lack of personhood in comparison to Winston, and more romantically-inclined readers are left to wonder, what does she even see in this guy?

Newman’s proposed retelling will hopefully flip the script and grant Julia the history and agency she has been denied in the original novel and its adaptations over the years. This endeavor becomes even more significant when considered within the larger landscape of classic dystopian literature, which includes the likes of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (1953). 

Try as they might, none of these works escape the limits of their historical contexts; like 1984, they posit women through a male gaze and focus their energy on the mental anguish of distressed, middle-aged men. All of these books still speak to today’s fraught political climate, hence why they remain “classics.” However, that doesn’t exempt them from critique about what hasn’t aged so well. This is precisely the fine line that Newman will need to tackle: upholding the integrity of the original novel’s relevant social and political commentary while also discarding its antiquated authorial context. 

While Julia does not yet have an official release date, its publishers, Mariner Books (U.S.) and Granta (U.K.), hope to have it on shelves by 2024 so that its release will coincide with the 75th anniversary of the original.

Julia will join a handful of recent projects that have updated classic literature with feminist perspectives, such as Natalie Haynes’ A Thousand Ships, which explores the Trojan War from a woman’s point of view. Other recent revisionist projects include Jeet Thayil’s Names of the Women, an ode to 15 women whose stories were erased from the Christian Gospels, and The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker’s female-led take on The Iliad. 

Newman is currently off promoting her latest novel, The Men (to be released next June by Grove Atlantic), in which every person with a Y chromosome suddenly vanishes off the face of the earth. However, her work on is already well under way, and you can even read some of  the novel’s opening here. While the anticipation for this feminist rewrite sets in, make sure to check out Newman’s other works and give yourself a refresh on Orwell’s original. Happy reading!

Top Image: Screenshot from YouTube 

WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM: A Novel

By Christine Pride and Jo Piazza

(Atria Books)

The novel We Are Not Like Them starts with a compelling premise. A Black journalist named Riley returns home to Philadelphia and reconnects with her childhood best friend Jen, who is white—and married to a police officer. When the cop kills a Black teenager, it’s a career-making story for Riley, a personal crisis for the pregnant Jen, and the ultimate test of their relationship.The narrative swaps perspective from character to character. Authors Christine Pride (who is Black) and Jo Piazza (who is white) did not alternate writing duties, but instead collaborated on every word. And their personal and professional backgrounds furnish great details and pitch-perfect moments. Riley’s life and backstory give the novel much of its momentum. Meanwhile, Jen’s character seems more passive, stepping back as things happen to others in her universe. While the book starts and ends swiftly, characters are flogged with rhetorical questions in the bloated middle as it builds toward a major blowout between Riley and Jen. Ultimately, however, what they navigate together makes them examples of just how complicated life and friendship can be. –Aileen Gallagher

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! 

L.A.-based author, educator, and activist Patrisse Cullors co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013, and her 2018 memoir, When They Call You a Terrorist, was a huge bestseller. Now, her new book, An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World, is poised to once again inspire readers to fight for a better future. Here, she shares how she gets her revolutionary words out into the world.  –Emily Rems 

Do you prefer to write longhand or to type? What kind of software do you use?

I actually prefer voice noting my writing and then transcribing it on my phone or on my laptop. I have terribly messy penmanship, so I don’t hand write very often. When I do finally transcribe my writing, it’s usually in my notes on iPhone or on Google Docs. 

 How many hours a day do you typically devote to writing?

If I am writing a book, then I usually take time off from other work and devote 10 to 12 hours a day to writing for an extended period of time. When I’m writing articles or for TV and film, I am usually writing three times a week for a couple of hours a day. 

 Where is your preferred writing space and what does it look like?

I prefer writing on a couch or bed, depending on where I am. Sometimes sitting at a desk makes me feel like I’m doing boring admin work, so I prefer being comfortable and cozy while I write. 

 Do you listen to music or keep on some other background noise while writing or do you prefer silence?

I usually listen to some good contemporary, experimental jazz. I cannot write in silence!

 Are you alone when you write or are there sometimes loved ones/pets/cafe people around?

I am obsessed with writing while folks are around. I think I feel more accountable when I have a team of people. I loved going to coffee shops before COVID, and I love going to friends’ homes or having friends over my home when I’m writing. 

 What do you like to wear when you write?

My pajamas!

 Do you have a pet peeve about the writing life?

Yes! All the damn edits. You have to edit a ton when writing and the back and forth drives me nuts. But I’m always so grateful for the final product.

 How did the pandemic impact your writing routine? Have you adopted any new creative habits that you plan to maintain now that quarantine is over?

Hmm. This is a good question. I think I’ve been able to write more during this time. I’ve had more focused time to sit and hold space for all the work I do. Especially the work around abolition. Quarantine helped remind me of what truly matters—more time to do the things I love with the people I love.  

 Top Photo by Ryan Pfluger 

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! 

THIS IS HOW I DISAPPEAR

By Mirion Malle

(Drawn and Quarterly) 

The graphic novel This Is How I Disappear revolves around Clara, a millennial in Montreal struggling with a recent breakup, a boss who expects full-time hours for part-time pay, and a book of poetry inspired by her breakup that she is under contract to finish writing. While her sadness is initially credited to her heartbreak, it expands into a void of numbing emptiness that leaves her increasingly disengaged from life. Haunted by the pain of a past sexual assault, Clara tries to move forward while leaning on her friends to keep her away from suicidal thoughts.

Author Mirion Malle’s depiction of Clara’s all-consuming depression, both through her drawings and her writing, has the ring of authenticity only someone who has experienced it could create. Her minimalist black and white images compellingly portray the weight of her character’s agony and allows the reader to experience her pain. Through Clara, Malle creates a moving portrait of a young woman trying to heal from sexual trauma. Even in the depths of inner turmoil, Clara shows how there can be light in darkness through the love and support of her friends. –adrienne urbanski

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

In each issue of BUST, Amber Tamblyn reviews a book of poetry. From our Fall 2021 issue, here’s her review of Great Exodus, Great Wall, Great Party. 

Chessy Normile’s Great Exodus, Great Wall, Great Party is a book so good from a voice so original, you won’t want to put it down. But you’ll inevitably have to—to wipe tears from your eyes, cover your mouth as you scream with laughter, and pace the room wondering how in the hell she came up with such damn good lines. These poems are tremendous feats, breaking the boundaries of emotional substance. Each one swings at the reader, not to harm (maybe just a little), but most definitely to connect. In the short poem “Feedback,” Normile writes: “We don’t get a lot of opportunities to give men feedback./Personally, I hated being raped.” And in “Like Poem” she writes: “I want to build a careful nest around your name./I want to pull a splinter out of your heel/and feel it coming up in my spine.” These poems are filled with omens, insights, and the dangerously funny and heartbreaking intuition of a young storyteller who knows how to wield language for all it’s worth. Not as a weapon, but as a word—or 60,000 of them—of warning: Maybe you weren’t for sale, dear reader, but this book owns you now.    

 Top Image: Great Exodus, Great Wall, Copper Canyon Press 2020 

Solange, R&B singer, songwriter, and Beyonce’s little sis, has debuted her latest project: a free library featuring rare works by Black authors. In 2013, Solange founded the creative studio Saint Heron and has produced visual art and podcasts. Solange, also known as Solange Knowles, is renowned for her albums A Seat at the Table (2016) and When I Get Home (2018). 

The Saint Heron website now displays 50 titles by Black authors, available to US-based readers for up to 45 days. “Season One” of Saint Heron Community Library was curated by Rosa Duffy, founder of For Keeps Books, a bookstore and community space in Atlanta. 

 

 

 

 

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The books are shipped to readers, and include return shipping costs, so the experience is completely free for readers. The books are to be returned 45 days after checkout. Once books have been returned they become part of the “permanent collection” at Saint Heron. 

Titles include Shakespeare in Harlem by poet Langston Hughes, Clay’s Ark, Octavia Butler’s 1984 novel, as well as poetry collections by Audre Lorde, Gwendolyn Brooks’ series Children Coming Home, and a mixed media book by photographer Gordon Parks.

The collection focuses on rare and out-of-print texts in the genres of education, knowlege production, and critical thought. In an interview on Saint Heron’s website, Duffy and Saint Heron editorial director Shantel Pass discuss inaccessibility of historical Black texts.

Duffy says, “When people ask the purpose or mission of the space, it’s true accessibility because all of this stuff has existed for all of these years, it didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. But the truth is that it’s either hoarded, or we just don’t know much about it. The folks that know its value sometimes are the ones that are keeping it from the people that it’s made for.”

Rapper Noname announced a similar endeavor in March this year. Noname Book Club, the physical community space, opened in October in LA. 

The project, called Saint Heron Community Library, rolled out Monday and by Tuesday all books were reserved. Fingers crossed for “Season Two.” 

Top Photo: Nadya Wasylko from our April/May 2017 Issue. Subscribe today! 

The Irish author of Normal People, Sally Rooney, has yet again successfully covered a range of topics which permeate our lives in her new novel, Beautiful World, Where are You (BWWAY).

While Rooney has had huge success with her previous two books, Conversations with Friends (2017) and Normal People (2018), she has received a ton of backlash recently upon the publishing of her third book. This backlash came from Rooney rejecting a publishing deal with an Israeli publisher, Modan Publishing House, due to the practice of apartheid in Israel. However, Rooney’s decision has come with a plethora of praise from fans too.  

Jumping in on the Sally Rooney discourse with a fact check: she turned down a deal with Modan—Israel Ministry of Defense Publishing House—to translate her latest book, in compliance to BDS, not because of the Hebrew language.

— Dalya Masri (@dalya_masri) October 11, 2021

If you’ve read either of Rooney’s first two novels then you know what to expect from her poetically melancholic and blunt writing style. But there’s something slightly different about BWWAY as Rooney adopts an effortlessly formless framework through alternating chapter-by-chapter perspectives and email conversations, interchanging between first and third-person narratives.

Following a year (or so) in the life of two 30-year-old, intellectual, Marxist women, Alice and Eileen, the novel occupies topics of friendship, love, the meaning of life, mental illness, and the struggles of fame. And, in true Rooney style, includes a hell of a lot of sex; in the most romantic way, of course.  

BWWAY begins in the oh-so-familiar setting of a blind Tinder date at a bar in a remote town in Ireland. Here we are first introduced to Alice, a rich, famous novelist who has taken to hibernation after some time in a psychiatric ward, and her romantic interest, Felix, a working-class labourer. Initially, Felix and Alice are very different, and don’t seem to like each other much. But that’s what I love about them; we never know what’s going to happen, their romantic narrative is kept rather ambiguous. 

The other protagonist is Alice’s best friend from college, Eileen, who works for a literary magazine in Dublin, earning 20-K euros a year. She has an on-again off-again romance with Simon, her childhood family friend. It’s a tale as old as time. Simon, like Rooney’s previous male characters, is an older, handsome, and sophisticated yet complex man….  but he’s a devout Christian. 

Preceding each chapter which narrates in turn the lives of both women, is a first-person email conversation written alternatively by Alice to Eileen and vice versa. It is in these emails that Rooney invites us into the friends’ psyches on a much deeper level as we read their in-depth conversations about the world’s aesthetic beauties. “You wrote that to confuse personal vanity with aesthetic experience is a grave mistake. But is it another mistake, and maybe a related one, to take aesthetic experience seriously in the first place?” Alice says. “No doubt it is possible to be moved in a personally disinterested way by artistic beauty or by the beauty of the natural world. I even think it’s possible to enjoy the good looks of other people, their faces and bodies, in a way that’s ‘purely’ aesthetic, i.e. without the element of desire,” she ponders.

As per usual, Rooney is not subtle in her sex scenes. But she does tell these scenes from the perspectives of her female characters, making them raw, delicate, and truthful; unlike what you might see in porn. What I love most about Rooney’s approach to sex is that she ignores the taboo of women enjoying sex. Sex in this novel is all about enjoyment for Alice and Eileen and neither woman is neglected of an orgasm. What’s more is that Rooney doesn’t just focus on heterosexuality as Alice admits that she is bisexual in a discussion with Felix who is also bisexual: “I’m not exactly heterosexual,” says Alice. “Amused now, even mischievous, Felix answered: Oh, okay. Me neither, by the way.” 

Rooney isn’t new to including LGBTQ+ characters in her literature; her first novel Conversations with Friends included two-bisexual women and a lesbian protagonist.

On the other hand, Eileen playfully coerces Simon into late night dirty phone calls whereby she takes the upper hand by persuading him to imagine sleeping with a duteous wife who seems quite the opposite of herself. “The wife would give you head,” she tells Simon. “Which she’s really good at. But not in a vulgar way, it’s all very intimate and marital and all that,” she teases Simon over the phone. “Holding the phone in his right hand, Simon used his left hand to touch himself through the thin cotton cloth of his boxer shorts.” 

By now, Sally Rooney fans will be used to the author’s deep and honest portrayals of depression and self-hatred, and BWWAY doesn’t neglect those themes. As she becomes more successful as an author, Alice begins to regret her fame and frequently claims her own self-hatred after her discharge from the psychiatric ward. In a similar fashion, Eileen states that she makes herself angry. Meanwhile, Rooney also makes a return to the topic of depression in men through the character of Simon who’s told that living with him “is like living with depression.” 

Thus, whilst returning to her beautiful combination of sarcastic humour and serious topics, Rooney has successfully depicted two romances in one novel and given fans an insight into what is perhaps her own struggles with becoming an internationally successful author. 

Top Photo: Tilly O’Brien

In her new memoir, The Big Hurt, author and actress Erika Schickel re-examines her “bad girl” self-image and offers an intimate look into her long process of healing from emotional and sexual trauma.

 “Life isn’t linear,” Schickel says in the book. “Eventually we will double back on ourselves, and hopefully we will have grown wiser, maybe we will have learned something.” It is through this lens of past and present intertwined that Schickel approaches her own story, interweaving tales of her reckless adolescence with glimpses into her thorny hang ups throughout adulthood. 

Born in 1964 to two well-to-do writers in New York, Schickel describes her teenage rebellion against a backdrop of elite private schools, old money, and her parents’ artistic fame. What emerges is a portrait of a young woman both privileged and yearning, ambitious and uncertain. 

Schickel’s reflection upon her adolescence comes with uncomfortable questions about the role her sexuality played in her escapades. In unflinching detail, she describes the affairs she had with older men while still underage, maneuvering through the complexity of “why”s “how”s and “what if”s. From a soap actor at a summer Shakespeare festival to one of her boarding school teachers, Schickel does not shy away from revealing her taboo relationships and the utter confusion many of them left her with. 

Instead of painting these memories as one-off acts or teenage experiments, Schickel confronts them at their deepest roots. As much as The Big Hurt is about sex and femininity, it also hinges on larger themes of family, both given and chosen. Schickel’s admission of using sex as a coping mechanism serves also as an admission of much deeper familial trauma. 

The book is an exploration not only of Schickel’s development but of lingering tensions in her family life: her parents’ divorce and lasting resentment toward each other, her strained relationship with her self-righteous mother, and her lack of a permanent home. Young Erika spends her life moving back and forth between parents she feels don’t want her and striving for any semblance of domestic stability.

All of these childhood stories rear their heads in Schickel’s extramarital affair with a fellow author, which begins decades later when she is living in Los Angeles, unhappily married and a mother of two girls. Schickel offers an honest look at herself during this time, trying and failing and trying again to justify her divorce, parenting style, and admittedly unhealthy romantic relationship. “I had spent the best, most creative years of my life building this tender, beautiful thing, this sweet singular unit,” Schickel reflects. “…and then I had thrown a stick of dynamite into it.” 

By unpacking her own guilt and grief, Schickel captures many of the trials and anxieties that remain tightly stowed away for middle-aged women. She meanders between embracing her sexual vivacity and feeling ashamed for wanting more; prioritizing passion over packing lunches and downsizing her daughters to a two-bedroom apartment.

All the while, she lusts over the brooding writer she has left her husband for, while knowing deep down that he’s not good for her. “Now I know that I couldn’t resist the dark seduction of reliving the trauma of my adolescence, in its every excruciating beat,” Schickel says of the relationship retrospectively. “Scandal was my métier, and I was about to excel at it like never before.”

The Big Hurt swings between moments of humorous frankness and complex depictions of trauma with skillful balance. While we witness Schickel come to terms with  past mistakes and slowly realize her own victimhood, a hopeful sense of renewal also arises. In writing this memoir, Schickel seems to have finally embraced herself in full and taken steps toward self acceptance. Simply put, she has welcomed life’s nonlinearity.

Headshot By Anne Fishbein
 Book image: The Big Hurt: A Memoir By Erika Schickel, Hachette Book Group 2021

More From BUST 

Country Singer Allison Moorer Is Back With “I Dream He Talks To Me,” A Memoir On Mothering A Child With Non-Verbal Autism

Two New Essay Collections, “Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be” And “On Freedom,” Examine American Culture And If Freedom Truly Exists

Michaela Coel’s First Book, “Misfits: A Personal Manifesto,” Is An Emotional Dive Into Her Experiences Of Racism And Sexism As A Black British Woman. 

I had been living in New York City for six months and working at school for students with Autism and related disorders when I heard about Allison Moorer. More accurately, I heard her twangy Alabama drawl as she chatted with her son’s teacher during afternoon pickup. It was a fall afternoon in the midst of after school dismissal and Moorer’s voice rang disparate compared to the usual city cadences that echoed throughout our school building.  

As a Virginia transplant her voice reminded me of my mom’s family. It was a soothing sound to hear as a city newbie floundering in both my professional and personal life. 

“Who is that?” I asked one of the veteran teachers. 

Despite being a Grammy and Academy Award nominated singer and songwriter with over two decades of acclaimed music including the  the teacher only said, “That’s John Henry’s mom.” 

After reading I Dream He Talks to Me I’d bet John Henry’s mom is her preferred introduction. 

Allison sat down to speak with me about her sophomore memoir I Dream He Talks: A Memoir of Learning How to Listen, which chronicles her journey with her son John Henry almost 10 years after receiving a diagnosis of Autism. -Samantha Mann

Bust: What are your hopes for I Dream He Talks to Me?

Allison Moorer: I wrote I Dream He Talks to Me because John Henry was diagnosed when he was 23 months old, and I got every book I could find to read, and they were all textbooks. I needed the information, but I also needed to know that it was going to be okay, and none of the [books] said that. None of them said take care of yourself too, none of them said get a therapist, take some time for yourself, or make sure you eat too.

I’m not saying that my book is the answer. I’m just saying that I wish I had had someone say, it’s gonna be okay, and you’re gonna be ok.  

B: There is a lot of discussion right now about who can write about and on behalf of non-speaking and autistic folks. How did you navigate writing this book with that in mind and what advice would you have for others concerning this?

AM: I would have one thing to say to those people who are critical: walk in my shoes and get in the arena or shut up, right? I just am not interested in being criticized or listening to criticism from people who do not do what I do every day, to people who have not been in this for as long as I have. And I’m not speaking for John Henry in any way. This book is my voice. We do not want to try to speak for anyone. I just can’t worry about that. I can’t please everybody, you’re gonna piss off somebody no matter what you do.

B: I hate when people use the word brave when they talk about writing. But I did think that you’re writing about your physical experience with John Henry’s aggressive behavior was very open and moving. I was especially moved when your wrote about his physically aggression is triggering to your body. I think anybody who’s been through trauma understands that your physical body does not always match and understand the actual circumstance you’re in. I think you could have easily left this out of the book, but I’m so glad you didn’t. Why was it important for you to leave that information in/discuss this topic? 

AM: Because of what you just said. Let’s talk about caregivers and let’s talk about the parents for a minute because the parents are always last and that is a natural thing. And Lord knows I’ve put myself last constantly, but I do think it’s worth a conversation. I think it is worth saying, hey, let’s talk about what happens when a person with trauma, or a person who doesn’t have trauma, it’s still traumatic to be attacked by your child or by anyone. 

Let’s be honest about what happens emotionally and spiritually in this situation. Being in that situation is just horrific. Because not only do you feel like you have to protect yourself and your child but you’re in this dynamic with your child, who you wouldn’t hurt for anything. That instinct to protect yourself is hard to honor. I think I called it a mindfuck. And that’s what it is, because you kind of are just in this spiral of I don’t know what to do. I’ve got to protect myself, I’ve got to protect my child, as well. How do I protect us in this when he’s so frustrated? He can’t tell me how he feels, so he’s lashing out at me. And I don’t know how he feels. And I’m trying to protect myself and him. It’s incredibly difficult. And it’s heartbreaking. I think we should be able to talk about that.

B: I think it’s super important for professionals to read this book because it’s something we don’t give enough space to for parents. As professionals we don’t often pause and appreciate the emotional toil that caregivers are dealing with. This book forces readers to sit with and appreciate that. We can be very robotic when discussing aggressions with parents and what they “should be doing” in those situations when they also need space to talk about difficult feelings. 

​​I really loved the chapter ‘Shift Change.’ In it, you describe your experience of leaving New York City to relocate in Nashville for your own sanity. As much as you wanted to bring John Henry to live with you full time there that was not permitted in the agreement you have with his father. You described the pain from not being the primary caregiver but also recognized that you are not the only parent in this situation. There are so many gendered parenting roles at play here and it’s something I see a lot of in my own work with families.

AM: Every day that I’m away from my son, I feel absolutely torn. I feel it right now in my body, it is in the top of my stomach, right underneath my diaphragm, there is a pain in it does not go away until I’m with him. And I have to live with that because, unfortunately, I had to make the decision to do what I did because John Henry’s father insists that he lives in New York City. And I knew it was an unsustainable situation for me, personally, for us financially, and for us long term, I had to agree to what I agreed to. And that’s the truth.

Do I get judged for that by other people? I do. I have to let that go to and say the same thing that I said about the writing: you put your feet in my shoes, and then you have the right to judge me. But until you do, you do not have the right because you’ve got no idea what the situation really is. I can’t worry too much about what other people think. Although it does sting. It does hurt me.

I had to cop to my own shit too. Am I the only one who can take care of John Henry? Yes, in my way, but there are other ways and he deserves other relationships. You got to let go a little bit and get over your own ego, which is hard. Because for lot of mama’s, being a mama is our identity. When people say I just want to be a good mom, yeah, you want to be a good mom for your child, but that’s also a badge that you wear. Let’s be honest about that to get over your ego when it comes to parenting.

B: Tell us about the music/album you are writing to accompany the memoir? 

AM: John Henry has always loved music, even during the times that the emotion in certain music overwhelmed him — there was a period of time when I couldn’t sing around him in my full voice because it made him cry. His hearing is super sensitive, but I believe that’s a gift that he will continue to grow into. He has always hummed his own little tunes, and I noticed that he has a few that he repeats, so I took a couple of those, expanded them, and wrote songs around them. Of course, I’m taking liberties, but the music that has come out of writing the songs is reflective of what I imagine he would like, and that’s based on how he reacts to certain types of music. 

John Henry is very open, and very simply put, doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of bias in him. So Kenny Greenberg, who produced the project with me, and I just let ourselves be as free with the music as we felt we wanted to be, which is to say completely! This music has very little to do with anything I’ve done before and in some ways, it feels like I’ve channeled it, which is a highly spiritual thing. It’s reflective of our relationship. And it’s my favorite musical thing I think I’ve ever done. It is my honor to collaborate with my son and help him forge a possible path. We’ll see where it goes, but for now, I’m thrilled with where we are.

B: BUST’s tagline is  ‘For women with something to get off their chests.’ Is there anything you’d like to get off your chest?

AM: What happened in Texas recently, I’ve been weighed down by that a lot. The constant attacking of women is something that’s hard for me to come to terms with on a daily basis. I’m a woman who’s had a lot of freedom. But I’m also a woman who has experienced frustration because of the limitations that are put on me because I am a woman in the music industry, as a writer, and even with all these norms about parenting. I’m no trailblazer, I’m not setting out to rewrite the manual on being a mother at all. 

My favorite word is allow. Allow people, allow women to be who they are. That is on my heart a lot these days.  Allow women to make their own decisions, allow women to be in charge of themselves. I think that’s still a new concept.

Top photo: Heidi Ross

As we step into fall, we can’t think of anything better than cosy up at home with a good book with a cup of hot chocolate. Need some recommendations on what to read? Check out our reviews below on books by Maggie Nelson and Nichole Perkins.

On Freedom: Four Songs of Care and Constraint

By Maggie Nelson

(Graywolf Press)

There are few cultural critics with as much name recognition as MacArthur “genius” grant recipient Maggie Nelson, author of nine books, including 2015’s New York Times bestseller, The Argonauts. Her latest, On Freedom: Four Songs of Care and Constraint, wades into the cultural discourse around what we are and are not free from. With clear purpose and without hesitation, she tackles freedom through four main lenses—art, drugs, sex, and the environment. Within these broad topics, Nelson asks and answers probing questions, including: Can we ever be free within a patriarchy? Does freedom of expression include all art, or just good art? Why do we do drugs? And what are we freeing ourselves from when we do them?

