
Short stories, old and new, that will queer up your bookshelf, and wonβt take long to get through…
BY MOLLY MOSSΒ
Fed up of the same old les fic? (You know the ones)Β Canβt be bothered to get stuck into a long novel? Then look no further.
The End of The World as We Know It β Sara Farizan
Award-winning Farizanβs super queer writing should be at the top of your to-read list. Her short story The End Of The World As We Know It, is driven by a strained relationship between Ezgi and Kate, two life-long best friends. The narrative explores their hopes and fears for the future, and tests how they deal when they begin to think that the end of civilization is nigh…
Farizan has also written two novels Tell Me How a Crush Should FeelΒ and If You Could be Mine. Her second, set in Iran, follows two teenage girls as they navigate their attraction towards each other, and is definitely worth checking out.
The Poetics of Sex β Jeanette Winterson
Thereβs only so many times you can read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, so how about giving one Wintersonβs short stories a go instead? Originally written as a contribution to Grantaβs Best Of Young British NovelistΒ issue published in 1993, Wintersonβs The Poetics of SexΒ deals with social stigma around sex, as well as debunking stereotypes associated with homosexuality.
Narrated in first person by Sappho, the narrative is filled with graphic details of her same-sex relationship with Picasso. Wintersonβs writing styleβ allusions, double entendres, and vulgar images β gives society a slap in the face (so to speak) and reinvents a literary space where lesbians can exist authentically.
Anne-Marie McLemore
What happens when you turn Red Riding Hood into a queer Latina girl, the wolf into a transgender French soldier, and the woods into the rolling hills of Mexico in the 1870s? Well, you get McLemoreβs Mexican lesbian retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, of course. The story is a telling exploration of a country in the aftermath of a cruel war, and if you havenβt already you should read it because, well, who doesnβt like a queer fairy-tale spin off? Oh, and check out Toil & Trouble while you’re at it.
The Fox β Malinda Lo
Inspired by Chinese and Japanese traditions, Malindo Loβs fiction is a must-read for anyone in search of a refreshingly female-dominated adventure tale. Her short story, The Fox, set two years after her novel HuntressΒ (which you should also check out), takes the homophobia out of fantasy. It will transport you to a fantasy world where being gay isnβt the only defining feature of the charactersΒ and where sexuality is never assumed.
Three Witches β Tessa Gratton
Gratton has both queer and wizardly (yes wizardlyβ sheβs wanted to be a wizard since she was seven) ambitions, and writes stories about magic, monsters and kissing. She has contributed to several short story collections and anthologies β so take your pick.
Her Body & Other Parties β Carmen Maria Machado
This multi-award winning short story collection won the Lambda Award for Best Lesbian Fiction this year. Another fairytale retelling, it blends horror, science fiction, and formal experimentation.
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