stacks & spoons: happy pride!!!

happy pride, bbs!

i slide into your inbox with exciting news: i have a new book coming!

a lot of the deets are still under wraps, but here’s the announcement from the Publisher’s Weekly Rights Report: 

Sylvan Creekmore at Wednesday Books has bought the first project developed by IP company Upswell Media, written by Jen Wilde, author of Queens of Geek, The Brightsiders, and Going Off Script. The YA thriller, which takes place over the course of a single night at an elite New York academy, follows 17-year-old Waverly as she's locked in with her fellow students at a masked ball—with a killer on the loose and an apocalypse outside the school doors. Publication is set for 2022; John Cusick at Folio Literary Management brokered the deal for world English rights on behalf of Upswell Media, of which he is also a co-founder. Lauren Spieller of TriadaUS represented Jen Wilde.

i am SO EXCITED! i feel like i’ve been waiting forever for the news to be out, and it’s still so long until the actual book will be out, but in this house we celebrate every little victory!
jen xo

the essay

not-so-casual clothes day.

The day I walked into my all-girls Catholic high school dressed like a punk-rock lesbian, I was buzzing with nerves and excitement. It was casual clothes day, when we could all shed our usual navy blue pleated skirts and heavy blazers in favor of our best teen attire. It was a parade of denim skirts, low-rise jeans and overpriced Juicy sweatpants. I showed up looking like Avril Lavigne in a short-sleeved button-up shirt, black neck tie (that I’d bought from Supré) and baggy jeans. 

 It was the height of Sk8er Boi and let’s just say that my gender and sexuality at the time were, well, Complicated. I was 16 and it was 2003, I hadn’t even heard the words bisexual or nonbinary and I wouldn’t be diagnosed as autistic for another decade – there was a lot about myself that I knew was different, I just didn’t know what. 
 

I wasn’t nervous about that outfit until the moment I walked down the hallways that morning, confronted by wide-eyed stares and hushed tones. Even the night before, while trying on different shirts to go with the tie at a friend’s house, I didn’t flinch when she called me ‘brave’.
 

Looking back, I get it. Before that day, I was invisible – on purpose. I never spoke in class. I avoided eye contact at all times. I pretended not to see classmates if we crossed paths outside of school because I was so afraid of small talk. Showing up to school looking like Shane from The L Word, only with acne and glasses, threw everyone a giant curve ball.
 

But what I remember the most from that day isn’t the snarky insults from other kids, or the concerned looks from teachers, or the anxiety. What I remember is the confidence that outfit gave me. I didn’t understand it then (it was super dark in that closet, okay?), but I was experiencing what it felt like to be comfortable in my own skin for the first time. 
 

I didn’t know I was queer, I just knew I felt like myself. That feeling was strong enough to protect me from whatever anyone else thought that day, and it’s that feeling I keep returning to all these years later.

reads: last // current // next

just the funny parts by nell scovell

this memoir about being the only woman in a writer’s room was both hilarious and infuriating. just reading about the barriers Nell and others like her faced – and still face – in the entertainment industry was exhausting, but Nell being the talented writer that she is made it funny, heartwarming and ultimately, hopeful.

(CW: discussions of sexual assault, workplace harassment, sexism)

a special place for women by laura hankin
this book so perfectly captures the moment we are living in, and does it with wit, humor and intrigue that keeps me turning the page. i’m obsessed with stories about secret societies and rich white influencer-types, so this is like pure candy for me. i’ve been waiting for this release since i heard about it last year, and i’m trying to pace myself with it. 

(CW: discussions of loss, grief.)

love is an ex-country by randa jarrar

i’ve heard tons of great things about this road trip memoir by queer, fat, Muslim, Arab American writer Randa Jarrar. i was lucky enough to receive a free copy from catapult press, and I can’t wait to dive in.

(CW: abuse, racism.)

chronic and iconic

• SPECIAL, one of my favorite shows and a trail-blazer of gay and disabled representation in television, returned for it’s second and final season! spoiler: it was amazing and i’ve already watched it three times and written a spec script based on it. 

• speaking of iconic queer television, it has officially been confirmed that Rugrat’s mom Betty is a big ol’ lesbian! (I mean, duh?)

• pride started off with a bang thanks to Amina Mucciolo, also known as @studiomucci, who is the Black, queer, autistic cover star of the Plastic issue of Bitch.
   

• in more gay news: there’s going to be a legally blonde live-read starring an all-LGBTQ cast! AND it’s raising money for a good cause!

TAKE ACTION:  

• if you want to support the people of palestine but don’t know where to start, check out boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) – a palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. through BDS, you can learn, donate and help educate others.
   

• it’s hard to escape the corporate rainbows being thrown at us this month, but it’s more important than ever to support the grassroots orgs that have been fighting for queer rights since the literal start. check out the latest fundraiser by for the gworls.
   

• india is *still* in a covid crisis. the new york times compiled a list of ways we can help. crooked media shared this ongoing list of fundraisers to support.
   

• qualified immunity has repeatedly been used to shield police from consequences of their actions, no matter the brutality. right now, we have a chance to limit or end qualified immunity in the US. text PGHMTZ to 50409 and resistbot will help you write to your reps and urge them to support the Ending Qualified Immunity Act.

• the for the people act will stop the new voter suppression laws popping up around the country. but the filibuster stands in the way. vote save america have compiled a whip count of US senators and where they stand on eliminating the filibuster, along with ways to get in contact with them, here.

*some of the links included are affiliate links.