This fast-paced collection will leave readers with a lot to ponder, to learn, and to unlearn. It might even prompt one stay up late blowing up her group chat. Nelson remains respectful of her complex subject matter, never dismissing or oversimplifying what is quite possibly the most important question of our era: Can we ever be truly free? 

-Brianne Kane

SOMETIMES I TRIP ON HOW HAPPY WE COULD BE: Essays

By Nichole Perkins

(Grand Central Publishing)

Nichole Perkins isn’t afraid to shoot her shot. She hilariously lusted after celebrities as the former co-host of the Thirst Aid Kit podcast, and in her new essay collection, she delves into the pop-culture passions that shaped her sexuality. Some fixations are universal (Prince’s eroticism), while others are very specific. (She believes she idolized Miss Piggy for all the wrong reasons, writing, “I was used to seeing someone use love to send the object of their affection through walls.”)

Perkins’ ability to drift between hilarity and sincerity is her greatest skill as a writer. Even as she pokes fun at her love of white boys and gently drags her teen self for writing a poem about losing her virginity (it’s a feast of food imagery), she honestly contends with the repercussions of the messaging aimed at young BIPOC women. Most poignantly, in her essay “Scandalous,” she starts by describing “auntie songs”—R&B tracks about cheating lovers—before revealing how she became the “other woman” herself. Perkins’ candor might just encourage readers to be a bit more upfront about their own desires.
–shannon carlin

These reviews originally appeared in the Fall 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

Rosa Brooks was tear-gassed in utero. As the 1960s became the ’70s, her mother, left-wing activist and journalist Barbara Ehrenreich, was pregnant and protesting against the Vietnam War when she was gassed by police. Ehrenreich passed her rebellious streak down to Brooks, now 51, who grew to ask herself: How do I rebel against a rebel?

Decades later, Brooks was working as a tenured law professor at Georgetown and driving her kids around the Virginia suburbs. But a sense of subversion infiltrated her days. So, in the polarized period between the election of Donald Trump and the murder of George Floyd, Brooks started spending at least 24 hours each month as a reserve police officer in the 7th District of Washington, D.C., to better understand law enforcement from the inside. She writes about the experience in her 2021 book, Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City.

Brooks had previously researched the paramilitary roots of police culture for her 2016 book, How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything. While training at the Metropolitan Police Academy, she observed many military parallels: standing at attention, boot-polishing, a lot of yelling. “I’ve often found myself in worlds where women have to struggle to be accepted,” she says. “That challenge of proving oneself in a hostile world has always motivated me.” She holds the “super-ultra-macho-aggressive” nature of police training partly responsible for the fact that fewer than 13 percent of officers in America are women.

“People who might make fantastic officers but can’t do 30 push-ups end up leaving,” she says, “and that has a disproportionate impact on women.”

Unfortunately, once trainees graduate, many situations require a sensitivity far removed from the drill-sergeant machismo of the police academy. “We ask police to be warriors and protectors and mentors and medics and mediatorsand social workers, often in the same eight-hour period,” she says. “Doing any one of those things well is hard. Doing all ofthem well is pretty much impossible.”

Brooks left the force in 2020, in part because she didn’t want to keep ushering vulnerable people into “the ravenous maw of the criminal justice system.” She says the role of the police should be to protect communities from violence rather than to deal with traffic violations or, say, a $20 bill that may be counterfeit. Now, as the founder of Georgetown’s Innovative Policing Program, Brooks encourages the next generation to discuss how the roles of the police might be untangled. “If you think abolishing the police is not a good idea, then articulate why,” she says. “If you think police should be doing exactly what they’re doing, then articulate why. If you think police should be doing less, then articulate why. I think that’s a really overdue conversation.”   .–MOLLY MACGILBERT

Photos: Courtesy of Rosa Brooks

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Fall 2021 print edition. Subscribe today!

After the success of her HBO TV series I May Destroy You, which explored issues of sexual assault, consent, and their intersection with race, British actress and screenwriter Michaela Coel is continuing her work on these very important topics. This past September 7th she released her first book, Misfits: A Personal Manifesto. From her experience with racism at a very young age to the traumas of sexual assault, Misfits is a touching look at Michaela Coel’s life and work as a “misfist”. 

Shiny purple and orange moths cover the inside of the hardcover. The small nocturnal insect doesn’t seem to have much to do with the British actress, but as the introduction begins, she explains that the widely hated bug is nothing less than a metaphor for her own identity: a being who doesn’t fit in society. “My friends were all misfits: a huge gang of commercially unattractive, beautiful misfits,” she writes.

Although the book covers most of her life, from the age of seven to present day, the narration begins at the 2018 MacTaggart Lecture, which she was invited to give at the Edinburgh TV  Festival. Coel was the fifth woman, and only the first Black woman, to be given this honor. “At the time [I was invited], I’d never heard of the MacTaggart Lecture. Then again, back then I’d also never heard of Depeche Mode or Sarajevo,” she quips.  For the most part, this book is a transcription of that almost hour-long lecture, with the addition of an Introduction and Epilogue, which includes the moth metaphor. 

If you’ve watched I May Destroy You, the scene of Coel standing at a podium in front of an esteemed audience might remind you of a key point in the series where her character does the same, using the opportunity to call out a colleague as a rapist. And, indeed, her lecture has strong parallels to that scene—although it also includes more about her experiences of racism along with those of sexual assault.  

In the speech, Coel explains how, as a student at a Catholic Elementary School for girls, she learned the intricacies of young girls’ relationships where gossiping and webpages were at the center of everything. At 23 she was the first Black girl in five years to be accepted at her drama school. Along with those experiences, she relates the long and sinuous road that it was to write and then produce her first play, Chewing Gum Dreams, which was then adapted as a 2-season TV series. Her experience on set was the same as while attending drama school: marred by racist incidents and  sexism.  Right after winning a British Academy Television Award for her performance on Chewing Gum, a producer introduced himself at the after-party, exclaiming, “Do you know how much I want to fuck you right now ?” She also reveals that, later on, she was the victim of sexual assault while suffering from a total black out during a night out with friends. (It was this experience that formed the basis of I May Destroy You.)

At only 102 pages, the book can be read in an afternoon, and isn’t very different from her keynote. For those who prefer watching to reading, it might be beneficial to go directly to the Youtube video. In the book’s Epilogue, however, Coel has a chance to reflect on the reverberations of giving her brave speech. “I learned that staying silent for fear of losing safety doesn’t compare to the feeling of safety I found within myself from choosing to be fearless to question the house, to question the very identity of the house and from choosing to question myself.” By interrogating her own place within society,  drawing from her past experiences both as a young Black girl in a predominantly white neighborhood, and as an award-winning actress and screenwriter in a world lead by straight white males, she came to understand that the one most impacted by all that was herself, and that she would never reach real comfort as long as she wasn’t honest with herself. 

Photo by Jeaneen Lund

By Marlowe Granados

(Verso Fiction)

Happy Hour, the debut novel by Marlowe Granados, follows Isa and Gala, two best friends in their early 20s, as they survive a sweltering summer in N.Y.C. through their feminine wiles and too many hot dogs. Isa is hot off a stint in London and has found herself in the Big Apple running a clothing stall with Gala. Like The Last Days of Disco for the millennial age, both girls have definitive (and occasionally misguided) opinions about the way the world works, especially when it comes to love, money, and nightlife. They dip in and out of scenes and cobble together gigs, hustling to earn enough for rent and cab fare. 

Granados manages to capture an airy and effortless tone and her prose sparkles with dry wit on every page. However, the story meanders, and it’s perhaps too bogged down by stereotypical millennial navel-gazing to truly work as a sharp satire. Happy Hour is for anyone who’s ever scrolled through Instagram wondering, “Who is this person, and how exactly does she make so much money?” Though slight on substance, it’s ultimately a pleasurable romp—a “Hot Girl Summer” you’ll be glad you came along for. –emma davey

Matrix: A Novel 

By Lauren Groff

(Riverhead Books)

Over 800 years after her death, almost nothing is known about Marie de France—France’s first recorded woman poet. Aside from her work (and one vague epilogue in which she literally just wrote, “Marie is my name, and I am from France”), her story is shrouded in mystery. Enter Lauren Groff, who decided to breathe life into Marie’s writing, her backstory, and the world she lived in. 

Groff’s Marie is headstrong and scrappy. She’s also, according to Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, poor, illegitimate, and “odd.” As such, she’s cast out of the royal court at 17 and tasked with running a ramshackle abbey full of nuns who are, much like Marie, outcasts. As she adjusts to her new life, she turns the impoverished nunnery into a powerful, self-sustaining environment—and along the way, she and an eccentric cast of nuns come into their own spiritually and creatively. Every book by Groff involves some kind of magic, and in her first novel since the spellbinding Fates and Furies, that element is easily found in Marie herself. She’s an unforgettable, visionary heroine you won’t want to leave behind. –lydia wang

A Slow Fire Burning

By Paula Hawkins

(Riverhead Books)

From novelist Paula Hawkins, the suspense author behind The Girl on the Train, comes another troubled heroine. Laura Kilbride always finds herself in sticky situations—whether she’s caught committing petty crimes, or having one of her many rambunctious outbursts, then claiming not to be at fault. So, when a young man named Daniel Sutherland is found murdered the morning after a hookup-gone-wrong with Kilbride, she’s seen as the prime suspect. The only outstanding evidence against her comes from author Theo Myerson, a man who claims to have seen Kilbride that fateful morning, bloody and disheveled. As police look for more witnesses to corroborate this account, however, Sutherland’s family history begins to unfold, revealing two more potential suspects—his traumatized aunt Carla and his nosy neighbor Miriam. As the lines connecting everyone in question become more blurred, assumptions about all three women are challenged, and secrets are inevitably revealed. 

A Slow Fire Burning is more than just a classic murder mystery tale. It’s a grim portrait of grief, deceit, and trauma that readers won’t soon forget. –sydney jackson 

These reviews originally appeared in BUST’s Fall 2021 print edition. Subscribe today!

Yours Cruelly, Elvira:
Memoirs of the Mistress of
the Dark

By Cassandra Peterson 

(Hachette Books)

Elvira is one of those celebs who seems to have sprung from the ground fully formed—sky-high wig, wild eye makeup, and full vampire queen regalia. But in Yours Cruelly, Elvira, the woman behind the boobs, Cassandra Peterson, reveals how she became the Mistress of the Dark, and her tale is far more complex than one might expect. Her memoir covers everything from her difficult Kansas childhood to her days as a teenage groupie and go-go dancer, with cameos from a range of celebrities including Robert De Niro, Herbie Hancock, Queen, the Who, Lynda Carter, Arsenio Hall, and many more. 

Her rise to fame as Elvira, it turns out, happened after years plugging away in temp jobs and bit parts, and was met with exactly the type of backlash you can imagine for a bawdy goth princess during the satanic panic of the ’80s. Through it all, Peterson maintains the dry sense of humor beloved by viewers since her Movie Macabre days, showing off her affection for corny puns even when she’s recalling painful memories. Her book is a must-read for anyone interested in 1970s Hollywood, horror movies, or just Elvira herself—a pop culture icon of the highest order. –eliza c. thompson

Believing: Our Thirty-
Year Journey to End
Gender Violence

By Anita Hill

(Viking)

After the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas prompted Anita Hill to testify about the sexual harassment she says she experienced working for him, Hill’s name became synonymous with speaking out. In the hearings’ aftermath, she found that acquaintances, colleagues, and even strangers would often share their own experiences with harassment, abuse, and gender violence with her. Already a professor and legal scholar, Hill made the powerful choice to also become an advocate for the disbelieved and dismissed. 

In her third book, Believing, Hill takes readers through the history of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuits, from those preceding the Thomas hearings to the present day. While mindful of the progress that has been made, Hill is unflinching in her cataloguing of issues that still leave women, transgender folks, and nonbinary people particularly vulnerable to violence and discrimination. Because Hill writes so plainly about complex bigotries and biases, she both affirms the facts around everyday assaults and illuminates issues society often fails to name. Gender violence taints everything, but Hill invites us to find a way forward, together. –laurie ann cedilnik

The Arbornaut: A Life
Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees Above Us

By Meg Lowman 

(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

“Canopy Meg” Lowman has traveled the world studying the world’s treetops, and in her practical science memoir, she vividly recounts her adventures as a pioneering biologist, botanist, and conservationist. Lowman has been a plant fanatic since girlhood, and that passion helped her persist in science despite gender imbalances, bias, and outright sexism. In a series of personal essays and brief, focused vignettes on different tree species, she describes an ardent obsession with forest ecology that has led her to Malaysia, India, Ethiopia, the Amazon, and the Australian outback. 

While this is not a tell-all—Lowman seems most comfortable talking science and conservation—the book is earnestly candid. Lowman doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges she’s experienced as a scientist and single mom, nor does she dwell on the obstacles she’s encountered. Her focus is squarely on the majesty of trees and the massive effort that’s needed to protect the incredible biodiversity found in their canopies. Lowman’s stories of global fieldwork model a truly inspiring feminist ethic of collaboration and inclusivity that will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of women to explore biology and conservation. –erica wetter

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Fall 2021 print edition. Subscribe today!

Julie Murphy’s adult romance debut—the first in her new series of fairy tale retellings—is billed as an all-grown-up take on Cinderella. But even though this novel has glamour, secrets, and shoes, If The Shoe Fits is really its own story, with a goal-oriented heroine, stepsisters who aren’t actually evil, and a reality TV twist. Cindy is fresh out of college and eager to enter the world of fashion when she learns that her stepmother, a producer, needs contestants for a Bachelor-style dating show. Cindy signs on, but the experience doesn’t go as expected. As the show’s first plus-size contestant, she becomes an overnight role model to countless women and an instant fan favorite. And she didn’t account for the show’s leading man, who happens to be the charming guy she hit it off with on her flight to California. 

August doesn’t believe in magic or time travel. She doesn’t even believe in love at first sight—that is, until she meets Jane, a kind-hearted, magnetic girl who takes the same subway every day. But as August learns more about her enigmatic crush, she realizes that Jane is actually displaced from the 1970s, trapped on the Q train, and unsure how any of this happened. It’s up to August to help figure out how Jane got stuck in time, while keeping her feelings at bay. Much like Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston’s bestselling debut, One Last Stop contains a million little love stories beyond its central romance. It’s about friends, roommates, found families, queer communities, and one prickly heroine’s slow-burning romance with her new city and her own future. 

There are few worlds as sexy, warm, and feel-good as the Jasmine Guillory rom-com universe, and While We Were Dating is a lovely addition to Guillory’s Wedding Date canon. Ad executive Ben Stephens (whose brother, Theo, is a previous Guillory hero) really isn’t looking for a relationship. But when renowned actor Anna Gardiner enters his orbit, he struggles to deny their chemistry. As Anna and Ben grow closer, they find themselves jumping headfirst into a spontaneous fling-turned-publicity stunt that could become the real thing.

Although The Wedding Party and Party of Two are still the series’ standouts, Anna and Ben’s story features the same blend of banter, sexual tension, and mutual support that Guillory has perfected, and the book’s emphasis on mental health is also a poignant touch; both characters are in and often discuss therapy. There’s also a Maddie and Theo cameo, which series fans are sure to enjoy. –Lydia Wang 

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Summer 2021 print edition. Subscribe today!

Nico’s (who’s birth name was Christa Paffgen) childhood was spent in war torn, Nazi Germany. By the time she was a teen she grew into a great beauty which proved to be Christa’s ticket out. In the mid 1950s, after being discovered by an agent for a large German department store, Christa began runway modeling at the age of 16, was spotted at a fashion show by an editor from Vogue magazine and asked Nico’s mother permission for Nico to move to Paris to model for the fashion bible. Photographer Herbert Tobias accompanied Christa to the city of lights where he told her “Christa is no name for a model” and christened her Nico.

Nico soon became a top model and was then cast in Italian films La Tempesta and then in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. After a breif affair, she had a son with French screen idol Alain Delon. Nico named the child Aaron and called him Ari. Delon denied paternity and Ari was raised by Delon’s mother, Edith Boulogne, who became the boy’s legal guardian adopting Ari and leaving Nico basically out of the picture. Their separation lasted until Ari was eighteen and was the cause of much heartache for Nico.

While in London, Nico was noticed by Andrew Loog Oldham, The Rolling Stones’ manager, and recorded a single “I’m Not Sayin.’” The single flopped but she met The Stones’ founder, Brian Jones, and the two became involved. This was pivotal because It was Jones who brought her to New York and to meet the man who would help make her known to millions of people worldwide. That man was Andy Warhol.

After becoming Warhol’s new Superstar, replacing the troubled young heiress Edie Sedgewick, Warhol and his film partner, Paul Morrissey, thought that Nico could be the lead singer for a band they discovered and were managing called The Velvet Underground. The band’s songwriter and vocalist who didn’t have much stage presence, Lou Reed, wasn’t happy to say the least.

The Velvets first album, The eponymous The Velvet Underground & Nico, was financed by Warhol and released in early 1967. Although it didn’t sell many copies it became one of the most influential records of all time. Roxy Music’s Brian Eno once famously stated that “The Velvets may not have sold many units but everyone who bought a copy started their own band.”

Nico spent 1967’s Summer of Love with The Doors’ lead singer and lyricist Jim Morrison often taking peyote in the California desert. It was Morrison who said she should write her own material by writing down her dreams. He helped her find the perfect instrument to accompany her Teutonic voice which was the harmonium. Morrison apparently liked red heads, so Nico dyed her hair with henna to please him and was never blonde again. She also discarded her Mod look and was influenced by Dior’s Peasant line which she embellished creating her Moon Goddess appearance. Now Nico felt she had reinvented herself as a true artist and would never be valued only for her looks again. With this new outlook she went on to record five more albums most of them based around her voice and the harmonium.

The book goes on to quite intricately tell how Nico’s life unfolded after leaving The Velvets and embarking on a solo career. Ms. Otter Bickerdike does an incredible job of detailing Nico’s often difficult, nomadic existence. This biography digs deep into the possible reasons that the grand dame became a heroin addict for many years such as the trauma of her childhood in war time Germany, being shunned by Delon, being separated from her son, and how she existed through it all. There are several testimonials from well known people who knew Nico on different levels like Paul Morrisey, Viva, Danny Fields, Iggy Pop, Jackson Browne, and John Cale. This page turner also includes interviews the author did with people who were both musicians and fans who knew her such as Mark Almond (Soft Cell), Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order), and Siouxsie Sioux (Siouxsie & The Banshees) and ones who didn’t but were admirers of her work like Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees), Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction), and Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle).

The author states that Nico detested ideology but lived her life on her own terms which was definitely Feminist but with sometimes unorthodox choices. Having been a huge fan of Nico since I was introduced to her work as a kid in the late 1970’s, I was thrilled to see that there was a lot of new information I never knew about the late chanteuse. Obviously this was a labor of love for Ms. Otter Bickerdike who’s goal was to have Nico’s reputation cleared against all of the legends, myths, and salacious rumors surrounding the great lady. I can’t help but think that somewhere, Nico is beaming with happiness that someone has finally set the record straight.

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Summer 2021 print edition. Subscribe today!

Winnie is a young American woman, aimless and living abroad, when she suddenly disappears without a trace in Vietnam. As the reader uncovers what’s happened to Winnie, they’re taken on a whirlwind, hair-raising adventure through time and place. A large cast of characters that includes angry women, vengeful spirits, ghost hunters, and ambitious Frenchmen, are all woven together to form a sweeping story that covers decades of Vietnamese history and confronts topics from misogyny and colonialism to family and trauma. The novel jumps from one time period to another and back again, as the reader discovers the mysteries surrounding each of the characters and how they all connect, creating an engrossing novel that’s furious, shocking, and poignant. 

Here, Violet discusses books, writing, and ghost stories.

Both your first book, The Frangipani Hotel, and your new novel, Build Your House Around My Body, use elements of horror and the supernatural. Is there something about those genres that you feel is particularly apt at conveying the stories you’re trying to tell?

Absolutely. Just for me personally, it felt like a way into the material, into the subject of Vietnamese Americans, and war trauma, and just my way of writing something that hasn’t really been written before, in a way that only I really felt like I could do it. Because I grew up with those stories, and it felt like uncharted territory in a genre that felt kind of saturated with stories where people drew on their own experiences and I didn’t have the experience of being a refugee, in my first collection when I started writing about the Vietnamese diaspora. So that’s what drew me to it originally and there’s just the delicious opportunity with speculative fiction to kind of – you have all this extra margin room to just play with things and do different things when the physics of the regular world can get bent a little bit.

The book follows multiple timelines, and also has quite a few characters, but everything fits together so seamlessly, what was planning all of that like? Or was there planning?

Well planning was a mess [laughs]. Originally I pictured it as a kind of tryptic, with three novellas following these similar characters. And then when I started interweaving them, that’s when the story felt more like a novel instead of three poorly connected novellas. I describe the process as kind of trying to do a crossword puzzle, like trying to construct one. Little connections would kind of write themselves, which was fun. It does ask a lot of the reader, there’s a lot to keep track of. I hope the readers know, my baby birds, they’re all going to connect. You don’t have to do the work because I did it for you. All of the wires are going to connect at some point.

It is nonlinear, what made you decide to write it that way? Did you ever decide to do it a different way?

Yeah, I originally tried having it in a number of different organizational structures, but this architecture, it felt like it captured the kind of disorienting experience that I wanted to create for the reader. I wanted to have them time hop, to sort of show that all of these times are existing parallel to each other because that’s kind of how memory works, and how trauma works, and the history of this country, it doesn’t really go away. And so it just felt fitting to me, in a way, that the chronology didn’t work. And I think that it would’ve been really weird to start where the farthest point in time was, which was the French rubber plantation. I mean, it could’ve worked maybe in the hands of another writer but this felt like the form that this story wanted and needed, the jumping around.

So the book takes place in Vietnam, but in several different places within the country. And you yourself, I think, lived and wrote in some of those places. How did place influence the novel?

The setting really is where I start with the chapter or the idea. So I moved to Da Lat in 2013, because it was historically very haunted and because it has this legacy as this French playground that they built for themselves. What a weird place, an incredibly spooky place just physically because it’s full of freaky mist and also these falling apart houses and these terrifying forests, and I thought, ‘well, if I’m going to write a ghost novel, I might as well start here.’ And it was kind of the gateway to the Central Highlands, which I started traveling to because of this bad ex-boyfriend [laughs], so I would go on these long motorbike rides back to his little tiny home hill town and I felt this kind of affinity for these weird hill country areas, like around Pleiku and Dak Lak because they’re just these remote, barren expanses — but so beautiful, and it reminded me in a weird way of where I’m originally from in Central Pennsylvania. [What] I was imagining when I wrote about Binh, and Tan, and Long and their childhood, it’s kind of like a Vietnamese parallel for maybe what my life would have looked like if I had stayed in coal country, when I was like, six.

So, you lived in a haunted city. Do you have any good ghost stories or experiences?

Well I made the mistake of trying to spend the night in one of the haunted French villas in the forest with a journalist friend. I was like, ‘I’m [going to] go seek an experience’ and it ended with me making everyone leave at 3:30 in the morning because I heard creepy footsteps that were not from a body. I heard gravel footsteps and then I made us leave. I was the only girl there and so it became kind of the trope of the hysterical woman, which was very annoying. They were like, ‘Oh, if we stay we can have an experience.’ I was like, ‘an experience of getting eaten by the ghost?’ And that kind of fed into the novel too — the sounds in the madhouse.

Was there a section that was harder to write than the others?

The Winnie timeline. The Winnie storyline was tricky because I think she is a very guarded character and she was hard to coax out. I originally didn’t even want her to have a huge storyline because I was interested in doing something where the Vietnamese characters are central and the Vietnamese-Americans are on the periphery. But then it became sort of clear when I was into year four of writing this novel and it wasn’t coming together I was like, ‘Okay, Winnie, we’re going to give you a bigger role, we’re going to try and see how this goes’. It’s funny to me, looking back on it, because her vacancy is so central to who she is as a person and the story itself is framed around her literal disappearance, and her literal vacancy. It seemed fitting, but it was tricky to coax out even though she and I sort of shared the most DNA and the most experiences of being a 22-year-old, biracial, Vietnamese American teacher. So it was harder to write that than being a ghost hunter in the 80s, which I have never been.

I loved Winnie, and really all of the women in the book. But I was really struck by the way they were treated and also the way they reacted to that treatment. Could you talk about what you were thinking when you wrote them?

I wanted women’s anger to be at the center of the story, and for the novel to shine a light on the everyday misogyny that happens to women in Vietnam, [to] women everywhere. And it was important to me that there’s not – I hate perfect victim narratives. [The characters are] real to me, and I wanted them to seem real to other people. And the different ways in which they process their trauma and which it transforms them and how they choose – what they choose to become at the end, I wanted there to be different paths for them. There’s not a lesson in the story about what you should do with your own pain, because I didn’t know what to do with mine. I guess I put mine into a book. It doesn’t do justice exactly, but it does revenge in a small way.

One of the things I loved about the novel is how the reader had access to so many different perspectives. Was that always the plan? What made you decide to tell it that way?

I think it’s informed by my own sort of fractured identity, and I’m not comfortable writing only in one perspective so I thought if this book is coming from this sort of hybrid writer, this hybrid take on Vietnam, it’s going to mimic that in the actual, literal structure and perspective. I wanted it to be like a chorus of voices, to be polyphonic. I wanted it to mimic what it is to be in Vietnam — it’s crackling, it’s alive. It’s so noisy and it’s wonderful. And I wanted to try to do that for the reader too. Assault on the senses, things coming at you from every different direction, let it wash over you.

Speaking of assault on the senses, in the novel, your descriptions of food, they walk this line between making me want to eat what you’re describing and being kind of gross. What went into that?

Yeah, well I think – I wrote a lot of it when I was hungry too [laughs]. I was living in England and I had just moved from Vietnam and I was just really hungry and trying to recreate it. I loved how you described that kind of fine line, because that’s what I wanted from all the description of consumption, and egesting, and just the way the book treats the body as like a really gross, but extraordinary thing in different ways. I mean that’s what a lot of my experiences in Vietnam too, I noticed, were sort of central expat experiences. Food was a way of eating the culture. Their rubric for what kind of foreigner they were and what kind of foreigner they wanted to be, and to present to the world. And I just love food metaphors. I love food. 

Is there a character you most relate to or identify with?

I think of the mixed-race characters, I feel sort of closest to the Fortune Teller. But also just the idea of a fortune teller as a vessel for a different power. In my case, a creative channel for the story. That’s how it felt when I was writing it, like I was a kind of spirit medium. Also, I just feel like a dog [laughs]. I’m Belly at the end, like running around gleeful in a body, trying to eat what I can. I think I’m a cross between Belly and the Fortune Teller.

Who would you say your writing influences are?

I think a big influence is David Mitchell, just in terms of someone I look up to for breadth of imagination and extraordinary story construction. He can hold together something that seems so big and so delicate. Also, I’m very inspired by the weirdness of Haruki Murakami. Angela Carter and Shirley Jackson – how those two in particular write about women. I love Kazuo Ishiguro and his early works about identity, and Asian-European identity and challenges. And watching [his] career trajectory, it’s really inspiring to see how he moved on from Pale View of the Hills and When We Were Orphans. I think my favorite writer ever is Elif Batuman, the Turkish-American writer who wrote The Idiot, which I think is just the most perfect exploration of a rootless Winnie young person in a foreign country. And it’s just so funny, she’s the funniest, best writer and I will push The Idiot on anyone who hasn’t read it yet.

Okay, last question: what’s next?

I think I want to do another novel. When I was in the throes of wrestling with Build Your House [Around My Body], I was like, ‘I’m never going to do this again. Why did I think this was a good idea? I miss short stories, they’re so nice and small and easily digestible.’ But now that I’m on the other side of it, I just miss having that much space to work with, it’s kind of intoxicating. And so I’m excited to write another novel next. And I’m not sure how ghosty and how Vietnamese it’s going to be. It’s interesting, because I feel like a lot of that just went into Build Your House and I don’t know if I’ll feel the need to stay in the same subject area. I feel like it’s always going to be weird, what I write. I think I’m always going to write something in that kind of margin-y area, where I have more room to play and explore these kind of sneakier, slipperier subjects of identity, and memory, and loss, and my family’s own story of displacement and dislocation, but I don’t know what form that’s going to take. I’m having fun just enjoying my Build Your House child being out in the world and thinking of future siblings for it.

Build Your House Around My Body is out now!
Buy it here or at your local bookstore.

Top photo credits: Book cover via Penguin Random House, Headshot via Adriana De Cervantes

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There are few worlds as sexy, warm, and feel-good as the Jasmine Guillory rom-com universe, and While We Were Dating is a lovely addition to Guillory’s Wedding Date canon. Ad executive Ben Stephens (whose brother, Theo, is a previous Guillory hero) really isn’t looking for a relationship. But when renowned actor Anna Gardiner enters his orbit, he struggles to deny their chemistry. As Anna and Ben grow closer, they find themselves jumping headfirst into a spontaneous fling-turned-publicity stunt that could become the real thing. Although The Wedding Party and Party of Two are still the series’ standouts, Anna and Ben’s story features the same blend of banter, sexual tension, and mutual support that Guillory has perfected, and the book’s emphasis on mental health is also a poignant touch; both characters are in and often discuss therapy. There’s also a Maddie and Theo cameo, which series fans are sure to enjoy. 

By Lydia Wang

While We Were Dating 

By Jasmine Guillory 

(Berkley)

Shiori Ito’s Black Box is known today for helping launch the #MeToo movement in Japan, and the author was recognized by Time Magazine as a 2020 person of the year. This memoir, in a quick, exhilarating narrative, spans the events between 2015 and 2017, when the author was raped by well-known reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi. They had met up under the pretense that he would have helpful information for a job he was “coordinating” for her. She regained consciousness in his hotel bed, while he was assaulting her.

I couldn’t put this book down—at least, not for long, anyway—because I was naively eager for some happy ending, some sort of resolution, or some sort of six-years-later reassurance about the fate of this woman who jeopardized everything when she came forward. In 2019, the author won a civil suit against Yamaguchi, which is something. But as the author herself confirms, “No matter how much we wish it otherwise, none of us can return to being who we were in the past.” 

By Robyn Smith

Black Box: The Memoir That Sparked Japan’s #MeToo Movement                             

By Shiori Ito                                                                                                        

(Feminist Press) 

“Tu ikiwa uko huru.” Dorothy “Doll” Kirwin Thomas’ mantra in Vanessa Riley’s historical novel, Island Queen, means, “Only if you’re free, then you can be.” Born into slavery in the colonial West Indies, the real Thomas fought for freedom at a time when she was barely seen as human. “I’m luckier, I guess. My black is beautiful,” Doll says, in response to the suggestion that she—a dark-skinned Creole woman with an Irish father—should feel cheated that she can’t pass as white.

Instead of writing a just-the-facts biography, Riley gives Doll a chance to tell her own harrowing story. Doll is given agency, reveling in the forbidden love she shares with John Coseveldt Cells, a wealthy planter with a secret of his own. While tame, the couple’s bodice-ripping should still excite Bridgerton fans, all while laying bare the shrewdness it takes and the loneliness that comes with shattering glass ceilings—especially as a woman of color. It spoils nothing to say Doll ends up on top, becoming one of the richest women in the early 1800s Caribbean. But Island Queen is focused on her journey, not her destination. 

By Shannon Carlin

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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For lovers of creative nonfiction, this title has the rare ability to interweave facts with personal anecdotes in such a way that one cannot help but feel a little less alone. Examining loneliness through an American lens, Radtke illuminates how truly American it is to be lonely, from the female love interest surrounded by take-out containers and cats to the lone cowboy too cool for silly feelings like love, or empathy. Loneliness is as American as apple pie, yet merely mentioning it is a social taboo. Who would ever admit to being lonely? Radtke makes loneliness an exercise in being together in our unique aloneness, instead of becoming isolated within it. 

By Brianne Kane

SEEK YOU: A Journey Through American Loneliness
By Kristen Radtke
(Pantheon)

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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The Mother of Dragons, a.k.a. Game of Thrones actor Emilia Clarke, is set to release the first issue of her three-part comic book series, M.O.M.: Mother of Madness, on July 21^st.

Far from simply starring as the quintessential male fantasy in the most successful fantasy series of all time, the move to writing is perhaps a natural one for Clarke, who told Variety about her love of the genre from a young age: “I read a lot of fantasy novels full of rich worlds as a child, like Lord of the Rings. That was always the place my imagination would gravitate toward. Later on, when I went to Comic-Con for the first time at 22 with Game of Thrones, I was amazed at what I saw — almost entirely men. Later, as tides turned in the industry and #MeToo emerged, I began to look at the community through those eyes and it was arresting.”

This forms part of Clarke’s motivation to forcibly make the realm of superheroes a space more geared towards its female fans, with the premise of the comic having a distinctly feminist tone, flecked with off the wall humour and fourth wall breaks: in an interview with Screenrant, Clarke cited Deadpool, Fleabag, House of Cards and Shakespere as a few sources of her inspiration.

Co-written alongside Marguerite Bennett (Bombshells) and illustrated by Leila Leiz, the series follows Maya, a chemical engineer and single mother, whose superpowers are born not from radioactive spiders or freakish levels of testosterone, but from her period. In the story, she uses said powers to fight a ring of human traffickers, all while trying to balance the demands of being a mother to her young son Billy. 

Clarke told Entertainment Weekly that the idea came to her from a “wouldn’t it be funny if…” conversation with her friends, which got her to thinking seriously about taking the old idea of mothers as superheroes, and their ability to juggle so many different aspects of their life, literally. In a world where superheroines are generally young, single, and possess an airbrushed anatomy — which allows them to wear skin tight suits without ever bloating, and execute full body martial arts techniques at the drop of a hat in a periodless, tamponless world — Clarke set out to make her main character unashamedly and realistically female: “She can do all of these wicked things, but they all come from the fact that she is a woman who has a menstrual cycle. I thought it would be cool to have all the things that women don’t like about themselves, flip that, and make those the things that make her superhuman.” 

In fact, Clarke has said that she created the series partly with the intention to normalize the inner workings of the female anatomy, which remains stubbornly taboo today. She explained, “I wanted there to be an educational thing. It’s a huge deal when it happens to a woman, but I also think it’s something that men don’t know anything about – because we don’t know anything about it either, and no one’s allowed to talk about it.”

On this point, Clarke seems to go all in guns blazing, and doesn’t shy away from giving her main character emotions that are often deemed either hyper-feminine, to the point of being a weakness, or unfeminine: “When Maya is scared, she goes invisible; when she’s angry, she has superhuman strength. She can swing like Spider-Man from her armpit hair.” From what we can tell, the comic seems to capture Clarke’s own quirky personality, and we are here for it. 

Top Image: Screenshot via YouTube 

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So this June, now more than ever, it’s important to honor immigrants and all they have done for the United States. To that end, here are 8 books by immigrant authors whose works are not only great examples of said contributions, but also deepen our understanding of the immigrant experience in America, and thus of the country as a whole.

1. Refuge: A Novel by Dina Nayeri
Image via Penguin Random House

At 10 years old, Nayeri immigrated to Oklahoma from Tehran. Refuge is a semi autobiographical novel that tells the story of Niloo, a young Iranian girl whose family is split apart when she, her mother, and brother immigrate to the United States, leaving her father behind in Tehran. Following the impact of this monumental event into her adulthood, tracing her and her father’s relationship over several decades, and reckoning with the world’s current refugee crisis, Refuge is a novel about the people and places we call home and what we owe to each other once it has been lost. 

2. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Image via Hatchette Book Group

NoViolet Bulawayo is originally from Zimbabwe and now lives in California as a professor at Stanford University. In her debut novel, the reader follows Darling, a young Zimbabwean girl, who is growing up amongst the violence and uncertainty of a corrupt government until she moves to America to live with her aunt. In this new country, however, she faces new struggles. She is undocumented, far away from her friends and family in Zimbabwe, and must conform to American expectations of a teenager. Caught between two countries and feeling like she doesn’t entirely belong in either, We Need New Names is a heart-wrenching coming of age story. 

3. Happiness, Like Water by Chinelo Okparanta
Image via Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Okparanta, author of Under the Udala Trees, was born and raised in Nigeria before coming to the United States for college. Her debut short story collection explores the lives of Nigerian women both at home and abroad, as they navigate relationships, family, sexuality, class, and struggle to build lives for themselves in places both new and old.

4. Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao
Image via Penguin Random House

Lan Cao was born in Saigon and was sent by her family to live in Connecticut at the end of the Vietnam War. Monkey Bridge is told in two intertwining stories—one that follows a young woman named Mai as she navigates life in the United States after leaving Vietnam, and another, much darker story that follows Mai’s mother, Thanh, as she uncovers family secrets and past betrayals, all leading up to a mysterious event that continues to haunt her.

5. How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Image via Algonquin Books

At 10 years old, Alvarez moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic, and many of her works are centered around Dominican characters and issues of immigration. In her debut novel, four sisters, Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia, and their family flee to New York from the Dominican Republic, after their father is involved in a failed attempt to overthrow the country’s dictator. In this new country, they must navigate two cultures—the Dominican culture their parents hold onto and the American culture to which they have just been introduced, and are anxious to embrace—in ways that are both exciting and painful.

6. Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Image via W.W. Norton & Company

Nicole Dennis-Benn was born and raised in Jamaica and now lives in New York City. Patsy follows the title character as she leaves Jamaica, and her daughter, to pursue her dreams of living in the United States. Patsy’s idealized imaginings of life in the U.S. are soon dashed, however, as the realities of poverty, racism, and life as an undocumented immigrant set in. In this novel, Dennis-Benn delivers a moving and unflinching exploration of mother-daughter relationships, gender and sexuality, and immigration in America.

7. The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Image via Abrams Books

Thi Bui was born in Vietnam, and came to the United States with her family amongst the “boat people” refugees fleeing the Vietnam War. The Best We Could Do is a graphic memoir, telling the story of her family’s journey. Through powerful illustrations and a narrative that doesn’t try to simplify their story or experiences, Bui heartwrenchingly depicts displacement, identity, trauma, and family relationships that span decades and continents in one incredible book.

8. Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang
Image via Penguin Random House

Set in New York, where Zhang moved after leaving Shanghai at a young age, her debut short story collection, Sour Heart, explores the immigrant experience in seven coming of age stories that span countries and generations. In stories that are both dark and funny, Zhang explores girlhood and growing up in an immigrant family through the collection’s young narrators as they navigate adolescence, and grapple with shifting definitions of home.

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This is an absorbing book that challenges preconceived notions about what it means to be transgender and what it means to be a parent. By reading it, one is sure to embark on their own inner journey—considering the pieces of one’s life that have impacted their own sense of identity.

The Natural Mother of the Child
By Krys Malcolm Belc
(Counterpoint Press)

By Adrienne Urbanski
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Larissa Pham Lets Readers Know They’re Not Alone With Her Memoir-Style Essays In “Pop Song: Adventures In Art And Intimacy”

1. Beijing Comrades by Bei Tong, translated by Scott E. Myers
Image via Feminist Press

One of the first LGBTQ+ novels to come out of China, this now cult-classic of Chinese queer literature was originally published anonymously online. Following the heart wrenching love story between two men from very different social backgrounds, and set during a tumultuous era of Chinese history, Handong, a privileged businessman, and Lan Yu, a working class student, are inexplicably drawn to each other and engage in a love affair that makes them reassess their entire lives.

2. My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Kabi Nagata
Image via Macmillan Publishers

Winner of so many awards and critical acclaim, this is a graphic novel about a 28-year-old Japanese woman who is struggling with her sexuality and mental health. With minimalist drawings that underscore a powerful story of struggle and self-discovery, and confronting topics ranging from sex work to depression with dignity and understanding, it will strike a chord with people from anywhere, undergoing any kind of struggle.

3. Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park, translated by Anton Hur
Image via Grove Atlantic

Both funny and moving, Love in the Big City was a massive hit in South Korea. It follows Young, a gay man living in Seoul, as he comes of age and confronts both the joys and heartbreaks of life: hanging out with friends, taking care of his mother, and trying to find love in the big city. Described as “an exploration of millennial loneliness as well as the joys of queer life,” it promises to be as big a hit in the English speaking world as it is in South Korea. Release date is November 9, 2021.

4. Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin, translated by Bonnie Huie
Image via New York Review Books

Following a group of queer friends attending university in Taipei in the 1980s, Miaojin tells a tale of friendship and love, of social isolation and the joys of community, all whilst re-examining identity, gender, misogyny, and homophobia. Using a mix of diary entries and notes, the author creates a Taiwanese cult classic that resonates still today.

5. Crossing by Pajtim Statovci, translated by David Hackston
Image via Penguin Random House

Originally born in Kosovo to Albanian parents, Statovci’s family fled to Finland to escape the violence that destroyed Yugoslavia. His novel, Crossing, a finalist for the National Book Award, follows a young Albanian boy, Bujar, and his best friend Agim, as they deal with the aftermath of war, eventually leaving to find better lives in Italy. In a foreign country, however, they are forced to confront their identities in more ways than one, exploring the intersections of sexual orientation, gender identity, alienation, and migration.

6. We All Loved Cowboys by Carol Bensimon, translated by Beth Fowler
Image via Transit Books

This coming of age romance out of Brazil is told across the duration of a road trip that is the catalyst for the reunion of two women (and estranged friends) who are quickly forced to confront the tensions that previously split them apart, as they once again begin to emerge.  

7. Fair Play by Tove Jansson, translated by Thomas Teal
Image via New York Review Books

Originally written in Swedish by Finnish author Tove Jansson, Fair Play is a quiet, semi autobiographical novel told in a series of vignettes that follows two women, Mari and Jona, as they spend their lives together, creating art, traveling the world, and living their day-to-day lives. 

8. Sergius seeks Bacchus by Norman Erikson Pasaribu, translated by Tiffany Tsao
Image via Tilted Axis Press

In his book of poetry, Pasaribu explores “what it means to be in the minority in terms of sexuality, ethnicity, and religion” through a comic yet tragic voice. With a wide range of topics and styles, the poetry in this book confronts loneliness, love, oppression, and joy. His first book of short stories, Happy Stories, Mostly, will be released in November.

9. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
Image via Grove Atlantic

Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi’s debut novel, is highly acclaimed, making them a National Book Foundation “5 under 35” Honoree and named as a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for a Debut Novel. Born and raised in Nigeria, Emezi incorporates Igbo cosmology into their semi autobiographical coming of age novel about a young woman, Ada, who must contend with a multitude of identities living within her as she navigates the world—first in Nigeria and later as an immigrant in the United States. Exploring the spaces between gender, culture, and existence, Emezi writes of identities that do not fit neatly into a single category.

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Writer, editor, educator, and social commentator Roxane Gay is really shaking things up in the world of publishing. With notable works such as Bad Feminist, Hunger: A Memoir Of (My) Body, and An Untamed State, Gay has become widely acknowledged as one of the most remarkable thought leaders and changemakers of our time.

Her recent big announcement that she’ll be heading her very own publishing imprint is a very powerful indication that Roxane Gay is here to stay, and more importantly, that she’s highly invested in using her platform to amplify the voices of others.

According to The New York Times, Roxane Gay Books will operate in partnership with Grove Atlantic—a company Gay has maintained a working relationship with since 2014—to publish three titles a year. The selected material will center underrepresented voices, and must classify as fiction, non-fiction, or memoir. Submissions both agented and unagented will be temporarily accepted, depending on the volume of manuscript pitches. The first call for submissions will go out this summer.

I am excited to share that I am starting a publishing imprint, Roxane Gay Books in partnership with @groveatlantic and my amazing editor @amy_hundley https://t.co/cnTJBtz9Xr pic.twitter.com/t8vzM1FPil

— roxane gay (@rgay) May 26, 2021

Gay will oversee the selection process, while working alongside Grove’s executive editor Amy Hundley. “She’s really interested in queer voices, she’s really interested in feminist voices, she’s really interested in voices on body size,” said Hudley, “all kinds of different conversations that are really exciting right now, and I think are the future.” The acclaimed author has also announced a one-year fellowship opportunity for a lucky candidate who will work closely with Gay and the team at Grove for a more hands-on learning experience about the publishing industry.

The news of Gay’s imprint is especially important for new and upcoming writers who’ve had no luck breaking into the largely white, male-dominated world of publishing. Get ready to bust out that manuscript you’ve been hesitant about sharing with anyone, and prepare to shoot your shot with Roxane Gay Books; she wants to hear your story.

“There are so many barriers and so many gates,” Gay remarked. “Let’s take them down.” 

Top Image: Screenshot From MasterClass’ “”Roxane Gay Teaches Writing For Social Change” Official Trailer

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1. Getting Off by Jamye Waxman
Image via Seal Press

A great general guide to—you guessed it—getting off, this illustrated book addresses the stigma attached to masturbation by exploring its history and cultural prominence today. It also offers basic information on anatomy, sex toys, techniques, and other resources to consult as you discover what works for you.

2. Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
Image via Simon & Schuster

Using recent scientific research, Emily Nagoski explains how better orgasms come from a better understanding of all the factors that go into women’s sexuality. This means an awareness of just how unique each woman’s sexuality is, as well as the way everyday circumstances can impact how women experience not just orgasms, but desire and arousal as well.

3. Bang!: Masturbation For People Of All Genders And Abilities by Vic Liu
Image via Microcosm Publishing

A super inclusive guide to masturbation that covers a wide range of topics from history and anatomy to tools, toys, and techniques—including sections containing tips and testimony for and by trans and disbled folks. Not just informative, Bang! is also beautifully designed and illustrated by multiple artists.

4. Becoming Cliterate by Dr. Laurie Mintz
Image via HarperCollins Publishers

Winner of the 2019 Society for Sex Therapy and Research Consumer Book Award, Becoming Cliterate calls for a revolution in the way we think about sex. Using a multidisciplinary approach to examine a societal perspective of sex, it addresss the pleasure gap between the way men and women experience sex, and advocates for a reorientation that focuses a little less on penetrative sex and a little more on what Dr. Mintz refers to as “cliteracy.” Not only an informative examination of pleasure, it also provides useful explanations for how readers can become cliterate themselves.

5. Sex Yourself: The Woman’s Guide To Mastering Masturbation And Achieving Powerful Orgasms by Carlyle Jansen
Image via Quarto

The title pretty much says it all for this one! Uniquely qualified, Carlyle Jansen, a sex educator, producer of the Feminist Porn Awards, and founder of Good For Her, a sexuality workshop center in Toronto, wrote a book on how to give yourself better orgasms.

6. The Feminist Porn Book edited by Tristan Taormino, Constance Penley, Celine Parrenas Shimizu, and Mireille Miller-Young
Image via Feminist Press

A book not so much about masturbation as it is about the industry that plays a big hand in getting us off, this inclusive compilation of essays by people across the porn industry, from actors to scholars, illustrates the importance of feminist pornography. Exploring a number of topics from a variety of perspectives, the Feminist Porn Book will make sure you’re a conscious consumer of the pleasure production industry.

Top photo via Deon Black on Unsplash

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TV writer and former Rookie editor Danielle Henderson’s new memoir, The Ugly Cry (Out June 8 from Viking), is a testament to the fact that most childhoods cannot be distilled into pure tragedy or pure comedy. She revisits her curiosity and confusion while coming of age in the ’80s as a Black girl in a white neighborhood in upstate New York, and her recollections oscillate between the tragic (various forms of abuse), the comic (a song to accompany outdoor peeing), and the tragicomic (her grandmother’s penchant for slasher movies and straight talk). This tonal variety runs through Henderson’s entire writing portfolio, which includes the 2012 book Feminist Ryan Gosling, the hilarious 2015-2017 Hulu series Difficult People, and the trippy 2018 Netflix drama Maniac. It also characterizes her plans for the evening. Following our interview, she was due to discuss the “awful” 1989 skateboarder revenge movie Gleaming the Cube for her film podcast, I Saw What You Did. But first, she dipped into a deep chat with BUST from her home in L.A.

A lot of the topics you write about are typically discussed in serious tones, like racism and abuse. Why was it important for you to approach these subjects with a sense of humor?

I can’t help it! That was a survival instinct that I learned very early on. I think I give those subjects as much gravity as I do humor, but I definitely think some of the things that happened to me are funny. It didn’t feel authentic to ignore the fact that, as hard as my childhood was, there was also a lot of joy and humor to be found there. 

How do you think the tough-love approaches of the women who raised you impact your life today, for better or for worse?

It is definitely a balance. I’m grateful for the lessons I learned early on in that tough-love kind of scope, because they prepared me to go out into the world much sooner than anyone I knew. By the time I graduated from high school, I was ready to be on my own. I grew up knowing that I couldn’t depend on anybody but myself, so I’m grateful for that lesson. But I do also think that had there been more care in certain situations, I probably would have a different approach to my self-esteem and my self-worth today, which I still struggle with. 

Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your younger self?

That’s always a hard question for me, because I feel like I wouldn’t be the person I am if I did anything differently. But I wish I’d been kinder to myself, and I wish I’d been able to learn how to be more loving to myself early on. I really struggled to find my place in the world, and I think if I knew how to be kind to myself, that would have been different. I would tell her that I’m proud of her for surviving what she survived, and I’m proud of her for being who she was in a time when that wasn’t accepted or expected.

What do you want readers to take away from The Ugly Cry?

I want them to understand that they can laugh, and then turn a page and cry. I want them to embrace the full spectrum of their emotions and their experiences, because I don’t think we’re taught how to do that. My grandma is truly a maniac, like, she’s the wildest person I’ve ever met, and I can’t just write about the doom and gloom without writing about all the joy that she brought into my life. I wasn’t born into trauma. I wasn’t born into violence. That’s something that happened to me. But I did have, for a number of years, a really idyllic childhood. I lived in the country and played with my friends outside, and it was the ’80s so no one was really watching us, and we had a blast, and I lived in a multigenerational home, and there was a lot of joy before the things that happened to me. The things that happened to me were not more powerful than the joy.

By Molly MacGilbert
Photo: Maile Wright

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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August doesn’t believe in magic or time travel. She doesn’t even believe in love at first sight—that is, until she meets Jane, a kind-hearted, magnetic girl who takes the same subway every day. But as August learns more about her enigmatic crush, she realizes that Jane is actually displaced from the 1970s, trapped on the Q train, and unsure how any of this happened. It’s up to August to help figure out how Jane got stuck in time, while keeping her feelings at bay. Much like Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston’s bestselling debut, One Last Stop contains a million little love stories beyond its central romance. It’s about friends, roommates, found families, queer communities, and one prickly heroine’s slow-burning romance with her new city and her own future.

One Last Stop 
By Casey McQuinston
(St.Martin’s)

By Lydia Wang

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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You write in a variety of different arenas—print magazines, websites, anthologies, audio, TV, social media. Did writing your memoir change your routine?
I started working on the book before any of my other writing work, so it’s always had pride of place in my thoughts, even when I devoted less time to the manuscript. But there were a few months when I shut down the rest of my life so I could really focus on getting this memoir down on the page.

Do you prefer to write longhand or to type? What software do you use?
I require both. I wrote parts of my book in Scrivener, but I’m mostly a Word girl.

How many hours a day do you spend writing? Do you take days off?
I write five to ten hours a week and I regularly take days off. If I didn’t, I couldn’t be a writer.

What is your preferred writing space?
It doesn’t exist yet. I have an office I’ve been designing in my head for years. It will have very special wallpaper, a daybed, a massive desk, and a dog bed for my lab.

Do you listen to anything while writing?
I listen to movie scores. My favorites are Under the Tuscan Sun, The Wife, and Fast Color.

Are you alone when you write?
I am usually writing with my husband beside me, and my dog’s nose pressed against my heels.

What do you like to wear when you write?
Nothing that restricts. No hard pants.

Somebody’s Daughter
By Ashley C. Ford
(Flatiron Books: An Oprah Book)

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Book loving, 26-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is determined to move up the ladder at one of New York’s most prominent publishing houses, Wagner Books. Then Hazel arrives. Nella is ecstatic about having another young Black woman joining the ranks. That is, until Hazel pushes Nella into an uncomfortable situation, causing her to question their newly formed friendship. Then, a note arrives on her desk: LEAVE WAGNER NOW. Did Hazel intentionally get Nella into trouble? Is she the one leaving threatening notes on Nella’s desk? Gripping, sharp, and full of creeping unease, The Other Black Girl takes office drama to a whole new level. –Samantha Ladwig

The Other Black Girl: A Novel
By Zakiya Dalila Harris
(Atria Books)

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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The Horton family packs into their aging minivan for an annual summer tour of revival meetings at the beginning of this swift, gripping debut novel. A year and 304 pages later, nothing is the same, including the memorable young woman at the heart of this story of magical realism. Miriam is 15 years old, daughter of a famous faith healer and a grieving mother, sibling to a preacher-in-training brother and a special-needs sister. The women of Baptist churches, tent revivals, and soul salvation are often relegated to silent, supporting roles, but in Revival Season, Monica West puts them at the center of her narrative. 

When Miriam begins to doubt her father and her whole world, she turns to these women to help her make sense of it all. Miriam’s faith is a given in this novel; though she may question her parents and doctrine, she never questions God. Her love is abundant and matter-of-fact, especially for her troubled mother and the sister whose care is often Miriam’s responsibility. Walking with Miriam as she comes of age in Revival Season is a pleasure. –Aileen Gallagher

Revival Season: A Novel
By Monica West
(Simon & Schuster)

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Entrepreneur, CEO of famous cat cafe Crumbs & Whiskers, and poet Kanchan Singh is a natural-born healer. Starting her own company after deciding to leave a career that was no longer fulfilling her, Singh’s story of how her immediate success led to her newest release—Dear Me, I Love You, a book that explores the harsh realities of healing from trauma—showcases her immense resilience. I had the pleasure of getting to know Singh and learn about her journey through therapy, how a trip to Thailand inspired her to become a business owner, and how our trauma from childhood can ultimately affect us as we get older. 

Can you describe how Crumbs & Whiskers came about? 

I had been working at Accenture, and looking back at my college self, I knew I was doing it to please my dad. Obviously, at the time I didn’t even realize that, but when you do things for validation or acceptance by others, it starts to catch up to you quickly and leaves you feeling unfulfilled. That was how I was feeling, and at one point, I just hit a breaking point. Travel and animals have always been my escape, and I had been dreaming about volunteering at this elephant sanctuary [in Thailand] ever since I had heard about it years ago. 

While I was there, I realized that I needed to be in animal welfare, but I didn’t know how to do it. I really liked the model of the elephant sanctuary because people were paying to come in and see these elephants and interact with them, which the nonprofit was using to take care of [these animals]. As somebody who had worked in animal shelters before, where there is not enough funding and cats are in cages, I had thought, “wouldn’t it be cool if there was a place where cats could roam free?” 

During the rest of my trip, these two guys that I had met in a hostel observed that I would feed so many stray dogs and cats. So for my last day in Thailand, which was my birthday, they surprised me by taking me to a cat cafe. Walking in there was like walking inside to the answer of the question that I had been asking myself. I had told the two guys that I was going back to the U.S. and starting my own cat cafe. So on that flight back, I took the United airplane napkins and mapped out my entire business plan, because I didn’t have notebooks. I was just very inspired when I got there, and it felt right. Some things had not felt right for me in so many years, and it was like an oasis in a desert. 

You have described how the success of starting your own company ultimately led to you dealing with a lot of burnout and stress. Can you touch more on what those experiences were like?

It was very isolating and lonely. There are these things called triggers, right? I had a traumatic childhood, and the success of my company triggered every wound that I had. I had buried a lot of stuff inside. [At first] I would feel great about myself, and I didn’t realize that I had been drinking that Kool-Aid, because we live in a world where external success and validation is sold to us. If anything, my feelings of being a fraud only got worse, and I was feeling like I was going to be found out. The anxiety was bad, and [for a while] I was living on autopilot. Through a lot of self work, I realized I was being my father, because that’s what I was trained to be. I became him, someone who is judgemental, critical, and overly competitive, and that’s how I was showing up in my company also. As a sensitive woman, I don’t think there is any place for [someone like me] as a CEO. The more I tried to solve it, the worse it got. 

In regards to Dear Me, I Love You, tell me about the whole process behind that project. Did you feel that it would be more effective to do a poetry book as opposed to doing specifically prose?

I started therapy once everything started going nuts in my company, and I realized I am not completely based in truth. So much came up in therapy, because as a child, I was bullied, physically and sexually abused, sexually assaulted, and I was like, “Woah.” Up until starting therapy, people would ask me, “What’s your favorite memory from childhood?” and I would think, “People have that? That doesn’t make sense to me.” I thought that it was stupid, so therapy forced me to slow down. As somebody who was a sensitive and emotional child, and then had to turn all of that off in order to survive in this cutthroat world, the only way I could start to process [everything] was through poetry and to write.

I still remember my first poem: I was crying on the bathroom floor and I took out my journal just to [write stuff down], and out came this two page poem and I was like, “what just happened?” Then, I just started writing poetry and writing to process all the emotions that I was going through. I didn’t even realize I was writing a book, and about a year in, I was thinking that I have never read a book that shows what healing actually looks like. The process was ten percent writing about the emotions I was going through and ninety percent of healing and facing my demons. When writing, I never knew if poetry was going to come out of me, if it would be prose, or even a conversation. 

Are there any other business ventures/projects that you want to pursue in the future?

I want to expand Crumbs & Whiskers to other cities like Boston and New York, since I could really see the benefit of that. With poetry, I want to pursue being an artist and doing spoken word performances, books, and such. That’s where I see the next five years of my life at least. 

If you could give any advice to someone who might be in the same situation that you were once in and who wants to create/do something for themselves, what would you tell them?

Listen to your heart. Do things that make you feel as if you are in love with what you are doing and feel good about doing. Everyone is going to have an opinion about it; that’s what I have learned. The opinion we usually value the least is our own, especially when we come from marginalized communities and being told that our opinion is less valuable than others. Value your heart, how you feel, and your emotions, because that can be the scariest thing to do, but it takes a lot of bravery and courage. 

I’d also say invest in your own healing and growth. Our wounds impact us way more than we realize, and our beliefs about ourselves have been put into us and have impacted us way more than we realize. 

If you were to leave a legacy behind, how would you like to be remembered? 

I care so much about people and animals, so if I had to pick one thing, it would be being the one that heals others. 

You can check out Crumbs & Whiskers here. Pre-order Dear Me, I Love You here. 

Top Photo Courtesy of Crumbs & Whiskers. 

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Julia Cameron is known for helping readers tap into their creativity to improve every aspect of their lives. She is the best-selling author of more than 40 books, most notably The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (which has sold over four million copies since 1992) and her newest title, The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention. Here, she shares the routine that keeps her career going strong year after year. 

In The Artist’s Way, you recommend starting every day by writing three pages longhand. Is this something you still do yourself?

Yes, I still do “Morning Pages.” They are a practice I would not go without. I’ve been doing them for over three decades, and I rely on them to guide me. 

Do you have a certain kind of pen and notebook you prefer?

I use a uni-ball 207 bold pen. I like it because it is fast writing. As for paper, I recommend lined, spiral-bound, 8.5” x 11” journals. 

When you are doing non-Morning-Pages writing, do you prefer longhand or typing?

I prefer writing longhand—I find the flow of ideas comes more readily when I put my pen to the page. 

How many hours a day do you devote to writing?

I have no set time beyond the Morning Pages. Later in the day, I will get the “itch” to write, and that amount of time varies project to project.

Describe your preferred writing space.

I write on a loveseat in my living room, facing a view of the [Santa Fe, NM] mountains.

Do you listen to music or keep on some other background noise while writing or do you prefer silence?

I prefer silence. Music distracts me from the flow of ideas.

Are you alone when you write or are there people or pets around?

I live and write alone. My little dog Lily, a Westie, knows when I am not to be disturbed. 

What do you like to wear when you write?

I go straight from the bed to the page, so I write wearing comfortable pajamas. 

Have you adopted any new creative habits during quarantine?

I have been writing little musical ditties using a toy piano. I have also enjoyed writing poetry detailing my reactions to the day. I find that the discipline of rhyming impacts me like truth serum. I plan to continue both practices once we are again safe and free.

By Emily Rems

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Julia Cameron is known for helping readers tap into their creativity to improve every aspect of their lives. She is the best-selling author of more than 40 books, most notably The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (which has sold over four million copies since 1992) and her newest title, The Listening Path: The Creative Art of Attention. Here, she shares the routine that keeps her career going strong year after year. 

In The Artist’s Way, you recommend starting every day by writing three pages longhand. Is this something you still do yourself?

Yes, I still do “Morning Pages.” They are a practice I would not go without. I’ve been doing them for over three decades, and I rely on them to guide me. 

Do you have a certain kind of pen and notebook you prefer?

I use a uni-ball 207 bold pen. I like it because it is fast writing. As for paper, I recommend lined, spiral-bound, 8.5” x 11” journals. 

When you are doing non-Morning-Pages writing, do you prefer longhand or typing?

I prefer writing longhand—I find the flow of ideas comes more readily when I put my pen to the page. 

How many hours a day do you devote to writing?

I have no set time beyond the Morning Pages. Later in the day, I will get the “itch” to write, and that amount of time varies project to project.

Describe your preferred writing space.

I write on a loveseat in my living room, facing a view of the [Santa Fe, NM] mountains.

Do you listen to music or keep on some other background noise while writing or do you prefer silence?

I prefer silence. Music distracts me from the flow of ideas.

Are you alone when you write or are there people or pets around?

I live and write alone. My little dog Lily, a Westie, knows when I am not to be disturbed. 

What do you like to wear when you write?

I go straight from the bed to the page, so I write wearing comfortable pajamas. 

Have you adopted any new creative habits during quarantine?

I have been writing little musical ditties using a toy piano. I have also enjoyed writing poetry detailing my reactions to the day. I find that the discipline of rhyming impacts me like truth serum. I plan to continue both practices once we are again safe and free.

By Emily Rems

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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BookTube is a growing community within the greater YouTube world that’s home to a number of people who produce incredible content all about books. BookTubers usually create videos reviewing and discussing books from a variety of genres, including adult fiction, YA, fantasy, sci-fi, and more. If you’re looking for a fun, diverse community of book lovers, then check out the following 10 BookTubers and their creative content below!

1. Adri from @perpetualpages

Adri is a queer, trans, and nonbinary “chronic bibliophile” who reads diversely and has great recommendations. They describe themselves as “a fierce advocate for queer representation, intersectionality, feminism, and boosting all marginalized voices,” which is reflected in their book reviews and recommendations.

2. Marines from @mynameismarines

Marines is a great critical reviewer, with really thoughtful and in-depth commentary into why she did or did not like something. She reads a wide variety of genres, mostly fiction. She also runs the podcast snarksquad, along with Nicole Sweeney.

3. Angela from @Literature Science Alliance

Angela reads and reviews mostly Adult Fantasy and Sci-fi. As a biophysics PhD student, she provides a really unique perspective to a popular genre, particularly in her “Science Behind the Magic” videos, where she explains the possible scientific basis of the magic you read about in sci-fi and fantasy books.

4. Mara from @bookslikewhoa

Mara reads A LOT of books—like, 300 or more books a year. She reads across all genres and “believes that all books deserve to be taken seriously on their own terms.” Besides book reviews and recommendations, her videos feature some really thoughtful discussions on issues and happenings in the book community.

5. Jesse from @Bowties & Books

Jesse’s booktube channel features truly unique approaches to book reviews that include skits, trips, interactive videos, and even fashion, as well as more traditional formats. They read a diverse range of books, and offer a lot of content when it comes to Black authors. They also run the Blackathon readathon every February!

6. Jocelyn from @yogi with a book

Jocelyn is a Cuban-American booktuber who reads a diverse selection of (mostly) speculative adult and YA fiction. She has great reviews and recommendations, particularly for Latinx reads. She also helps host the Latinx book club and Latinx-a-Thon.

7. Elle from @Elliot Brooks

Elle is a pretty popular booktuber who reads and reviews mostly adult and YA Science Fiction and Fantasy novels. She also runs worldhoppers, where all the money from ads and merchandise goes towards charity!

8. Njeri from @ONYX Pages

Fans of Octavia Butler, this one’s for you! Njeri is a great booktuber to follow if you’re interested in Afro-futurism, and she reads a broad range of genres within this movement. She has really great, in-depth analyses of the books she reads, even coming up with her own rating system. She also runs a book club along with her videos that you can check out here.

9. Jess from @Jess Owens

In addition to her videos of book reviews, recommendations, and upcoming releases, Jess keeps everyone up to date on the goings-on in the book community with the aptly named series, “Book CommuniTEA.” The average reader probably doesn’t know all the drama behind their favorite author or book, but Jess is here to keep them informed! Also prominently featured in her videos is a very cute French bulldog named Nigel.

10. Cindy from @withcindy


Cindy’s booktube channel started out as books only, but now encompasses much, much more. She still has a ton of book content, but her channel has branched out to include series like “Watch With Cindy,” where she reviews movies and TV shows; “Travel With Cindy,” where she documents her travels; and “Write With Cindy,” where she brings viewers along on her writing journey. Regardless of the topic, her commentary is both hilarious and insightful. She also runs the Asian readathon in May!

Top photo: screenshot of Onyx Pages / YouTube

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Olaronke Akinmowo, an interdisciplinary artist based in N.Y.C., started The Free Black Women’s Library in 2015 to foster community by encouraging readers to take from and add to her growing collection of books by Black women writers. TFBWL has grown since then into a social art project that includes over 3,000 titles, traveling interactive installations, and free monthly gatherings. Here, Akinmowo shares five reading recommendations for books that celebrate the broad spectrum of Black womanhood.

Olaronke Akinmowo [far left] with visitors to an outdoor TFBWL tent.

Black Futures edited by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham

This engaging and pivotal text features Black artists, writers, scholars, teachers, cultural workers, and community activists speaking plainly on how they are shaping a world that is safer and more radical for themselves and others. It is a totem in honor of the dreams and visions of the Black creative mind—a balm and a blessing for present and future creatives.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

This debut short-story collection gives insight into the lives of women from four different generations as they confront how the church has stifled their lives. Though all are placed in a different time, space, and class, each is focused on and driven by her own pleasure. It is deeply refreshing to see Black women being painted in this way, and to experience the world through their eyes.

Zami: A New Spelling Of My Name: A Biomythography by Audre Lorde

In this classic memoir, iconic, self-defined Black feminist lesbian poet Audre Lorde created a new literary genre by combining history, biography, and myth to tell the story of her young life. She is a world traveler, rule breaker, and risk taker. Lorde portrays herself as the hero of the epic adventure that is her life and it’s quite magnificent and inspiring.

The Stars And The Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

This YA novel is one the deepest, most tender love stories I have ever read. It’s about two Black teen girls who find home and safety in each other, and it captures the nuances of the Black diaspora while telling a queer story devoid of stereotypical extreme violence or pathology. I am so happy this book exists, since positive representation for queer BIPOC readers is sorely lacking.

Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom

This award-winning essay collection is smart, witty, insightful, and should be used as a refer- ence in research papers on politics, society, and culture. Author Tressie McMillan Cottom tackles the intersections of race and gender and pushes readers to develop a deeper understanding of the complications of Black womanhood. She does not pander or minimize, but instead delivers straight facts about Black women’s experiences. It’s pure genius.

By Nina Karina

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! 

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If, like me, you’ve spent the past 14 months finding comfort in feel-good YA, you have a lot to be excited about this spring. Some of your soon-to-be favorite additions to your bookshelf are out now — or out very, very soon. And the best part is, we’re seeing all kinds of diverse, all-too-relatable heroes, heroines, and love stories, often paired with fresh takes on the genre’s best tropes. (Fake dating fans, you’ll definitely want to head to your local bookstore ASAP.) Read on for eight of our favorite new and upcoming releases.

Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan
Out now, Inkyard Press

Karina is used to following her parents’ very specific, strict rules, but everything changes when they leave for a month-long trip to visit family in Bangladesh — especially when she’s then asked to tutor Ace, her school’s resident notorious, seemingly careless bad boy. But as she anticipates her parents’ return, grows closer with Ace, and finds the strength and courage that, really, she had all along, Karina begins to question what she wants her life to look like once they’re back. In her debut novel, Tashie Bhuiyan introduces readers to one of the most memorable, lovable YA heroines we’ve seen in awhile, all while crafting a warm and nuanced story about family, expectations, and love in all its forms. 

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
Out now, Roaring Brook Press

After a run-in with her ex-girlfriend causes basketball star Scottie to get into a fender bender with Irene (a cheerleader, her school’s resident ice queen, and her personal arch-nemesis), she ends up forced to carpool with the enemy. But as they start spending more time together, Scottie realizes that her sudden proximity to Irene presents a perfect opportunity to get back at her ex. In She Drives Me Crazy, Kelly Quindlen tells a touching story about assumptions and sexism, heartbreak and healing, and love — and she also gives queer girls the tropey, swoony, John Hughes-esque rom-com we’ve been waiting for. 

From Little Tokyo, With Love by Sarah Kuhn
Out May 11, Viking Books for Young Readers

As a biracial girl living with her cousins and aunties instead of parents, Rika has never quite felt like she’s fit in anywhere… that is, until she gets a pretty big sign that famed rom-com queen Grace Kimura might actually be her mom. Desperate for answers, Rika embarks on a zany journey throughout L.A. (with some help from a very cute Hollywood star) to find Grace and learn the truth, but along the way, she learns a few other lessons about belonging, family, and love. Although Rika tells us off the bat that she isn’t a princess, her story is the best kind of fairy tale: one full of rich familial and romantic relationships, a stunning, crystal-clear California backdrop, and a killer happy ending. 

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar
Out May 25, Page Street Kids

Ishu is prickly, stubborn, and focused on school; Hani is bubbly, friendly, and popular. Needless to say, they aren’t exactly close, but when Hani’s so-called friends question her identity after she comes out as bisexual, she decides to fake a relationship with Ishu — and (you guessed it!) the feelings slowly start to become real. It isn’t easy to follow up a book like The Henna Wars, but Adiba Jaigirdar infuses her sophomore novel with just as much heart and depth as her standout debut. 

Perfect On Paper by Sophie Gonzales
Out now, Wednesday Books

No one knows that Darcy’s the anonymous expert behind Locker 89, her school’s de facto, Sex Education-style romantic advice hub — and she’d like to (she needs to) keep it that way. So when Brougham, a guy she can’t stand, discovers her secret, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep her identity under wraps (read: help him win back his ex-girlfriend). Reading a Sophie Gonzales book feels like hugging someone who really, really gets you, and Perfect On Paper is a funny, romantic, and fast-paced love letter to messy, big-hearted bisexual girls. 

Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
Out now, HarperTeen

Quinn keeps all her difficult, embarrassing, and sometimes hard truths — the fact that she didn’t actually get into Columbia, for example, and the fact that she isn’t okay hearing her white classmates say the N-word — in a journal. So when that journal goes missing and an anonymous bully starts blackmailing her into facing her fears and living more honestly, she understandably starts to panic. With a little help from a cocky, charming classmate, Carter, Quinn embarks on a quest to find her journal (and blackmailer)… and maybe, find the strength to want to face those fears and live honestly. In her debut, Joya Goffney seamlessly, beautifully blends important topics and themes with hijinks, drama, and and a romance you’ll root for from page one.

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan
Out May 18, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

After her private Catholic school attempts to punish her for being openly gay, track star Morgan has to transfer to a new school… where she soon meets Ruby, a guarded, closeted pageant queen with a penchant for old cars. Although these two don’t seem to have a lot in common, they’re drawn to each other — but Ruby isn’t ready to come out, and Morgan is determined not to hide who she is. Can they make their relationship work? An empathetic, relatable love story, Some Girls Do might be Jennifer Dugan’s best novel to date. 

What’s Not to Love by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Out now, Viking Books for Young Readers

Alison and Ethan are nemeses — like, the kind of nemeses that can hardly be in the same room without debating, insulting, and trying to one-up each other. This is why their teachers usually try not to put them in the same room — but when they end up incentivized to plan an alumni reunion together, they start to realize their feelings for one another aren’t just competitive. Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka’s fourth book, like its three predecessors, has a wonderfully and realistically flawed heroine, charming banter, and a thoughtful reminder that the present can be just as wonderful and surprising as the future.

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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! But since there’s really no reason to restrict it to just one month, here is a list of new and upcoming works by AAPI authors to read all year round (or at least into late August):

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
Out now.

In this YA novel by the author of Emergency Contact and Permanent Record, comes the story of two very different sisters who, once close but now estranged, are forced back into each other’s lives when it is revealed that responsible big sister, June, has cancer and wild little sister, Jayne, is the only one who can help her. Both hilarious and heart wrenchingly real, Choi explores grief, shame, illness, and the close relationships that get us through it all.

Fatal Fried Rice: A Noodle Shop Mystery by Vivien Chien
Out now.

After being approached by an agent on behalf of St. Martin’s Press about writing an Asian American murder mystery series, Chien came out with the Noodle Shop Mysteries. The series follows Lana Lee, owner of her family’s Chinese restaurant in Cleveland’s Asia Village, as she kicks butt (in business) and solves crime. In the seventh book in the series, Fatal Fried Rice, Lana’s plans to improve her culinary skills hit a snag when her teacher, Margo Chan, is found dead. Determined to find the killer, Lana conducts an investigation which may be more relevatory than she bargained for.

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
Out now.

The author of The Marriage Game is back with a romantic comedy about a marriage of convenience gone awry. Daisy Patel is a successful software engineer who has no plans for marriage but needs to get her family off her back about a husband. Her brother’s best friend, Liam Murphy, needs to fulfill the requirement of marriage to get his inheritance. Realizing they have a common need, Daisy and Liam strike a deal and all goes well until their past and their undeniable chemistry threatens to ruin their carefully laid plans.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Out now.

What began as a 2018 New Yorker essay is now a New York Times Bestselling memoir from the musician behind Japanese Breakfast. The title is a reference to the supermarket chain, H Mart, purveyor of Asian food, and also the place that brings Zauner to tears ever since her mother’s death. Zauner writes of her upbringing in Oregon, her career as a musician, and how her mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis leads her to reconnect with her Korean heritage in ways that are at turns funny and heartbreaking. A rumination on how to honor her mother’s memory, it is ultimately a testament to the ways food, family, grief, and identity all intersect.

Whereabouts by Jumpha Lahiri
Out now.

The newest novel from the author of The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies, and The Lowland, it is the first she has both written in Italian and translated into English, and features a noticeable shift in subject and style. Heavily focused on place, it follows one woman as she traverses her city over the course of a year, ruminating on her life and her place in the world. Lonely and deeply dissatisfied, her city acts as a companion as she wanders, interacting with friends, colleagues, and relatives until an unexpected change in her life occurs. As perceptive and moving as all of Lahiri’s work, it is also markedly new and not to be missed.

Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho
Out May 18, 2021.

With similar themes to Crying in H Mart, Cho’s memoir connects family, illness, and Korean American identity all through food. Described as “a hybrid text about a daughter’s search through intimate and global history for the roots of her mother’s schizophrenia,” Cho uses food to connect with her mother and come to terms with her illness in the last years of her life, while confronting the ways her mother’s trauma has impacted her own. Moving and powerful, this is an expansive story of geopolitics, intergenerational trauma, and lots and lots of food.

The Tiger Mom’s Tale by Lyn Liao Butler
Out June 6, 2021.

This debut novel from Lyn Liao Butler is an exploration of Taiwanese American identity, that follows Lexa Thomas, a woman with a complicated family as well as a complicated past. After her father’s death, the fate of her Taiwanese family rests in the hands of Lexa, who must leave New York City for Taiwan to help her family and confront her past. Filled with mouthwatering descriptions of food, a messy family, and a bit of mystery, this is a heartwarming story of one woman’s search for her place in the world.

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith
Out June 6, 2021.

The second work by the author of the short story collection, The Frangipani Hotel, Violet Kupersmith’s new novel is described as “part puzzle, part revenge tale, part ghost story.” Weaving several stories into one, the novel follows two women from two different time periods, and takes the reader through several decades of Vietnamese history, as experienced by a large cast of characters, all mysteriously bound together, culminating in a haunting and unforgettable work.

Bone House by K-Ming Chang
Out June 29, 2021.

From the author of the 2020 novel Bestiary, is a micro chapbook from Bull City Press. Only 26 pages long, it is a Taiwanese American, queer retelling of Wuthering Heights. Set in Bone House, a butcher’s mansion, three women come to learn the violence behind the histories that connect them in a supernatural story of love.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
Out August 31, 2021.

The highly anticipated third novel in a series of contemporary romances that include The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test follows an exhausted violinist as she navigates her career, her family, and her very complicated romantic relationships. Upset by her boyfriend’s request for an open relationship, an already stressed out Anna Sun decides to engage in her own series of one-night stands. But her plans are upended when she meets Quan Diep, whose understanding and acceptance of her create an emotional connection that ruins every attempt at a meaningless, one night hook-up. After a sudden family tragedy upends Anna’s life, however, her and Quan’s chance at love is at risk of being destroyed.

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In a stunning, vulnerable memoir-in-essays, author Larissa Pham explains and explores her desire to connect—with people, with places, and even with objects—and, in turn, reminds readers that we aren’t alone, either. Ultimately, she finds this feeling of connection through art. Using work by artists like Louise Bourgeois, Nan Goldin, and Yayoi Kusama as a prism, Pham shares her experiences with, and thoughts about, pain and trauma, sex and obsession, crushes and breakups, and intimacy in all its forms. Within these topics, Pham also crafts a vulnerable, nuanced story about the nonlinear process of overcoming heartbreak and letting go. Like your favorite song or first love, Pham’s words won’t just get stuck in your head. They’ll stay there. –Lydia Wang

Pop Song: Adventures in Art and Intimacy
Larissa Pham
Catapult

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! 

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Reese Witherspoon’s book club LitUp will be taking applications for an all-expense paid fellowship program for underrepresented, unpublished women.

The Legally Blonde and HBO hit-series Big Little Lies actress is on a mission to have all voices heard. Five chosen candidates will embark on a three-month mentorship with a published author to help them learn about book marketing, to connect them with top agents, and to get their books ready for the market. The program is powered by The Readership, a pay-it-forward platform focused on getting more people reading and bringing underrepresented voices to the forefront, Variety reported. 

Witherspoon and her partner media company, Hello Sunshine, launched the book club in 2017. The idea originated from Instagram, where she would post her favorite books. “I started a production company seven or eight years ago that was trying to create more projects that had roles for women in them,” she explained to Harper’s Bazaar in 2019. “I’ve always really gravitated towards female authors and women at the center of novels, so I started optioning some of them and turning them into movies. Then, I just started sharing all the books that I read, ’cause I read a lot.”

Each month, Witherspoon selects New York Times best-selling female-centered books. Women come together to discuss the month’s book choice via Reese’s Book Club app. Her love for books and reading are a big driving force behind LitUp’s fellowship program. She knows how difficult it can be to get published, especially for women of marginalized backgrounds and identities, which is why she and her book club decided to create this opportunity.

“As our community and reach continues to grow, we have all collectively sought out innovative ways to create real change and leave an indelible mark on the greater reading community,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote. “We know there are so many powerful stories from undiscovered voices, and now, more than ever, we need to hear them. We are so thrilled that LitUp will serve as a launching pad for a new generation of authors and will provide them with the necessary tools and resources to forge formidable careers as storytellers.”

All candidates for the fellowship must identify as women and must be from a diverse or marginalized background: LGBTQIA+, a person with disabilities, BIPOC, or a person from an ethnic or religious minority. The manuscript must be original and completed, with the main character being female, and it must fall under either adult or young adult fiction. Submissions are open until May 30. 

Photo: Eva Rinaldi / CC BY-SA 2.0 edited (Witherspoon)
Tristan White / Scopio (books)

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Growing up, Lilly Dancyger idolized her father, a sculptor in the 1980s East Village art scene. When he dies, the trauma of the loss reverberates through her adolescence, eventually causing her to spiral into self-destruction. She struggles to adjust to a life without him, carting around stacks of his journals, promising herself that she will read them one day. However, when she finally opens them, she is disappointed to find that his journals detail his plans for his sculptures and very little about the life that he lived. 

Determined to piece together some sense of who her father really was, Dancyger tracks down and interviews those who knew him throughout his tumultuous life. She connects key moments in her father’s life to his art, analyzing his work for clues about his emotional landscape. With each interview she gains deeper insight into who he truly was: a brilliant artist held back by inner demons and drug addiction. Dancyger’s eye for detail and devoted pursuit of grim truths make this an enthralling read. By shining light into the dark corners of her family’s past, she creates a brilliant and gut-wrenching memoir. 

Negative Space
Lilly Dancyger
(Amazon Publishing)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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In the debut collection of poetry Bolt by Hilary Peach, a voice full of wonder and grit gallops across every page. Peach has been a writer and performance poet for three decades, as well as a blacksmith in the Boilermakers Union, welding heavy metals and creating art. The poems in Bolt are rooted in the melding of those two identities; a dreamer who writes with the melody of sharp observation and a dangerous imagination—dangerous in the way only women know how to be, which is to say, a compliment. Peach sings the words and stories of the proletariat, prairie life, difficult women, and factory work fading from rural communities. In “Outlaw Girls,” she writes: “Honey hit the open road/with her gun still smoking/Honey was an outlaw/she was a wanted poster/she was a photograph/on every lamppost/in her eyes.” Each selection is a stirring and arresting reminder of the things we lose along the way in life—money, land, love—but also of emotional and geographical perseverance, of not just making it through the toughest years any of us have ever faced, but also learning to thrive in their aftermath.

By Amber Tamblyn

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Self-Help Icon Sonya Renee Taylor Is Back With A New Toolkit For “Radical Self-Love”

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TEN YEARS AGO, activist, leader, and visionary Sonya Renee Taylor found herself comforting a struggling friend and saying, “Natasha, your body is not an apology.” This statement inadvertently and profoundly resonated with Taylor herself.

Following that revelation, “the body is not an apology” rooted itself as a personal ethos inside Taylor. She crafted the sentiment into a spoken-word performance, expanded the idea into a popular Facebook page and then further into an extensive multimedia platform, and then in 2018, into the New York Times best seller The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power Of Radical Self-Love—a book that has touched innumerable lives around the world.

On March 16, the movement’s next iteration is arriving in a new format: Your Body Is Not An Apology Workbook: Tools For Living Radical Self-Love. An extension of the original book (the second edition of which was published this past February), the Workbook is an interactive handbook created to guide readers through the process of personal and collective transformation. I caught up with Taylor over Zoom, both of us in our pajamas and passionate about improving our shared cultural landscape.

What compelled you to write the precursor to your new workbook, The Body Is Not An Apology?

The driving force was that somebody asked me if I wanted to write a book. If I were left to my own devices, I probably would never have done it. But I am learning that the truth of the matter is that everything I’ve ever done that has been juicy and vibrant and exciting and powerful in the world was an invitation.

What is “radical self-love”?

Radical self-love is our inherent understanding of our own divinity and enough-ness. Radical self-love is understanding that we are inherently enough and inherently divine exactly as we are.

Do we need to first read The Body Is Not An Apology to use the workbook?

Not necessarily, but I definitely think it’s a good idea. Reading The Body Is Not An Apology is going to give you the conceptual framework and a deeper understanding of why you’re moving through the things you’re moving through.

Your Body Is Not An Apology was first published three years ago. What is different in the second edition?

The first edition was very much about, “How do I live and practice radical self-love?” The second edition is still about that, but in addition, it’s also about how to practice radical self-love in a world-changing way, not just in a me-changing way.

How does spirituality intersect with radical self-love?

I always understood the body as a physical, spiritual, and emotional manifestation. And I always knew that while we were talking about the physical body as a way to understand things, that radical self-love is a spiritual principle. I’ve certainly heard people say, “Let’s just forget we all have bodies.” And in some world, I’d be cool with that, except for the fact that we have developed an entire system of beliefs about bodies.

In order to become more spiritual with one another, we have to rectify the harms that we’ve created around the body. If we had all been sent here in metal tubes, I would say, “The metal tube is not an apology.” The body just happens to be “the thing” that holds The Thing. If we can be in a right relationship with our physical bodies, and the physical bodies of others, then we can actually begin to fulfill our purpose on the planet.

Where do you find yourself in your own radical self-love process?

My most recent lesson has definitely been about surrender. Asking myself, “Where are all the places that I’ve been trying to control?”

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their radical self-love journey?

Don’t do it alone. Start by finding your people, and finding your people means there might be people you have to let go of. You can start easy. Those crappy Instagram pages you follow? Start letting go there. Ask yourself, “How do I lovingly release those things that are not in alignment, so that I can make space for that which wants to come on this journey with me?” That’s one of the first places to start. That, and then read my book.

By Jes Baker
Top photo: Courtesy of Berrett-Koehler Publishers

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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With spring in full bloom and the summer sabbats just around the corner, it feels like the perfect time to microdose some magic and dig into a few witchy reads. Whether you’re looking to further your craft, reawaken your inner witch, or just sprawl out under the sun with a good book, here are four newly released and forthcoming titles on witchcraft to look out for this spring:

Via Penguin Random House Canada

Missing Witches: Recovering True Histories of Feminist Magic by Risa Dickens and Amy Torok

Out Now

Crafted around the eight sacred sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, Risa Dickens and Amy Torok take the reader on a journey to discover missing witches who bring truth to the idea that any woman who dares to speak up against systems of injustice can be, and is at heart, a witch.

Equally as vulnerable with the retelling of their own stories and experiences as they are thorough with their explorations of women and femmes from throughout the course of history, Dickens and Torok teach us what it means to create art, engage in activism, and exist at the intersection of witchcraft and feminism.

With rituals and incantations to accompany each section of the book, the authors take turns introducing the reader to a number of fierce forces in feminism, some of whom you may not have known had witchy roots. From the mother of modern witchcraft, Doreen Valiente; to prolific author of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neal Hurston; to Mama Lola, a Haitian-born performer and sex worker who later became the most well known Voodoo Priestess in the United States—Missing Witches bestows upon the reader secrets, knowledge, and words of wisdom that every witch, feminist, and those that identify as both or somewhere in between, must-read.

Via Penguin Random House

Rebel Witch: Crave the Craft That’s Yours Alone by Kelly-Anne Maddox

Out Now

This guide to solitary witchcraft and one-stop-shop for all things magick reminds us that there is no one tried-and-true way to practice the craft.

Maddox’s upbeat, conversational voice will make you feel like you are having a conversation with a wise, dear friend. With a focus on helping the reader find their own path and personalize their craft, Maddox successfully pulled together a book that will make any witch, new or seasoned, want to carve out a practice that is saturated with their own essence.

While still offering the centuries-old history behind many standard pagan practices, Maddox encourages the reader to build traditions that are unique to them, embrace experimentation, and incorporate social justice, creativity, and self-expression into their craft. Filled to the brim with journal prompts and spell-work inspiration, Rebel Witch is the perfect companion to take with you next time you sit beneath the Full Moon with your glass of wine and Book of Shadows in hand.

Via Simon and Schuster

Witchcraft Therapy: Your Guide to Bashing Bullsh*t and Invoking Your Inner Power by Mandi Em

Available May 4

After this past year, we could all use a little witch-adjacent R&R.

Separated into six core sections surrounding mindset, confidence, calm, mental health, relationships, and success and motivation, Witchcraft Therapy is the self-help book you didn’t know you needed.

Void of the condescending quality far too many self-help titles are made up of, Em knows that magick is not a cure-all, but a method to help you reclaim your own power. A self-proclaimed science-seeking witch, Em is sure to remind us that often, magic alone cannot be used as a substitute for seeking help from mental health professionals. That being said, spellwork, rituals, and incantations can help you to banish some of the bullshit life hands you and help you better yourself along the way—just as long as you put in the work.

With over fifty fun and accessible spells from sugar scrubs to help you usher in a new phase in life, to an unplugging ritual to aid in your digital detox, Em provides the reader with mental health and lifestyle-related tools that any witch can incorporate into their everyday routine. While one could easily blow through this empowering guidebook within a matter of hours while a spring thunderstorm rolls by outside, it also serves as a resource you will want to return to time and time again.

Via Simon and Schuster

The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Faeries: Your Complete Guide to Magick of the Fae by Skye Alexander

Available June 8

Spring is the perfect season to learn something new witchcraft-wise, but when it comes to something as tricky and complex as faeries, you’re going to need some help. Thankfully, best-selling author of The Modern Witchcraft series, Skye Alexander, is back with a complete guide to the magick of the fae.

Equal parts magickal history book, open grimoire, and faerie field guide, The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Faeries is the perfect companion to take with you the next time you want to sit outside and get lost in a book. Alexander walks the reader through everything from the history of the fae, to how to work alongside them, all the way to how to step into their world. As Alexander warns, however, proceed with caution: working with the fae is not something a witch should do lightly or on a whim. Alexander graciously offers her knowledge on the subject, along with a great deal of spells for love, prosperity, protection and success, in order to guide you along your path to working with the fae if it is something you feel called to.

If you are wary of inviting the fair folk into your life, this is still a title you will want to pick up. The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Faeries is sure to reawaken you to the enchantments of nature and magick and is full of information every witch should know. In fact, this book is not without a few faerie feminists: from Morgan Le Fay, the epitome of feminine power best known for her proclivity to defy male dominance, to Queen Mag, the trickster faerie and queen to King Oberon, you’ll leave to world of the fae Alexander describes wiser, and more empowered, than you were before.

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In 2018, Michelle Zauner wrote about how, after her mother’s death, she would break down crying in H Mart, the Korean American supermarket where the two often shopped. The viral New Yorker essay that shares a title with her new memoir pinpoints the ways our favorite foods become visceral reminders of those we loved and lost. For Zauner, who is half-Korean and half-white, losing her mom sent her searching for “evidence that the Korean half of my identity didn’t die when [she] did.” A musician also known by her stage name, Japanese Breakfast, Zauner writes unflinchingly of her mom’s constant nagging—which she would later realize was tenderness—and her overwhelming eagerness to please her, especially while her mom was wasting away from cancer. She details, most intimately, the foods they both loved: miyeok guk (a hearty seaweed soup) or sannakji (a live octopus dish). In her mom’s absence, she felt as if she had been “left alone to decipher the secrets of inheritance without its key.” Her palate, which endeared her to her mom, brings her one step closer to un-locking them.

Crying In H Mart
Michelle Zauner
(Penguin Random House)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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The novel Of Women and Salt starts with Carmen’s plea to her daughter Jeanette to live—to choose life over suffering and addiction. From there, readers explore generations of Cuban and Cuban-American women as they come to terms with themselves, their family, and their countries. Within 12 short chapters, author Gabriela Garcia explores 9 points of view, offering an unflinching look into the ways her characters hurt and help each other over several lifetimes.

From pre-revolution Cuba’s cigar factories and guerrillos (rebel fighters) to the salty-sweet Miami heat on pre-teen flesh, Garcia is well versed in balancing what was, what could be, and what inevitably will be. What is the fate of a child whose mother was taken by ICE—and what is the fate of the mother? Who can predict the future of someone struggling with addiction and who can help steer them to safety? Why do we miss ancestral land we’ve never seen and when will America feel like home? Garcia’s phenomenal novel is both difficult and diligent, one readers won’t want to put down.

Of Women And Salt
Gabriela Garcia
(Macmillan)

By Brianne Kane

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Morgan Jerkins’ Caul Baby is an expansive, folklorish tale of two families—both headed by Black matriarchs—that intertwine for over 20 years. The Melancons are born with a “caul”—a special extra layer of skin that is said to portend healing powers for both the wearer and anyone who buys a piece. This family exists as pariahs in their home community of Harlem, selling pieces of their cauls to wealthy white folks while turning away Black women. One such woman, Laila, is turned away after requesting the caul to ensure her unborn child’s safety. She loses the baby, loses her hold on reality, and becomes bound to the Melancons in other ways. 

Caul Baby hones in on the power of a healing legend in a community systematically ignored and harmed by the medical establishment. Up until the last page, the reader continues to learn just how interconnected Laila and the Melancons are through a spectrum of other characters, from a Black woman prosecutor to an aging midwife. Jerkins’ debut novel asks what it means to be a mother and emphasizes that a community’s care for its own can be the most radical form of love. –Madeleine Janz 

Caul Baby: A Novel 
By Morgan Jerkins 
(HarperCollins)

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When Lauren Hough announced on Twitter that her new book of essays, Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing, contained 312 “F” words, I knew I wanted to read it. Hough had to build herself from scratch after leaving a cult that, by design, rendered its members incapable of living meaningful lives with normal relationships. Her experiences take readers across the globe, and include a near-slide into homelessness, clashes with the criminal justice system, and a stint as the most amazing bouncer in gay history. You’ll laugh, cry, recoil in horror, and probably gasp, but mostly, you’ll appreciate Hough’s candor as she recounts a colorful past brimming with recreational drugs, Russian mobsters, and glow sticks. –Whitney Dwire

Leaving Isn’t The Hardest Thing
Lauren Hough
(Penguin Randomhouse)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Vibrant, haunting, and absolutely unforgettable, Girlhood by Melissa Febos is a modern masterpiece full of brutally honest self-reflection. “I’ve not found the research on how often we are touched by men without our consent, from childhood: belly and cheek pinches, shoulder squeezes, hands on thighs, unwelcome hugs,” Febos writes. “It is one thing to yell at a man whispering obscenities outside your window at midnight and another to reject a form of touch you’ve tolerated since infancy.” These essays will prompt readers to look critically at their own relationships with consent, and to grow attached to Febos as she examines adolescence through the lens of an adult who’s recouped and recovered. –Robyn Smith

Girlhood
By Melissa Febos
(Bloomsbury)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Representation and its significance take center stage in Dawnie Walton’s debut. Inspired by the author’s own deep desire for an Afro-punk role model during her teenage years, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a fictionalized account of Opal Jewel, a Black singer ahead of her time navigating the world of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1970s. Decades later, journalist Sunny Curtis sets out to create an oral history of her idol—and is confronted with an allegation about the controversial event that catapulted Opal to stardom. The revelation threatens both the project and her career, and what unfolds is a poignant and relevant reckoning for two captivating women.

Readers will appreciate Walton’s examination of the entertainment world, particularly the industry’s attempts to center whiteness and contain women. Through a vivid cast of characters and a slow build, readers witness the power of being seen and of being looked out for. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is an utterly absorbing addition to contemporary fiction.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
By Dawnie Walton 
(Simon & Schuster)

By Samantha Ladwig

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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For fifty years, Beverly Cleary captured kids’ experiences with a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed spirit that was as rare in literature as it was real in childhood. The beloved children’s author died on March 25 in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, less than three weeks shy of her 105th birthday.

Cleary was born on April 12, 1916, and grew up on a farm in Yamhill, Oregon. The town was so small that it didn’t have a library until Cleary’s mother—a schoolteacher named Mable—started one. Her mother also gave her advice that she would carry with her throughout her life: “Keep it funny. People always like to read something funny.”

“Children should learn that reading is pleasure, not just something that teachers make you do in school.” —Beverly Cleary

Like her beloved character Ramona Quimby, Cleary and her family faced money troubles. Her father was forced to sell his Yamhill farm in the 1920s, which led the family to move to Portland. Cleary would go on to focus her children’s books on kids growing up around Portland’s Klickitat Street, near her own childhood home. Today, Portland’s Grant Park is home to the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden, which features sculptures of her characters Ramona, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy. 

Cleary struggled with reading in her early years at Fernwood Grammar School. Her first-grade class was sorted into three reading groups—the Bluebirds, the Redbirds, and the Blackbirds. “I was a Blackbird,” she recalled in an interview for Horn Book magazine (via Encyclopedia.com). “To be a Blackbird was to be disgraced. I wanted to read, but somehow could not.” Back in the 1920s, many of the books she was assigned to read were books from England in which the children had nannies and traveled in pony carts, which bore no resemblance to her own experience.

“Problem solving, and I don’t mean algebra, seems to be my life’s work. Maybe it’s everyone’s life’s work.” —Beverly Cleary

As time went by, Cleary began to find books that resonated with her, including Lucy Fitch Perkins’ The Dutch Twins, a story about the adventures of two ordinary Dutch children. In the seventh grade, Cleary wrote her own first work of fiction, an essay about a child sacrificing her pet chicken to feed George Washington’s troops. As Cleary recalled in her memoir Girl from Yamhill, her teacher once read one of Cleary’s essays aloud to her class and then declared, “When Beverly grows up, she should write children’s books.” The Fernwood Grammar School was renamed the Beverly Cleary School in 2008. When Cleary gave her stamp of approval, she asked whether the school “still smelled like a sawdust floor.”

“She was not a slowpoke grownup. She was a girl who could not wait. Life was so interesting that she had to find out what happened next.” —Beverly Cleary (from Ramona the Pest)

After high school, Cleary earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a second bachelor’s degree, in library science, from the University of Washington. She met Clarence Cleary at Berkeley and eloped with him in 1940, despite her parents’ disapproval of the fact that he was a Roman Catholic. Cleary worked at a library in Yakima, Washington; an army base in Oakland, California; and Sather Gate Book Shop in Berkeley. According to her second memoir, My Own Two Feet, she once experienced severe stage fright before reading aloud to kids at one of her library jobs, but later made a boy fall out of his chair laughing during her reading of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hatches the Egg. One day, another young boy at the library asked her, “Where are the books about kids like us?” Cleary grew inspired to write the kinds of books she would’ve wanted to read when she was younger, so she got to work on her first book, Henry Huggins.

“If you don’t see the book you want on the shelves, write it.” —Beverly Cleary

Henry Huggins was published in 1950, and Cleary went on to write and publish more than 40 books prior to her retirement in 2000, including the celebrated Ramona series and the Ralph S. Mouse trilogy. Her approach to fiction was inspired in part by advice from one of her college English professors, who said, “The proper subject of the novel is universal human experience.” Her career was also guided by her determination not to allow trends or money to dictate her writing decisions. Her books are beloved for their liveliness, which emerged because they explored the kind of life she herself had lived during her youth. She inspired new generations of writers, and particularly fellow children’s authors, including Judy Blume. “Beverly, you were my inspiration when I started to write all those years ago,” Blume once said. “You remain my inspiration today.”

“Love isn’t like a cup of sugar that gets used up.” —Beverly Cleary (from Ramona the Brave)

When asked about turning 100 years old on the Today show in 2016, Cleary said, “I didn’t do it on purpose.” She continued to (accidentally) live until she was nearly 105. Her impact lives on in sculptures and school hallways, in her books, and in the imaginations of current, former, and future young people.

Top Image via Wikimedia Commons

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With the release of When Women Invented Television, author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong adds another important book to her growing library of pop cultural criticism. Here, she shares the compelling stories of four trendsetters from the earliest days of the small screen, using each woman’s career to explore the ways she affected the television we watch today. Armstrong centers her diligent research on Gertrude Berg, one of the first sitcom stars and writers whose hit comedy about a Jewish matriarch was a blueprint for Roseanne; Irna Phillips, whose soap opera scripts centered around the lives of strong female characters; The Golden Girls’ Betty White, who was the first daytime talk show host and wrote her own material; and Trinidad-born-Harlem-raised piano prodigy Hazel Scott, the first Black woman to host her own musical show. This is an exciting book—ambitious women shaping the birth of an industry, FTW! But it’s also enraging, like when Armstrong reveals that today, even with hundreds of scripts in production, only about 25 percent of TV creators are women—only about 1 percent higher than the figure was in 1950. –Brandy Barber

When Women Invented Television: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today
By Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
(HarperCollins)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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To say JEB is a trailblazer is accurate but inadequate. As she puts it, “We were outlaws, literally, because of the laws against us.” Today, it’s difficult to imagine the chutzpah it took for JEB to self-publish Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians,  the U.S.’s first published photography anthology focused on out lesbians, in 1979. JEB sat down with BUST to discuss her work, share the progress and pitfalls of lesbian representation, and remind us that imagining a better future is easier when you can actually picture it.  

Congratulations on the rerelease. Other than the fact that it’s the 40th anniversary, why did you feel like this was the right time for a rerelease?

Honestly, I thought any time was a good time for a rerelease. Anthology Editions came to me and said, We want to reissue it. It wasn’t something I could do on my own. 

I think this book is going to feel really uplifting for a lot of people.

When it first came out, there was a lot of homophobia and censorship, it did not reach a wide audience of people. And I think it’s good for it to be accessible to all kinds of people. Two generations of people have come of age since it was first published. And for everybody, I think having a history is very important. Because if you don’t know where you came from, if you feel rootless, it’s easy to blow you away. You know, people want roots. Some people refer to it as a touchstone, which makes me happy. But if it is that, then it is a marker of where we were at a certain time. It becomes important for its historical significance. I’m also very grateful people enjoy the images just for themselves.

I am curious about how you felt the first time this book was released compared to how you feel now, upon the rerelease. 

Well, the first time when I was making the book, I understood there was nothing like it. There was this enormous hunger among lesbians to see themselves reflected in a way that was real. The existing fake images didn’t look like anybody we knew; anybody in our friendship circles or our lovers, and so there was this enormous void that I was trying to fill with this book. And the pressure that I put on myself was a lot. I thought I would never be able to make another book. So, I wanted this one to have as many different sorts of lesbians in it as possible, so that the most people could find some reflection of their authentic selves. It’s different now because there are so many more accessible images of lesbians for people to see. The hunger is much less. Representation is still lacking in many, many ways, but it’s not a total void the way it was then. So that pressure is gone. I’m looking forward to new people finding it. Now, one of the differences is that I would like a much wider audience to find it. And I think they will. And that makes me happy.

For everybody, I think having a history is very important. Because if you don’t know where you came from, if you feel rootless, it’s easy to blow you away. People want roots.

You’re credited with the first lesbian kissing selfie, and I’m sure at the time, the “selfie” wasn’t a concept yet. But that’s pretty cool! What do you think about visibility and social media?

Well, I think it’s a two-edged sword. On the one hand, for me personally when I joined Instagram and started putting my work there so many young people found it and got excited. And that got me excited. Plus, I have found so many lesbian artists who are putting their work out and lesbians just showing their lives on Instagram, and I think that is wonderful. Because the mainstream media is in such tight corporate control, its still hard for us to get our images out. And social media is less controlled, not completely open, but it’s less controlled. So, there are opportunities for emerging artists of all sorts to have a place for their work. That’s the good part. The bad part is that a lot of people, I think, feel pressured to represent themselves in a way that’s not authentic. And I don’t know if it’s social pressure, and they manufacture their lives in a way that they think will be acceptable or admired. I don’t honestly know what it is they’re exactly trying to find. I think that pressure on young people especially is unfortunate, because you always want to be true to yourself.

Darquita and Denyeta. Alexandria, Virginia. 1979 © JEB / Anthology Editions

Social media can difficult. I’m thinking about how so much mainstream media queer representation lacks joy and there is a focused lens on trauma. But when I looked at the photographs in this book, I found them to be so joyful. Is that something you strived towards?

I was looking for the broadest reflection possible. I included recovering alcoholics, people who were struggling with mental illness. I did not want to make a Pollyanna book. I consciously didn’t want to make lesbians who were not joyful feel like there was something wrong with them. Because it was a hard time. But the joy just came out in people. And it wasn’t something I went out looking for. I just went out looking for all these different kinds of people. A lot of them were struggling, and a lot of them were joyous. 

Pagan and Kady. Monticello, New York. 1978 © JEB / Anthology Editions.

I think it that comes through and even in the more somber photographs. Maybe the authenticity to them makes them feel joyful to look at.

I don’t think it’s joy. I think it’s strength. I think what you’re seeing is that all the women who were courageous enough, in this moment, to be public about who they were, as lesbians, were brave women. And what you see isn’t joy. I think what you see is what happens when you’re comfortable with yourself and you have the strength of knowing who you are is okay.

What you’re seeing is that all the women who were courageous enough, in this moment, to be public about who they were, as lesbians, were brave women.

You’re absolutely right. Looking at the photos, some of them appear so insanely modern. I was especially taken aback by Leonora, D.C., 1977. She looks like my barista! I feel like I know her. I was also thinking today Leonora could be someone who uses they/them pronouns. What language were people using in the ’70s to describe their gender identity?

Well, a lot of people described themselves as androgynous. We didn’t have they/them, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming [as words], but we had all those people. Some people would identify themselves as butch or as androgynous. After I published the book, I put together a slideshow on the history of lesbian photography. And I traveled all over the country with it for many, many years. In that slideshow, which went from the, the 1890s, to the 1980s, there was a very popular segment that I called the look, the stance, the clothes. And what I was trying to do in that segment by showing images from across all those years, was identify something that I felt was particularly lesbian. Because when you go back into history, and you’re trying to find the lesbian photographers, because their biographies at that time especially didn’t talk about their sexuality, you had to read between the lines. And so not only was a reading between the lines of the written record, but I was reading the images themselves as a lesbian photographer to say, this seems to be lesbian to me.

Let’s take Leonora for an example, there’s a direct gaze between the photographer and the muse. It’s comfortable, you don’t always see that in other portraits. But if you look at Berenice Abbott’s portraits of a lot of people, you see that exact same gaze. Then, you know, the clothes. Lesbians had their own fashion style. And you can see on Leonora, she’s wearing overalls and a bow tie. Now, that’s not your usual woman of that age outfit. So, again, the originality, the comfort. Those are things that I think they have by being a lesbian. When I published Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians, before then, and now, right? I’m not surprised that your barista looks like Leonora does. It’s in her face. I think it’s her being herself. 

You’re right, that’s exactly what it is. These images make me feel so connected, and I think they’ll make other people feel the same way. It seems like, and maybe this is a nostalgic lens, that there was a closer sense of community than there is today for lesbians. What do you think?

Well, some of it is nostalgia. But the fact is, we were a much, much smaller community. We needed each other more, because the oppression was worse. That made things both more connected and more insular. There was good and bad about having a small community. And I actually think the pandemic is giving more people a taste of what it’s like not to have access to the whole society. Before the pandemic, this was a little bit hard to explain. I think even though we can communicate virtually, you get a sense of what it’s like, when the whole society is not your place.

We had endless meetings, conferences, festivals, all of that. And that built our community. What we were doing, was building a completely alternative culture. We had to, because the mainstream culture didn’t have a place for us. And because we wanted our culture to be separate from the patriarchal and capitalistic culture. We had all our own authors and musicians and all people who were making the culture, but we had to figure out how to get it out to everybody, how to distribute it. We created the coffee houses, the bookstores, the publishers, the newspapers, the record companies and people distributing everything. People don’t talk about what happened in lesbian feminist culture in particular during the ’70s. What we built was how we connected. A lot of that is gone now, because people have assimilated into the mainstream. Personally, I think we’ve lost a lot. I understand the nostalgia, I just think that nostalgia misses the reasons we were doing it. The people who were out and active and building these communities had much more radical politics. Now, across LGBTQ people, you have the whole range of politics. 

When we started, we didn’t want people in the military. We wanted to stop wars. We didn’t want marriage equality, we wanted all relationships, to be recognized, and have the same privileges and benefits as marriage. We were outlaws literally, because of the laws against us. Part of what made those communities tight was that we understood that we wanted radical change in the country.

Mabel. New York City. 1978 © JEB / Anthology Editions

I’m 32, my parents didn’t care when I came out, I am legally married, my wife gave birth to our son, and both of our names are literally on his birth certificate, which is something that blows my mind. We were treated respectfully in the healthcare systems, and yet that gives me a great amount of survivor’s guilt. I don’t know what to do with all of this privilege. What do you think about that? I’ve had people tell me it’s stupid. 

Well, let’s just start with: it’s not stupid. Secondly, let me say congratulations, Mazel Tov on your marriage and the birth of your son. And I’m so glad you asked me this question. Because nobody’s asked me up until now. And I’m really happy to answer it. Because feeling guilty isn’t stupid, but it is a total waste of time and energy. And the reason is because the things you’re talking about are not privileges. They’re rights. And everybody should have those rights. And if nothing had changed from my time to yours, then everything we were working toward would have been in vain, and that would have been horrible. And the fact that you can do all that actually makes me joyful. And you know, it’s not that I don’t understand survivor’s guilt. I’m 76 years old. A lot of my friends have died. A lot of my friends who are younger than me have died. So I get it. 

I’ll tell you how I deal with it. Every day, when I wake up, I say to myself, okay, today, let’s try to bring some goodness in the world, no matter how small, and contribute something useful. It can just be kindness to your friends and neighbors. It can be supporting and being in solidarity with the work of people who are on the frontlines of this struggle. I can’t be on the frontlines, in the same way that I was when I was younger. Younger people have energies and abilities that I don’t have. I hope that instead of feeling guilty, what people do is they say “Oh look, change is possible. Let’s go make some more.”

Right. Absolutely.

Because we still need a lot more. You can’t change if you don’t think it’s possible to change. And actually, part of what I think photography is about is showing the possibility of a future that some people may not have yet imagined. I had a really good friend of mine, just the other week, say to me, ‘You know, it was because of your book, way back when, that I knew I could be a lesbian mother. Before I found a picture, I didn’t think that was a possibility.’ In that way, the book is aspirational. You have to be able to picture a better future so that you can work toward it. It doesn’t have to be photographs, you can dream it, you can read poetry, anything that helps you visualize. 

I’m going to take all of that with me. I really appreciate that. At BUST, we like to say we’re a place for women who have something to get off of their chest, so anything you’d like to get off your chest this morning?

I didn’t really get to tell you what I think is wrong with representation. In our media today, we’re still disproportionately representing straight, white, affluent men. This means that not only are women, BIPOC, trans and nonbinary people not represented as they should be, or anywhere near in proportion to the way they exist in the real world. But we’re not representing all kinds of other groups like fat people, disabled people, older people, immigrants, I could go on. But this is a serious problem where we should not be complacent. Just because we have Ellen and The L Word, that is not representing what most lesbians look like.

Priscilla and Regina. Brooklyn, New York. 1979 © Anthology Editions

Absolutely.

There’s a lot of work left to be done in terms of representation. And representation is not enough. It may be a step, but the system, the structures in our society, that make it happen that way, primarily racism, capitalism, and male domination are what has to change as well as the representation. So that’s what I needed to get off my chest.

All photos © JEB (Joan E. Biren) from the book Eye to Eye: Portraits of Lesbians published by Anthology Editions.
Top photo: Gloria and Charmaine. Baltimore, Maryland. 1979 © Anthology Editions

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In order to achieve any goal, you have to imagine it for yourself first. Yet, some people roll their eyes at the concept of “manifesting.” In her new book WishCraft, Shauna Cummins, a N.Y.C.-based hypnotist and artist, carefully lays out why wishing is really the most important tool in our brain box for harnessing the subconscious mind to achieve our goals. She delves into historical and cultural traditions around wishing (including lessons from her own Celtic roots) and provides instructions for easy rituals you can perform to help make your dreams a reality. There are also thoughtful tips on how to use meditation, journaling, and self-hypnosis to quiet the mind. Cummins’ book is a reminder that with a little imagination, we can all work towards a better future, both for ourselves and for others. –Laurie Henzel

WishCraft: A Guide to Manifesting a Positive Future
By Shauna Cummins
(Hardie Grant Books)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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We all know women’s history should be showcased and celebrated for more than 31 days a year. But each March, Women’s History Month pushes us to dig a little deeper into the history of the women who have shaped our past and our present, and created ripple effects that will likely shape our future. Since last year’s Women’s History Month, we’ve seen many inspiring women create world-shifting change. Stacey Abrams’ encouraging work with Georgia voters turned the state blue. Dolly Parton contributed to funding the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and later “got a dose of her own medicine” and dropped a vaccine-inspired “Jolene” remix. Kamala Harris was elected the first woman, and the first Black and South Asian, Vice President of the United States. And, of course, countless women in white coats have helped and healed patients as doctors and nurses through the global pandemic. In honor of these women and others, we’ve rounded up a list of reads that celebrate medical pioneers, wartime heroes, superheroes, “spinsters,” and beyond.

Image via HarperCollins.

1. Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine by Olivia Campbell (2021)

Olivia Campbell’s Women in White Coats offers a detailed history of three pioneering women—Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett-Anderson, and Sophia Jex-Blake—who paved the way for women in the medical field. The book was released on March 2, and it could not be more timely: not only is its arrival just in time for Women’s History Month, but it also pays respect to the integral role women have played—and continue to play—in modern medicine.

Image via Penguin Random House

2. The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore (2014)

Jill Lepore’s The Secret History of Wonder Woman is focused more on the achievements and salacious escapades (polygraphs and polygamy!) of the man behind Wonder Woman, William Moulton Marston, than the superhero herself.  But the book, like Marston’s life, is defined by strong women: his aunt organized group sex parties as part of “the cult of female sexual power”; the love of his life, Olive Byrne, was the niece of birth control activist Margaret Sanger; and he was introduced to the woman’s suffrage movement by his “revolutionary” first wife. And in 1939, he told The Washington Post that women “will clearly come to rule business and the nation and the world.”

Image via AndreesWar.com

3. Andrée’s War by Francelle Bradford White (2014)

In Andrée’s War, Francelle Bradford White tells the story of her mother, Andrée Griotteray. Griotteray was a 19-year-old girl who loved fashion and fun when she found herself living in an occupied Paris during World War II. Instead of standing by while her city was taken over, she became an underground intelligence courier in the resistance movement, printing underground newspapers at her job at Paris’ police headquarters. She was later awarded four medals by the French government for her bravery. 

Image via Penguin Random House

4. A Black Women’s History of the United States by Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross (2020)

The NAACP is set to host the 52nd Image Awards this month, and Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross’ 2020 book, A Black Women’s History of the United States, is nominated for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction. The book spans the full timeline of Black women in America, from the slaves and freedwomen who were among the first to arrive on U.S. soil to the powerful artists, activists, and queer women of today. The full symphony of these voices creates a more complete movement of Black women than the shrunken one taught in many U.S. schools.

 Image via Janice P. Nimura

5. The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Janice P. Nimura (2021)

In antebellum America, when the idea of a woman studying medicine was either laughed or shuddered off, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in America to receive an M.D.—an achievement that was later echoed by her sister, Emily. Together, the sisters ] opened the first entirely woman-staffed hospital. Janice P. Nimura tells this story in The Doctors Blackwell, a story that is as timely as ever given how essential women are in medicine today.

 Image via Chronicle Books

6. Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton (2020)

Dolly Parton has made plenty of historic contributions to the world, including her $1 million donation to COVID-19 vaccine research; her highly successful literacy nonprofit, The Imagination Library; and majorly boosting the economy in her native Smoky Mountains area by opening Dollywood and hiring locals. Still, Parton remains celebrated for her songwriting above all. Songteller offers a glimpse into the inspirations and motivations behind Parton’s beloved songs, as well as her lesser-known ones.

 Image via MacMillan

7. Lead From the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change by Stacey Abrams (2018)

Stacey Abrams’ Lead From the Outside is marketed as “the handbook for outsiders.” It dives into the barriers to leadership that have historically been placed in the way of marginalized groups, including women, people of color, and millennials. While the book was originally published in 2018, her insights hold even more power now that they have led to momentous results with not just one voter, not just one election, but the political leanings of an entire state.

8. Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own by Kate Bolick (2015)

A 2011 article in The Atlantic grew into Kate Bolick’s 2015 book Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own. The book addresses the centuries-old concern with who and when women marry—not with a middle finger, but with a spirit of curiosity. Part memoir, part social commentary and cultural criticism, Spinster dives into Bolick’s decision to remain unmarried, and the women who came before who empowered her in that choice. The book is not so much an anti-marriage manifesto as it is an exploration of living a life on one’s own terms. 

 Image via Penguin Random House

9. She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan (2003)

Nearly two decades after the release of her best-selling memoir She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, Jennifer Finney Boylan remains a central figure to transgender representation in pop culture. She has been a cast member on I Am Cait, an advisor for Transparent, a contributor to The New York Times, and an all-around spokeswoman for the LGBT community. She’s Not There is a funny, fresh, and frank account of her later-in-life gender transition as she navigates relationships with her wife, her conservative mother, and most of all, herself. 

Image via Penguin Random House 

10. The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris (2019)

Vice President Kamala Harris’ memoir, The Truths We Hold, came out in 2019, before she was elected or sworn into her current role. Even so, the memoir remains as relevant as ever as the Biden-Harris administration gets rolling. It offers insights into the ideas and events that have shaped Harris’ life and political career, which will also shape her approach to the vice presidency in the years to come.

Honorable mentions: The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. The Slow Moon Climbs: The Science, History, and Meaning of Menopause by Susan P. Mattern. Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall. HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton by Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen. 

Top Image: Emily McPherson College Library, Russell St., circa 1960s; via Museums Victoria on Unsplash

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“You’re a cheetah, did you know that?” someone said to me. “You have to read Untamed by Glennon Doyle.”

Released almost a year ago in March 2020, I had seen the vibrant book cover toted around by many women at airports, at brunches, and on Instagram; I saw Elizabeth Gilbert’s stamp of approval on the back. But it took me almost a full year to read the book that has sold over 1 million copies and was #1 on the New York Timesbest-seller list. Now that I have read it, I can see what the all the hype was about. However, I have some mixed feelings.

Like many women, I was sucked in by Doyle’s raw vulnerability and beautiful writing. I relished being compared to a cheetah. I was awakened to my sabotaging people-pleasing. I had several aha moments reading about how woman often will “crowdsource” opinions instead of listening to themselves, or what Glennon calls their own “knowing.” I do that, too! I do all of these things! Why don’t I trust my own opinions? I’m glad I trust someone else to tell me what I should trust.

Throughout the book, Glennon unpacks her journey of falling in love with Abby Wambach on her book tour while promoting Love Warrior, a memoir about choosing love and redemption after her husband’s infidelity. I am happy for her, in many ways, mainly because she is living in her truth and her knowing. However, it’s this part of the story that got me thinking. 

Every experience we have gives us the opportunity to reflect and say, “It was right for the moment, but isn’t right for the future.” Doyle wrote a book about choosing to work on her marriage and how she picked herself up to come together again, and now, I’m reading a book about her journey away from that choice. Which leads me to the biggest takeaway of the book: Even the author, who offers over 300 pages of perfect advice, doesn’t always have all of the answers.

I listened to Glennon Doyle teach me not to listen to her—not to listen to anyone, for that matter. While self-help books and memoirs are very helpful, only I can tap into myself and actually know what path is best for me in my own life. The book was a double-headed snake of the obvious “here is some great advice” and the less obvious “Iook at the times when I was wrong.” It’s the first time a book both told me and showed me an important lesson: do you.

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In her new book The Barbizon, historian Paulina Bren takes readers deep into the world of New York’s most famous women-only residential hotel. From its opening in 1928 through its eventual conversion to a more standard hotel in 1981, the Barbizon hosted countless icons, including Grace Kelly, Joan Didion, Phylicia Rashad, and Sylvia Plath. (Plath famously chronicled her time as a resident in The Bell Jar.) While Bren’s book is packed with juicy midcentury gossip, it’s also full of lesser-known characters who light up the pages. There’s Oscar Beck, the doorman who fends off would-be suitors, and Carolyn Schaffner, a model who catches her big break at an automat before serving as a bridesmaid in Kelly’s royal wedding.

The Barbizon really comes alive in its depictions of what happened to residents outside the hotel, from Mademoiselle magazine’s guest editor program (which hosted Didion and Plath) to Eileen Ford’s trailblazing modeling agency to the Depression-era secretarial schools that offered single women ways to make their own incomes. It all serves as a potent reminder of how important a little space can be in the quest for freedom. –Eliza Thompson 

The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free
By Paulina Bren
(Simon & Schuster)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Rapper, poet, and producer Noname is working towards abolishing the police and educating others on Black history — one book at a time.

Since she created her online and IRL book club, Noname Book Club, back in 2019, it was announced on Monday, March 1, that Noname and other club members across the nation have come together to provide an official space for the organization. The official headquarters for the club will be an open area that will provide free services such as “political education classes, book drives, a radical community library, food drives, book club meet-ups, art shows, movie screenings, and more,” according to Complex. Though construction is still underway for the development of the space, Noname herself promised to her listeners that “good things are on the way.”

good things on the way ? https://t.co/6HTxFB6bw1

— ? (@noname) March 2, 2021

The intention of the club is to uplift POC voices by featuring two books a month written by authors of color and providing monthly selections to individuals who are incarcerated, according to its official website. The prison program was introduced last year as a way to provide people in prisons across America with access to books. The selected books are centered around themes of liberation, revolution, and decolonization and are carefully picked so that they can pass safely through correctional facilities without any problems. 

Currently, the club has 12 local chapters across the U.S. and, due to COVID, regularly hosts monthly Zoom meetings. Folks who are interested can join a local chapter or start their own, and they are encouraged to purchase the featured books from local Black-owned bookstores and libraries. You can also show support by joining the club’s Patreon for as low as one dollar a month.

“We service the community. We cannot wait for Biden or any other white supremacist political to provide for the people,” Noname wrote in a recent Instagram story. “Capitalism doesn’t end by itself. We have to start building a worker-led solidarity economy. The government would rather bomb Somalia than pay your rent.” 

Top photo by Anton Mak via flickr

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A lot has been written on the subject of addiction, but Nina Renata Aron’s unflinching memoir, Good Morning, Destroyer of Men’s Souls, tells a story often overlooked—the story of what it’s like to be in love with a person who struggles with addiction. Aron intersperses her own experiences with historical and psychological context, dispelling misconceptions about the temperance movement, Al-Anon, and codependence. Here, Aron and I spoke about her book, relationships, and motherhood.

Your book details the temperance movement, the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, and codependent theory. When you set out to write it, did you know you wanted to include so much historical context?

I think I imagined including even more. I imported what I needed into the book to contextualize my personal story. Personally, it was really useful to me, to frame my pain within a larger historical context and a larger story of women’s history, that was the thing that made me feel less alone. It was also being in recovery and being in meetings with other people who understood it. But it wasn’t until I unlocked this historical narrative that I felt like this is a thing that women have experienced for centuries.

You’ve corrected a lot of misinformation in the book. If you had asked me what I thought about the temperance movement before this book, I would have said nagging wives, all sorts of horrible things. I was shocked that I didn’t know the truth of this movement. 

I agree. I am somebody who has always been interested in women’s history. I couldn’t believe how much more nuanced and interesting the movement was. It is definitely misrepresented and generalized, and I think it’s really funny and sad, but it’s a good example of, of history being written by men. This was a very dynamic movement of women of all ages, marital statuses, and it’s depicted like middle-aged, shrewish, party ruiners. Some of these women were really radical and it was a bona fide, massive social movement. I thought maybe I could get people to eat those vegetables, if I put it within the sexier story of this relationship.

Was there anything in your research that surprised you?

The biggest surprise for me was reading about the history of alcoholism and how it had been defined by the western medical establishment. And coming to understand that this condition called codependency was woven into the earliest understandings of alcoholism. And I talked about this in the book, but the codependent woman was referred to as the co-alcoholic at the beginning, and so it was kind of seen as this like, two-person condition. And it was always understood [in the form of] a heterosexual romantic partnership, or a marriage. 

And that helps me really understand the ways that this thing that I have, we can call codependency has always been really gendered and has always been this sort of feminized condition. And when I started writing the book and thought, why don’t more people talk about this, why don’t people know more about this, that was sort of my answer. I was like, Oh, this was sort of the wives’ part of the disorder. 

I could see how all of the tools that evolved to address codependency were started and then all these women gathered to talk shit about their husbands. And that became Al-anon. But they didn’t really feel entitled to have their own tools, their own approach, their own method: it was all just kind of like airlifted from A.A., and it’s still exactly like that. And so, in much the same way that I think there’s a lot of new recovery approaches and methods, and a lot of it’s bullshit in opinion, but I do think there are a lot of authentic attempts to reconsider addiction and recovery right now. 

I was just thinking about the statistic from December showing 140,000 women specifically losing jobs, and it was making me wonder: how much art are we losing from women?

I’ve been thinking about that so much. I think that we’re losing more than we can possibly understand right now because I see those numbers and then I see all the tweets about those numbers that are like, “OMG!” I think so many women in my midst are grappling with not only losing our sort of sense of fullness as working people, because so many women I know right now are doing what I’m doing, like, you know, working with kids and virtual school and no playdates and no nothing, no sports, et cetera. And we’re all forced into this stay-at-home mom role. The other day, I woke up and my best friend who’s on the east coast had texted me, in all caps, I NEVER WANTED TO BE A STAY AT HOME MOM. 

And then there’s the really profound sadness, of understanding that I don’t think the world gives a shit. Honestly, I don’t. It’s a reckoning with just how much hatred of women and willingness to rely on women to do all of the invisible labor to uphold the world persists. Help is not on the way.

I’d like to hard pivot to a piece you wrote in 2016, an essay called Fake Failures. Why Are Successful Young Women Writers Playing Miserable Online? I have been chewing on this idea all week. I’m obsessed with it. For one, I think this idea rolls over into working women in general. Two, I think this is happening subconsciously. And as a lesbian, my first thought was, I don’t see this phenomenon among lesbians and queer people. So, I think what you’ve discovered in this essay is a loophole for straight women to be successful and accomplished without committing.

I haven’t thought about that piece in a while. But really, I do think the thing that I was describing or trying to sort of characterize on that piece is very straight girl. I do feel like there’s this kind of disavowal of your own intelligence and success. Sort of like, no matter what you can’t step fully into your power, like you’re always hedging. 

It’s a subconscious way to maintain being fuckable to men.

That’s the perfect distillation. It is a way to ensure that you remain non-threatening. 

I have one last essay that I would like to discuss, On Why Middle-Class Parents Are Awful. I live in Park Slope and I’m a newish parent, so I felt this one deeply. I remember the first time my wife and I were strolling our son through the neighborhood and I felt so disconnected from all the parents. Where have you come in this journey? I know your kids are older now than when you wrote this. Do you have mom friends yet?

I do have mom friends. I could like talk about this all day, because I just find it so interesting. I always wanted to have babies. I always wanted to be a mom. But I find parent culture unbelievably lame. I always have, and so there’s been a level of alienation. And now my daughter’s nine and my son is about to turn 12 so they’re definitely in a different phase. I do think that I had to be patient because I tried engaging with moms at the very beginning. And granted, at the time, my life was like, you know, there was a lot of chaos in my life that made me feel so far outside of anything that like, the normal like middle class, upper middle class Bay Area moms could even wrap their heads around. Some were really voyeuristic about it and some more judgmental, but I think I sort of had to be patient enough to gain my own confidence as a mom and know that I was kind of doing it well enough. 

And then I was able to sort of find the people who are like, to me, more normal, like slightly more broken, honest, depressed, just people who are more real about how challenging it is. And those have tended to be moms who are single moms, people who make a living in nontraditional ways, people who’ve been through some stuff. 

I’ve also been found some comfort in knowing that so many people feel that way. I have lots of friends who are in those seemingly perfect marriages, and they have a beautiful house that they bought before they even had a baby. And they all feel profoundly alien. I think that people are alienated from an ideal. And there are a few assholes who are just lame people who are living their lives in pursuit of that ideal and don’t have a sense of irony, or, you know, whatever, those are weirdos. But I think most people, even if they seem totally normal, feel alienated because it’s just such a profound identity shift. 

And I think that’s a rite of passage to have to reorient yourself. But it gets so much better. It’s like the culture shock of joining this lame club. And then you kind of have to go through your rebellion phase. And then it settles, and you get more used to the job. And then you find your people. I think that has been for me.

That’s great. I think that’s a nice, It Gets Better PSA.

Totally. Oh, my God, it gets so much better. 

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I was supposed to write this article, an interview with Spider-Woman writer Karla Pacheco, almost a year ago. I messed up, but the world is currently kind of on fire, so we’re okay. I bring this up to you, dear reader, because the irony of the situation does not go over my head: I messed up writing a story about the amazing Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman, who also at times has great intentions but f**ks up.

Pacheco’s Spider-Woman run has experienced a couple of setbacks because of the pandemic; however, these setbacks did not stop the comic’s success. The comic first launched last March to incredibly positive sales. Issue #1 sold 142,000 copies; I mean, it even beat out the issue of Batman released at the same time.

After the pandemic hit, comics stopped printing for a couple of months, and Spider-Woman fans weren’t able to learn what happened to Jessica until June, when issue #2 came out. Due to financial restraints, many comics were delayed or canceled, but not Spider-Woman. 

“We were very fortunate we were allowed to keep going, and I felt it really showed how much faith Marvel had in us,” Pacheco said. 

Spider-Woman is Pacheco’s first comic book series. Pacheco may be one of the most exciting people you will ever talk to. She lives half the year on a boat called the Slippery Pig, she previously worked in radio, and she got her start as a comedy writer. Pacheco used to work for websites like Cracked and National Lampoon, and she got her foot in the “comics door” by meeting people, talking to them, and attending writer panels at comic cons and online. Pacheco gained a lot of notoriety for her humor on Twitter, and she said her presence that the social media platform helped jump-start much of her comics work.

Pacheco’s name was put on the map when fellow comic writer Chip Zdarsky wrote a hilarious letter of recommendation for her ahead of the DC Comics writers’ workshop. Before writing a full-on series, Pacheco had written in a handful of comic anthologies and her own children’s book, Inspector Pancake. 

“His letter of recommendation was hilarious. He wrote this whole thing where he was just like, ‘You know, I think Karla has a great future in comics, but if she doesn’t, you should hire me,'” Pacheco said. He asked her if it was too silly and offered to “write her a real one,” but she insisted on keeping the original hilarious letter. 

The letter, although funny, didn’t help Pacheco get admitted to the writer’s workshop. Still, it went viral and exposed the charm and comedian that is Karla Pacheco to various editors who began to follow her. 

“I got way more attention for my failed DC writer workshop application letter than I would if I’d actually gotten into the workshop,” Pacheco said. From there, many people started to pay attention, and editors recommended that she specifically pitch her idea for a Spider-Woman story. 

Although she has had other writing jobs, Pacheco says writing comics feels like home. “I love writing comics because I feel like people don’t necessarily understand that comics really is its own medium. People tend to think of it as a screenplay that’s holding still. You’ve got such limitless potential to tell a story in a way no other format will allow you to tell,” Pacheco said.  

As we all know, Pacheco got the job to write Spider-Woman — and with good reason. Pacheco skillfully interweaves Jessica’s past as a Hydra experiment and her friendships with Captain Marvel (aka Carol Danvers) in the first few issues, and unravels the mystery of her spider-powers. And did I mention earlier that Jessica sort of f**ks up from time to time? It’s not on purpose, and it may be one of the most relatable qualities Jessica has. Pacheco explores Jessica’s trauma, fear, and coping mechanisms in the first eight issues.

“I think one of the most relatable things we see in Jess is that she’s flawed, she uses humor as a coping mechanism, but overall she tried to be a good person. At least, that’s what I always related to about the character. Stripping Jess down to her most vulnerable, putting her in a place where she has to face her past trauma and history…I think a lot of us can empathize with needing help but not wanting to “burden” the people we love,” Pacheco said. 

The book is high-intensity action-packed zaniness, complete with helicopter explosions and dinosaur punching drawn by Pere Perez, colored by Frank D’Armata, and lettering by Travis Lanham.  

But don’t be fooled by the explosions, high kicks, and humor. The book has a lot of heart and will also pull on your heart-strings like any good book will do. Pacheco said we are heading in the “home-stretch” with Jessica’s first story, and we should also see a return of Jessica’s iconic yellow and red costume with a few upgrades. 

“Jess is getting back to normal;  but nothing’s ever really “normal” for Spider-Woman, and the coming months contain some very cool new villains I’m excited for people to meet — along with more surprising appearances from Jess’s past — and of course, Karla ripping everyone’s hearts out and making people mad at me,” Pacheco said. 

Spider-Woman issues 1-9 are currently out, and a special cover celebrating Women’s History Month by artist Jen Bartel can now be pre-ordered and will go on sale on March 17.  

Top photo courtesy of Marvel Comics

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Marlene van Niekerk’s Agaat is a beautiful, complicated epic of agrarian life in South Africa from 1948 onward, and it explores the evolution of a relationship between two women who take care of one another. Agaat, for whom the book is named, is a nurse, farmhand, and nanny essential to the functioning of the farm, Grootmoedersdrift. The complex relationship between Agaat and the woman who takes her in, farm matron Milla de Wet, is the heart and soul of this book. Over the span of decades, love and tenderness are wrapped up in abuse and jealousy, but it is ultimately their reliance on one another that prevails.

The apartheid period is represented here through the goings-on of the farm and the words of the tertiary Afrikaner characters. Milla’s husband, Jak, in particular, will cause readers a lot of emotional strain and teeth-grinding. However, it’s important to note that Agaat was first published in 2004, only a decade after the 1994 elections that brought Nelson Mandela into power. Now re-released by Tin House with a foreword by Mary Gaitskill, the book’s relevance to today’s racism and violence are coldly apparent. –Robyn Smith

Agaat
By Marlene van Niekerk
(Tin House)

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Few things are as cliché as a character standing on the edge of a bridge, contemplating suicide, in the pouring rain, before being rescued at the last moment. But these scenes play out effortlessly in the opening chapters of This Close to Okay by Leesa CrossSmith. The narrative bounces between the voices of Tallie and Emmett (our “we’re not in love” duo), which is a fun way to tell the tale of two secret-keeping soon-to-be lovers. Without wasting any time, Tallie convinces Emmett to get a coffee instead of killing himself. Then suddenly, they’re falling in love, keeping and revealing secrets, and planning extremely under-whelming costumes for the most extravagant Halloween party ever. When the plot turns inward to Emmett’s life before Tallie’s intervention, things gets a bit out of hand.

This novel is a wild ride from start to finish. From secret identities to life-or-death consequences, This Close to Okay takes turns readers won’t see coming. Although it dabbles and sometimes drowns in clichés and outright caricatures, Cross-Smith skillfully weaves a story that you can’t put down. Grab your chunkiest knit sweater and dive into this comfy and convoluted mystery. –Brianne Kane

This Close to Okay
By Leesa Cross-Smith
(Grand Central Publishing)

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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If you’ve ever yearned for a healthy dose of feminism in your high school English class unit on The Grapes of Wrath, consider your wishes granted. Kristin Hannah’s new novel, The Four Winds, reads like a feminist rewriting of history, calling out the sexism inherent in our stories of the Great Depression and the Dustbowl. “It was always about the men,” the prologue proclaims. Well, not in this book.

Hannah is doggedly attentive to her female characters, punching up the text with great one-liners as her feminists fight back against those who tell them they’re weak. The novel follows Elsa Martinelli, a woman riddled with self-doubt derived from an abusive family and a flighty husband, as she takes her children west to California in search of a better future. Interwoven with Elsa’s narrative is the perspective of her fiery daughter Loreda, whose adolescent rage slowly burns into a quest for justice. Battling poverty, ecological disaster, sexism, and sometimes each other, Elsa and Loreda endeavor to find strength in the face of struggle. Like a dust storm itself, the novel is fast, full of action, and it will leave you reeling in its emotional wake. –Riley Mayes

The Four Winds: A Novel 
By Kristin Hannah 
(St. Martin’s Press)

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Desire And Reality Collide In Melissa Broder’s New Novel “Milk Fed”

“Loner” Is A Fun, Deadpan Take On Trying To Grow Up When You Still Feel Like A Child

You Know The Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Meet Her Antithesis.

Rachel is 24 and ravenous; for her mother’s love, for her Jewish faith which she’s strayed too far away from, and for all of the food she’s forbidden herself to eat. She maintains a sense of control by counting calories and going to the gym. But her rigidly structured days fracture when her therapist encourages her to take a 90-day break from her mother. The effort of this estrangement weakens her to Miriam—an Orthodox Jewish woman and new employee at Rachel’s favorite frozen yogurt shop, Yo!Good—who is intent on feeding her. What unfolds is an erotic, deeply emotional, and sometimes funny transformation. 

In Milk Fed, desire and reality collide. Rachel’s therapist gifting her the unique opportunity to unravel in order to discover what she needs to feel whole is both compelling and intoxicating. Her stumbles are understandable, and her discoveries refreshing. In each chapter, author Melissa Broder captures the many faces of grief that often accompany acceptance: of a mother’s faults, of the ending of a relationship, of spiritualty, of the realization that unconditional love is a myth. Milk Fed isn’t a book about grief, though; it’s a book about healing. –Samantha Ladwig

Milk Fed 
By Melissa Broder
(Scribner)

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Lona, the main character in Georgina Young’s novel Loner, is just 19, but her plight is ageless. Having recently dropped out of art school, she’s unsure about her career prospects, questioning the point of dating and other social pursuits, and not convinced that art—her own or anyone else’s—is worth anything at all. She drifts in and out of her family, spending time with her best friend when she’s not taking shifts at a grocery store or DJing for middle schoolers at a roller rink, searching for anything that will make her feel something. 

Told in short, pithy chapters, Loner will evoke a palpable sense of “been there, done that” for anyone who’s lived through their own confusing early adulthood. Young’s prose is spare, with bursts of dry wit that liven up otherwise dreary scenarios—Lona’s makeshift bedroom with a sheet for a wall, her crush’s completely sexless texts—but the total immersion in Lona’s thoughts can sometimes be wearisome. If you can ignore the echoes of your own cringeworthy memories as you read, then Loner is a fun, deadpan take on trying to grow up when you still feel like a child. –Eliza Thompson

Loner
By Georgina Young
(Text Publishing Company)

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Like every girl in Otera, 16-year-old Deka must undergo a ceremony which will determine her place in society. It is a test of purity: if her blood runs red, she’ll be allowed to join the ranks of the “pure” women in her community. However, already an outcast by virtue of her skin color, Deka’s blood runs gold and she is deemed impure. She is then beaten, brutalized, and tortured until a mysterious woman makes her an offer: stay in her community, or join the Alaki, an army of supernatural girls just like her, to defend the capital against Deathshrieks—pale monsters that terrorize villages all over Otera. This is how Deka discovers she has powers that enable her to lead the Alaki into battle and save Otera from destruction. 

The Gilded Ones is a YA fantasy novel reminiscent of Octavia Butler. Imbued within the magic and technology is a looking glass into our own reality. The racism, colorism, xenophobia, and misogyny in our world is reflected in Otera, even if it’s a reality where blood runs gold and girls come back from the dead. As author Namina Forna states in her letter to the reader, “If you can’t find yourself anywhere, find yourself here.” –Grace Weinberg

The Gilded Ones
By Namina Forna
(Delacorte Press)

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Everyone I know (myself included) wishes they were a bigger reader. With the world a complete mess right now, in every sense of the word, it’s truly challenging to fight off distractions for long enough to get through a whole novel. So, let’s get back into the swing of things by starting small with some fantastic short stories that encourage a complex, diverse view of the world.

Oftentimes, short stories get the short end of the reading stick. They aren’t exactly what publishers would consider market-friendly, and first-time writers are seldom able to publish their own collections. These seven pieces might just convert you, though. Dip your toes into short story reading with these bite-sized literary journeys written by these accomplished writers.

1. “Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang (trans. Ken Liu)

Honestly, where would the science fiction genre be without class consciousness? “Folding Beijing” is, while technically, a novella, still short enough to be read in one sitting. If you’re into both futuristic sci-fi and timely social commentary, this is the story for you. Not to mention, it won the 2016 Hugo Award.

2. “Mrs. Fox” by Sarah Hall

A story told from the focal point of a man who doesn’t seem to quite grasp who his wife is independent of himself doesn’t exactly scream “Feminism!” at first glance. Perhaps his inability to understand her is the entire point — a woman is truly a wild thing in “Mrs. Fox.”

3. “The Storm” by Kate Chopin

Although this story is a sequel to one of Chopin’s earlier pieces (“At the ‘Cadian Ball”), it surpasses its predecessor in every way that matters. If you’re more of a fan of proto-feminist classical literature, this should definitely be on your list.

4. “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin

This story is what some might call a classic. It can’t really be categorized as sci-fi in and of itself, though Le Guin is a canon author within the genre. Still, it’s short and sweet, as well as highly, highly relevant to the days we’re currently living in.

5. “The Rivals” by Andrea Lee

Aha! You thought you could get through this article without being recommended a story from The New Yorker! Sorry, but it had to happen. I would be remiss to ignore this newly published short story by Andrea Lee, which is almost reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. Read it, if only for Lee’s astounding eye for setting and appreciation for unruly young women.

6. “Down the Market” by Selma Dabbagh

This story is the definition of an impressive narrative voice, told in first person and immediately compelling. This piece analyzes the conflict between Israel and Palestine through a teenager’s eyes, in a remarkably coherent way, and with a fixated gaze.

7. “Speech Sounds” by Octavia E. Butler

Okay, okay, a story about the apocalypse might not be exactly what you need right now. But, a story about the apocalypse with a happy ending? Maybe that’s what everyone needs when it feels like the world is slowly boiling over.

Speech Sounds by Octavia Butler, 1983. A brilliant science fiction short story, it was first published in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in 1983. It won Butler her first Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1984.https://t.co/Se5vVMkMAJ pic.twitter.com/1sganT0YFb

— gonzomike (@gonzomike) March 10, 2020

Header image via Seven Shooter on Unsplash.

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Reese, a whip-smart 30-something trans woman living in Brooklyn, wasn’t always so disillusioned. At one point, she lived in a beautiful apartment right by Prospect Park
with her girlfriend, Amy—also a trans woman—and dreamed of motherhood. But ever since a traumatic incident compelled Amy to detransition and torpedoed their relationship, Reese has been trapped in a cycle of relationships with narcissistic (and married) men. Her world is thrown for a loop when her ex—now named Ames—comes back into her life with a shocking announcement: Katrina—the woman he’s been sleeping with, who knows nothing about Ames’ past—is pregnant. Reese still wants a baby. Katrina, a cis, heterosexual businesswoman, has some hang-ups about motherhood. And as for Ames? His anxieties and desires are complicated, but he knows he wants to be viewed as a parent, not a father. And with Reese in the picture, maybe he can be.

Author Torrey Peters explores family dynamics, queer parenting, gender, relationships, and womanhood in this debut novel brimming with humor, warmth, and complexity. Detransition, Baby is a rare book in which the story and writing are equally compelling. But what will stick with readers most are these three flawed, lovable, and deeply one-of-a-kind characters.

By Lydia Wang

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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In Nadia Owusu’s memoir Aftershocks, life experiences are like earthquakes. Fault lines break open around the loss of her beloved father, her mother’s abandonment, all the places around the globe she’s lived, the blue rocking chair she hoisted from the street and can’t get out of. Her compact, variously ordered recollections are set in myriad countries due to her father’s job with the United Nations, although both her parents were gone by the time she reached her teens. All the while, Owusu relies on her internal seismometer to process and interpret how everything appears in the tectonics of her mental wellbeing.

“When I was a child,” she recalls, “I thought I might want to be a surgeon as well as a writer. The earth, a pretty teacher once told me, is the universe in miniature. The body is a microscopic earth. If I mastered the body, I would know the earth. But I couldn’t do that because I could barely comprehend algebra.” From the way Owusu tells it, her teacher was right. Don’t be surprised if you pick up your own rumblings while this evocative book is still in your hand.

By Whitney Dwire

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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When author Ijeoma Oluo, 39, went to a women’s writing retreat to pen the follow-up to her 2018 bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race, she found inspiration in the discussions the other women were having about the career struggles they faced. Oluo realized that their experiences all had one common denominator: they had all been manipulated, dominated, and harassed by privileged white men. And in the resulting book, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America (out December 1), she discusses how this phenomenon can be seen throughout American history—most notably in the White House. I caught up with Oluo in Seattle via Zoom to talk about post-election racism spasms, sexual harassment, and raising sons to reject toxic masculinity.

Why did you write this book?
I think anyone who writes on issues of race has found that since 2015, there has been so much focus on: Why are white men like this? Why are white men so angry? What is going on? But if you’re a writer of color, you’re like, Oh wait, you think this is a brand new white man that didn’t exist before? Because this is not brand new. We’re now seeing the final form of a problematic formation of white male identity that is hurting everyone. I wanted to show what this looks like. I wanted people to look at their own lives and say, “Oh OK, this has been going on, and maybe I’ve been a part of it. Maybe I want to do something else.”

Do you think Trump encouraged white men to be more vocally racist?
The election and re-election of Obama reinforced white men’s fear over loss of power. I remember the day after his re-election, white men who had always been pleasant to me at work were suddenly sending me angry messages out of the blue. We had never even discussed politics. They were like, “You’re to blame. You’re the reason why.” I remember thinking, Wow, something is really different. White men are in a mood right now. So, I think that reactionary identity flared up with the re-election of Obama and then Trump allowed that fear and anxiety and bigotry to really flourish.

You write that you’ve been sexually harassed at many jobs throughout your life. How can we get this to stop?
Men know this is happening. Not only are they doing it, but they are also watching their friends do it. They listen to their friends brag about it and they ignore it, even though they know how powerful it is for one man to say, “Hey, that’s not cool.” And yeah, it ruins all the other dudes’ days. But it matters. Men need to recognize all those times when they were active or passive participants in the harassment and abuse of women.

As the mother of two sons, how have you raised them to push back against patriarchy?
It’s such a battle. If you are a mother of sons, you see how the world tries to pull them away from who they are. It is so painful to watch. Everything that is sweet and curious and kind about your children, society tries to say it isn’t appropriate for boys. It is heartbreaking because you know who they are. You see this light in them. And you see it go out. My house has always been intersectionally feminist, but my son would come home from school and say something [sexist] and I’d be like, “Where the hell did this come from?” It’s what everyone is saying at school. It’s what his buddies are saying. It’s what teachers are saying. So, we don’t watch something where a dude makes a joke about “boys will be boys” without me launching into a lecture. My feminism is bound up in the liberation of women. But goddamn, this is hurting our boys, too. The patriarchy is robbing young men of half their lives. It’s absolutely devastating to see.

By Adrienne Urbanski
Photo: Courtesy of Ijeoma Oluo

This article originally appeared in BUST’s Winter 2021 print edition. Subscribe today!

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Now more than ever, the world needs cultural projects that nourish the Black soul. Born out of this deep craving, author and art curator Kimberly Drew and her friend and collaborator Jenna Wortham—staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and co-host of the podcast Still Processing—have created a stunning new visual anthology, Black Futures, out December 1. The book is a compendium of images, photos, essays, memes, dialogues, recipes, tweets, poetry, and more, collected from over 100 contributors over the course of five years that attempts to answer the intriguing question, What does it mean to be Black and alive right now? 

“We really tried to wrap our arms around as much subject matter as we could” Drew says of the collection that features a portrait by Nigerian American painter Toyin Ojih Odutola, screen shots from video game designer Momo Pixel, photography by South African LGBTQIA activist Zanele Muholi, and many other works. “I think that there’s this notion that joy is easier to comprehend than pain. [But] there’s just so much that happens in one Black life,” Drew continues. “In our collective moments [we find] what it means to be Black. And isn’t it amazing?”

Momo Pixel’s video game Hair Nah, 2017

The project started five years ago as a conversation via Twitter (where Blackness both thrives and is constantly emulated), and slowly became a plan between Drew and Wortham. They wanted to create a snapshot of Black life today, so that future generations could see and feel what it was really like.“The book deadline shifted around a lot because we were trying to make it as complete as possible,” Wortham says. “But I also think there’s no book or project that can contain or corral Blackness. It’s just infinite, and always expanding.”

Yet, through multiple lunches, emails, and DMs, what the pair managed to bring together is something that ripples with authenticity while tapping into the raw, cathartic power of art. From the pieces exploring the decolonizing of Black minds to the inclusion of “Aunt Yvonne’s Coconut Sweetbread Recipe,” the artistic influences of the editors shine through, and create global links across cultures. “There’s a photo from Lagos [Nigeria] of a table set for a party,” Wortham says, describing one image she especially loves from the book. “And it’s just, like, sodas and drinks and food in foil. The familiarity of that table—it’s a small thing, but it just made me feel this unexpected connection.”

It is in this way that Black Futures serves as a love letter to communities of color around the world—a tribute to both our resilience and our ability to create in the darkest hours.

“We really wanted to provide an offering,” Drew says, summing up the experience of curating the collection. “That’s what this is, first and foremost, in all of its complexity.” –Princess Weekes

Photos: Tyler Mitchell (Kimberly Drew); Naima Green (Jenna Wortham); Hair Nah (Momo Pixel)

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After many years of requests for better representation in comics, comics are continuing to diversify and open more doors for women, on and off the page — and Young Adult fiction could be a big contributing factor.

Just this week, DC Comics announced Marie Javins as the new Editor-in-Chief of the entire company. Javins will be responsible for developing and overseeing the execution of the company’s publishing schedule to grow all DC imprints.

One imprint that has been incredibly successful in attracting female readership and providing more writing jobs to women in graphic novels is DC’s imprint geared towards YA audiences, aptly titled DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults. The imprint is, by creation, inclusive: most of the editors, artists, and all of the writers are women. Many of the authors come from the YA genre.

YA fiction has always had a strong readership of girls and women. In fact, according to a Pew study, women read more than men overall. So, why do more women read YA? For Swamp Thing: Twin Branches author Maggie Stiefvater, it is because of the overall inclusivity of YA. 

“People have been growing up with this. They started out as teens and now they are turning into adults, but to me, it’s because young adult prose fiction is a bastion of a progressive kind of storytelling,” Stiefvater tells BUST. “So if you’re interested in speculative fiction and fantasy, but you don’t want it to be all, that joke of, ‘She boobed boobily down the stairs where her boobs looked around the corner first…’ If you want to get a type of fantasy that is not going to be misogynistic, it’s going to have progressive values, and is also going to be told in a very immediate sort of style, YA became the home for that.”

Stiefvater says YA was never about the age of the reader; it was about creating a world where women “weren’t looked at, but were looking at the world.” Now, graphic novels are doing the same thing for comics, making it so women are looking at the world instead of just being objects to be looked at. 

DC’s YA graphic novel books are very successful, ranking highly in book lists like the New York Times’ graphic novel bestseller list. In addition to receiving national accolades, the books are opening doors for more women creators and are a great gateway for new readers, according to education experts. 

Kami Garcia, author of Teen Titans: Beast Boy and Teen Titans: Raven, says YA novels have also been known to be places where the prose is progressive and inclusive of marginalized and underrepresented communities. A part of that may also have a lot to do with how the creators are writing from the perspective of their own lived experience. Garcia knows many YA writers, for example, that have anxiety, depression, chronic pain, dyslexia, or some type of neurodivergence.

“I have ADHD, which manifests as hyperfocus, so it’s like perfectionism to the nth degree. I feel like a lot of us have these hidden things about ourselves. People coming from marginalized genders and sexes, we have all this kind of lived experience. Chronic pain and anxiety disproportionately affects women and young women. So we are looking at all of these things from these lenses,” Garcia says. Garcia’s book, Best Boy, not only focuses on Garfield and his physical transformation into Beast Boy, but has a side story about one of his best friends, Tank, who is diagnosed with dyslexia. 

Graphic novel writers also have a unique opportunity that they can use images to better explore the emotional depth and complexity of the world the characters live in, making the experience come alive for readers. 

“I think one of the great things about graphic novels is that they are very character-driven,” Stiefvater says. “Graphic novels make more space for the internal landscape which is why they are such a great gateway drug. I think that gives every creator a chance to put that emotional landscape and more of that emotional truth of diverse experiences because you have room for it in the storytelling medium.”

In Swamp Thing, Stiefvater’s two lead characters, twin brothers, run away from home after finding out their father was an adulterer. One of the twins is diabetic. Alec’s type one diabetes is not a plot point, but it’s just a part of who he is. It is another example of representing a person who gets to be a superhero while also dealing with a real-life condition. 

Garcia and Stiefvater’s books are coming-of-age stories, but also feature a fun and heavy dose of science. Swamp Thing focuses a lot more on botany and biology, while Beast Boy has more of a focus on zoology. The books unite science and medicine with magic and character development. They are inclusive and relatable but they also give readers the perspective of someone they may not look like. The books encourage boys to express themselves emotionally and show that females are scientists and interested in science. 

DC’s YA graphic novels are making an impact on the page and in real life. The books also give more opportunity for diverse writers and artists to work in the comic and graphic novel medium, a goal DC Chief Creative officer Jim Lee has prioritized. 

Garcia worked with Brazilian artist Gabriel Picolo for both Beast Boy and Raven. While Garcia was a well-known, established author, Raven was Picolo’s first job in the comics industry. Before working with Garcia, Picolo created Teen Titans fan art and established a large following on instagram. For Swamp Thing, Stiefvater worked with comic artist Morgan Beem.  

Right now, the world of comics, like all book industries, is suffering a setback due to the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Garcia co-organized Creators for Comics, a fundraiser to raise money for indie book and comics shops. Through that work, she has continued to try to promote and give more opportunities to women and marginalized genders in comics. 

“One of the things I talk about and try to promote and give away are Zooms with other creators who identify as female or non-binary. I want more people involved in comics and graphic novels, especially for girls to see this is not all men anymore,” Garcia says. 

DC’s YA lineup may be young, but it is quickly positioning itself as the future of graphic novels and comics — for readers of all ages.

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Danielle Evans’ new novella and collection of stories reads like a prescient letter from a brutally honest friend with her finger on the pulse of an ailing culture. Each story bristles with the author’s signature wit and precision. Her narrators engage in a constant struggle to be seen as “real people” despite possessing many trappings of privilege. In “Happily Ever After” a woman dresses with care before a hospital consult so that she may resemble “a person whose mother deserved to live.” In the titular novella, set in a federal office where the overeducated and underemployed grapple with facts in a post-truth society, Evans moves readers from D.C. to rural Wisconsin, where what begins as a wry take on bureaucracy quickens into a rivalry evocative of the best Harlem renaissance noir. 

Evans’ work belongs on every contemporary American fiction syllabus, and with The Office of Historical Corrections, readers now have a wealth of selections to choose from. Those excited about writers who tell the truth about Black women’s lives should not let the “fiction” label deter them. These stories are as real as it gets.

By Laurie Cedilnik

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There’s a lot to learn from entrepreneur, writer, and podcast host Meredith Fineman. She recently released her first book, Brag Better: Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion (Penguin Random House), a bestselling guide to self-advocacy. Aside from this book, Fineman founded and is the CEO of FinePoint, a leadership and professional development company that elevates individuals, from young professionals to CEOs, by helping women utilize and understand public relation tactics. Over a Zoom call, Fineman and I talked about the art of self-promotion, book touring during a pandemic, and more. 

Your book came out this summer! Congratulations – this is probably not the book tour you were expecting. 

No, I had all these outfits and was ready to sign the books, and all that stuff. It was supposed to come out in May, but it came out in June, but it’s been really great. I’m happy this book has been helping a lot of people in such an uncertain time. Particularly for [people] that are looking for jobs or never thought about how to talk about their work from behind the screen.

While, as an author, I imagine this isn’t the most fun way to publish a book, I do feel like this book is very timely. I think women have struggled talking about our work and now it’s more important than ever to learn how to do.

It’s an evolving skill. You’re not supposed to know how to do these things, you don’t have the vocabulary, you don’t have the role models, you don’t have the set up. This affects women really deeply. I am very careful of books putting the onus on women; I’m not going to pretend that if you brag better a lot, these systematic issues [will disappear], whether it’s for women, or people of color, or any other voices, but it is another tool to have. 

When I got the book, I wasn’t sure this was for me. I didn’t understand until I read the book that most of us are “Qualified Quiets” to some degree. This book isn’t just for people who view themselves as meek or shy. We all need to be brushing up on these skills.

And I catch myself not doing it. [Bragging is] a lifelong skill, it’s hard to do all the time, it affects everyone. Even if you’re not shy about it, it’s something you can refine from a linguistics and strategic point of view.  

Something I’m always thinking about it is, “What is the line of emulating straight male culture and being ourselves?” I do think the ways companies are set up and how it has trickled to down to what we deem as professional dress, hair, and speech patterns are formed from straight white men. I agree with your work and think we do need to be bragging better, but where do we draw the line between emulating and leaning in too far and having people meet us where we are in terms of our dress, hair, and speech patterns?

I was talking about this in an interview earlier. There are some core messages in Brag Better, which is bragging is stating facts, our accomplishments are worth talking about, but I always want people to do this in a way that is true to them. The system has a long way in acknowledging that attributes we tell women to do particularly in business but that’s why I cared so much that this book not be based on gender. It’s taking on male attributes and what does that mean in terms of how we view femininity in terms leadership and business. We have so far to go. One thing is about bragging better and showcasing your skill set is [figuring out] what is going to make it true to you. 

My blanket message to women is: I just care that you feel good talking about your work and that you are able to do it to the right people to advance your career. People are going to say whatever they are going to say, and it’s an impossible tightrope. I’ve been called every name in the book, whether that’s obnoxious or annoying or too ambitious. My work comes from what I have seen in PR and in media, which has been rewarding the wrong voices and us paying attention to the wrong metrics. I do acknowledge that a lot this is a system problem. There is already research out how the pandemic is affecting women and working women and working moms and you see some of that literally play out on a Zoom screen. People are asking me how to break through on a Zoom call because it sets us so far back, whether it’s how loud we’re talking or not interrupting…it’s messy. 

And maybe a takeaway from bragging is taking it a step further for people to show systems and bosses and companies that these feminine traits are fine. If you are somebody who wants to wear something particular at work, maybe your “Brag Better” is being able to talk about why your outfit, hair, and speech patterns are all appropriate. 

Right, it comes down to representation. Women are policed from their voice to their ankles, and I’m a white woman. I have so many amazing women of color in this book speaking about their own experiences. The book looks into the misogyny piece, racism, and the ableism of what makes it so difficult to express yourself, but it comes down to representation. It comes down to having more voices in the mix that look like what we look like. Someone asked me if I wanted men to shut up and I said no, but if [men] echo our voices, it matters. It’s free for you, it doesn’t not mean your privilege is less or your airtime is less, but if you can’t do a speaking gig, it is free for you to suggest a woman, a person of color, anyone who doesn’t look like you, because that booker isn’t going to do that work. They are probably just going to ask another white guy. It is just about getting more thoughtful, qualified, interesting, truthful voices in the mix. It is part of your job in your career, and as a citizen, to share what you know and bring other voices into the mix. 

In terms of helping each other, you talk about bragging on the behalf of others. 

Bragging better is a team sport. It is your job […] to pass the mic. Again, it is free and easy to do that, like Luvvie Ajayi Jones, who started the Share The Mic Now movement. It’s so important, it’s not about the big people doing it, it’s about doing it for your colleague, or registering people to vote, which is part of exercising your voice. More voices together are what gets a message across. Anyone can do this at any level at any stage. It’s easier to do it for others too. It’s a lovely way to do a service for someone and, again, it’s free and easy. It is part of our jobs to carry those voices forward that aren’t heard as easily. No issues would move forward around feminist issues, especially the conversations were having about intersectionality. It’s all about having more voices.

I think that’s so simple and so powerful, especially right now when people feel hopeless. They feel like they are this tiny piece in this disgusting system, and they can’t do anything about. I think this is an easy, hopeful message. 

I appreciate that, and I think it can be very granular. One thing I really cared about with this book was that it was highly tactile and prescriptive, and it goes along with not telling someone to be more confident. That’s so unfair and so anxiety-provoking, and not helpful. At the end of the day, I care that women feel good talking about themselves and their work because it is so complicated and it’s a deep act of vulnerability. It’s not always pretty to be a woman who puts herself out there and that is real too. It’s scary, is a brave thing to do and the hard thing to do. My argument is that it does move the needle forward in your work.

I agree with that, and I think the more we do that together, the faster and further we can push the needle. 

Absolutely, it feels so nice to help other people. It’s an easy thing to do to share someone’s message or share someone’s work and to be able to ask that in return. Asking for help is hard. I use the word brag because it’s the only one we have. I looked so deep into language, but there was really nothing else to describe this. It elicits the same fears and anxiety in everyone, disgust, judgement – what if people think I’m too much, what if people think I’m obnoxious. When a client or “Qualified Quiet’s” asked me [about this], I tell them that’s the difference between [them] and a blow-hard. It’s that level of self-awareness. It’s the less qualified voices who don’t have that filter, and have no trouble sharing whether it is good or not. People need to hear from you and your voice deserves to be heard. 

Maybe let’s reclaim the word brag. Feminist used to be a “gross” word. Maybe that’s a fun goal for the book, to have people take that word back.

That’s what I’ve decided. Many people over the past 7 years have told me not to use this word. It is just another tool in your toolkit and I’ve seen the effects of it at every level. I decided I was going to redefine that bragging was stating true facts about your work strategically and cohesively to advance your career. 

What really resonated to me in the book was learning to differentiate criticisms between the peanut gallery and your trusted folks. I think this is something very hard for women and “Qualified Quiets.” How can we can actively work at this?

I am very guilty of this. I get a million lovely emails about the book and then one person is like, “This sucked,” and I’m like, “I’m going to think about that every night for the rest of my life.” Some of that is being too hard for yourself. Part of bragging better is being able to accept praise and be okay with it. We are not conditioned to accept compliments and agree that we’re doing okay.

For feedback, you have to determine whether someone’s feedback is constructive, whether you want to pay attention to it. Evaluate: is this someone who has your real best interest at heart? Is this someone whose work you like? What is your relationship to this person? I will say one dangerous place for this feedback and criticism is sometimes people we deem as powerful. If it’s not someone who cares about you, if it’s not someone whose feedback is thoughtful and constructive versus just critical. You know what’s trash and you know what’s immediately good. It’s the middle area that is really hard. It’s still hard to not take it to heart. Consider the source, consider the message – maybe run it by a couple people you really care about, because sometimes you need more opinions. 

Photos courtesy of Meredith Fineman

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A How To Beginner’s Guide to Beginner’s Mind For Trying Something New

Lauren Paige Richeson is a chef based in France who started her career at Project Parlor in Bed-Stuy, but her newest project is all about one of the most talked-about foods of the 2010s: the mighty avocado! Hailed as the ultimate millennial fuel and the reason young people can’t afford to buy houses, Richeson’s Avocado Obsession is filled with creative and easy recipes that go beyond your typical avo toast.

Richeson got her start by recreating recipes from restaurants that she wanted to try but couldn’t afford at the time. “From there, I started just developing new and different recipes. I started cooking for other people, and I would cook at a bar called Project Parlor in Bed Stuy. I could have never imagined at that time that this hobby would turn into a career,” she says.

“Avocados are a kind of occult food, and they have such a wide reputation; what makes this book so great is that it is for everyone,” explains Richeson. Some of her favorite recipes in the book are the Avorita and the Prosciutto and Double Cheese Pizza with Creamy Avocado Sauce. “They’re recipes that we are used to eating all the time, but they incorporate avocados in a way that completely surprises you,” she adds. If you’re already salivating, you’re in luck. You can check out her pizza recipe below and buy the cookbook here.

Images via Lauren Paige Richeson

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Getting to Center: Pathways to Finding Yourself Within the Great Unknown
By Marlee Grace
(William Morrow & Company)

Marlee Grace first danced into our social media feeds (and straight into our hearts) back in 2015 on her Instagram account @personalpractice, a daily documentation of Grace dancing in different environments. The simple yet inspiring project stood out as a gem in the emotional minefield that is social media by creating a space for vulnerability and openness. Grace uses this same approach on her personal account, @marleegrace, where she shares personal anecdotes and useful advice about everything from codependency to survivors’ guilt to addiction. 

Grace delves deeper into these themes in her new book, Getting to Center: Pathways to Finding Yourself Within the Great Unknown. While other self help books talk about balance, Grace completely shatters that paradigm and talks about returning to your center by framing self-care as the ongoing creative practice of being human. Once the idea of achieving an enlightened stage is taken off the table, there’s room for reflection, growth, and change. Grace also understands we don’t live in a vacuum and has a refreshing focus on diverse identities and experiences while bringing up issues of equity and privilege. By using compassion as a guiding force, Grace has written a versatile book that will continue to help cultivate and replenish the resources within ourselves through many future rereads. 

Follow Marlee Grace on marleegrace.space/home.

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Author Kristen J. Sollée’s favorite selections from her magical book collection

Occult expert Kristen J. Sollée is a sorceress with words whose fascinating histories—Witches Sluts Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive; Cat Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine; and Witch Hunt: A Traveler’s Guide to the Power and Persecution of the Witch (out October 1)—are catnip for dark-at-heart feminists. We asked her what books she cherishes most from her home reference library, and her picks are perfect for Halloween season. 

1. Sexuality, Magic & Perversion by Francis King

As a devoted sex magician and lover of rare, retro, occult books, I found Sexuality, Magic & Perversion to be a gem of the genre. First published in 1971, Francis King’s salacious “history” explores sex magic and witchery from ancient pagan orgies to Aleister Crowley, kicking things off with the subtly titled first chapter: “A Dildo for a Witch.”

2. Plants of the Devil by Corinne Boyer

Shortly after I began reading this book, I had the most haunting dreams of traversing the depths of an unknown forest. It delves into the hexing and healing powers of flora associated with the Dark Lord, weaving together folklore and plant magic practices from ancient times, medieval Europe, and the present. It also made me re-think so much of what I believed about plants.

3. Witches by Erica Jong

Witches is an exemplary second-wave feminist take on the herstory of the witch. Although the incredible illustrations by Joseph A. Smith are what first caught my eye as a child, Erica Jong’s poetry and prose deliciously capture the magic and mystery of the divine (and demonic) feminine in every word.

4. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton

There are so many myths surrounding the history, persecution, and practice of witchcraft, and historian Ronald Hutton has written dozens of books challenging them all. Although I strongly believe that harnessing witch myths can be very useful to one’s political or spiritual practice, myth-busting is equally important. If you agree, this is a must-read.

5. Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels edited by Katie West and Jasmine Elliott

I wrote the forward for this essay collection that reveals how occult practitioners are harnessing their magic for radical change across the U.S. and the U.K. These collected works speak to the deeply personal and political intersections between witchcraft and resistance. 

Introduction by Emily Rems 

Portrait courtesy of Kristen J. Sollée

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Grand: A Memoir By Sara Schaefer

(Gallery Books)

Sara Schaefer was only in grade school when her life was turned upside down by a family scandal. Already a cautious child, she becomes even more vigilant in the face of this formative experience, which exacerbates her anxiety but also gifts Schaefer with an ironclad sense of humor that serves as a shield against life’s difficult circumstances. This talent for wit in the face of hardship serves her well in her chosen profession of comedy; she carves out dizzying career success while experiencing crushing grief at the loss of both a parent and her marriage. In her memoir, she takes readers on a river-rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Meant to celebrate a milestone birthday, this pilgrimage becomes a means to examine the shame Schaefer’s carried for so many years. Her companion is her sister, and together they unpack their shared familial grief with breathtaking candor. It’s hard not to root for the author of Grand. The magic of inspiring the reader to see herself in the pages of a memoir is the hallmark of any well-written autobiographical work, and Schaefer achieves this nimbly with a debut that more than lives up to its title.

By Brandy Barber 

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If you’re like me, every season is the perfect season for a good mystery. But the turning leaves, pumpkin-laden doorsteps, and darker nights of fall add to the strong sinister vibes of a well-written thriller. With everything occupying our minds and energy right now, it can be difficult to feel excited about this year’s All Hallow’s Eve. But luckily, some of the best names in the mystery game have come to our rescue to ensure that we experience some chilling, festive fright. Here are 5 new mysteries written by women to celebrate Halloween with.

Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy

This Misery-esque thriller centers on one couple, newlyweds Sam Statler and Annie Porter, who are fresh out of New York City and trying to start a life together in Sam’s small hometown. He’s busy getting his therapy business off the ground in his downstairs office, leaving Annie alone a lot of the time. Despite its new renovations, the office ceiling vent leads directly upstairs, whispering his client’s secrets to the room above. When Sam suddenly goes missing, it’s up to Annie to piece his disappearance together. You may think you already know where this book is heading, but chances are, you’re wrong. Molloy is an absolute master of language, and the unexpected twists in Goodnight Beautiful are electric.

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Alyssa Cole writes across a number of genres such as sci-fi, romance, historical fiction, and now, mystery. Branded as Rear Window meets Get Out, Cole tackles gentrification in her latest, When No One is Watching. Sydney Green’s Brooklyn neighborhood is changing, and not for the better. Microaggressions and upscale corner stores are replacing her close-knit community, urging her to create a walking tour highlighting the neighborhood’s rich Black history. But her research takes her in an unexpected, horrifying direction, leading her to believe that her beloved neighbors aren’t exactly moving to the suburbs. Frighteningly relevant and unputdownable, you’ll have to remind yourself to breathe while reading this one.

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

Layne Fargo confronts the many shades of misogyny in They Never Learn. Professor Scarlett Clark does more than teach English at Gorman University. During her off hours, she expertly rids the campus of terrible men. Freshman Carly Schiller spends her time wishing she could do the same. Despite Clark’s finesse, the growing number of campus deaths catches the eye of the school, entangling the two women in one shocking way. From the campus setting to the serial killing feminist to the strong sinister vibes, They Never Learn is the perfect book to celebrate the spooky, fall season with. It’s twisted in the best kind of way.

And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall

And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall is the quintessential cat-and-mouse suspense novel of the season. Isabel Lincoln has vanished, but as Private Investigator Grayson Sykes learns, she might not be missing. Alternating between past and present, Gray discovers similarities between the two women, forcing her to confront her own history in order to bring the case to a close. Fast-paced, clever, and taut, And Now She’s Gone is a gripping crime novel about one complicated woman’s effort to overcome the seemingly impossible. 

One by One by Ruth Ware

Ruth Ware delivers a gripping locked room mystery in her latest, One by One. Its setting is idyllic: French mountains, a cozy, upscale chalet equipped with top shelf booze and a chef at the ready. But its occupants – shareholders of the massively popular tech company, Snoop – not so much. Billed as a mindfulness staff retreat, the founders of the company are actually looking to sell. But relationships are taut and not everyone wants to. When an avalanche descends upon their winter wonderland, who does and doesn’t want to sell no longer matters, because one of them has another plan in mind, and not everyone will make it off the mountain alive. Ware is a modern-day Agatha Christie, and in One by One, she combines a beloved premise with her signature scruffy characters and chilling atmosphere.

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Rachel Wiley’s new poetry collection, Fat Girl Finishing School, is a tender, hilarious, illuminating journey written openly and unapologetically by a woman whom the world has aimed to shame into silence because of her body. Wiley is both a fighter and a comedic jackpot, blending razor-sharp cynicism and wit with heartbreaking truth. These poems will sneak up on you, making you laugh at the most inappropriate moment or cry exactly when you need to. In the poem, “In Which the Poet Learns to Wake Up Alone,” Wiley writes: “If you insist on dwelling in this notion,/that your love did go away/because they could no longer endure/the heft of you,/I say then let them go.” These works are an exercise in joyful endurance where the subject is an antagonized body and the aggressor is alternately a lover, an employer, a culture, or a whole society at large. What’s remarkable and beautiful about Wiley’s writing is that she doesn’t give in to the language of abuse that has been traditionally weaponized against bodies that are not perceived as perfect. Instead, she lets readers in on the ultimate secret, the one the world never wanted women to know: Imperfection is the greatest beauty of all. 

By Amber Tamblyn

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2020 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today! 

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While the term “fangirl” has been playfully reclaimed by people of all genders, the historical portrayal of young women music enthusiasts has often landed somewhere between glossed-over footnote and “hysterical” as a metric used to measure a musician’s power. In Fangirls: Scenes From Modern Music Culture, author Hannah Ewens, whose own experiences are included, explores a far more complex view of fandom through exhaustive research and interviews with women and gender-nonconforming music devoteesin the U.K., Europe, North America, and Japan.

The individual voices and profiles vary as much as the people’s tastes—from boy-bands to Beyoncé to Courtney Love—giving fans the space to expand on personal truths like queerness, mental illness, sexual desire, and what it means to findcommunity, to “scream alone together…to go on a collective journey of self-definition.” Ascultural critic Jessica Hopper once wrote, “Suggestion: replace the word ‘fan girl’ with ‘expert’ and see what happens.”– Emily Nokes

Fangirls: Scenes From Modern Music Culture

By Hannah Ewens

(Quadrille Publishing Ltd.)