Tag: LGBTQI+

Transgender Day of Visibility 2024

Kath

This Sunday March 31st we celebrate the International Transgender Day of Visibility.  A day in which we celebrate the lives and stories of transgender people, their contributions to society and highlight the discrimination faced by trans people worldwide.  Here are a selection of books by and about transgender people from all over the world.

Black boy out of time : a memoir / Ziyad, Hari
“One of nineteen children in a blended family, Hari Ziyad was raised by a Hindu Hare Krishna mother and a Muslim father. Through reframing their own coming-of-age story, Ziyad takes readers on a powerful journey of growing up queer and Black in Cleveland, Ohio, and of navigating the equally complex path toward finding their true self in New York City. Exploring childhood, gender, race, and the trust that is built, broken, and repaired through generations, Ziyad investigates what it means to live beyond the limited narratives Black children are given and challenges the irreconcilable binaries that restrict them. Heartwarming and heart-wrenching, radical and reflective, Hari Ziyad’s vital memoir is for the outcast, the unheard, the unborn, and the dead. It offers us a new way to think about survival and the necessary disruption of social norms.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Detransition, baby : a novel / Peters, Torrey
“Reese had what previous generations of trans women could only dream of; the only thing missing was a child. Then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Ames thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese, and losing her meant losing his only family. Then Ames’s boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she is pregnant with his baby– and is not sure whether she wants to keep it. Ames wonders: Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family, and raise the baby together?” (Adapted from Catalogue) Also available in eBook format

Our work is everywhere : an illustrated oral history of queer & trans resistance / Rose, Syan
“Over the past ten years, we have witnessed the rise of queer and trans communities that have defied and challenged those who have historically opposed them. Through bold, symbolic imagery and surrealist, overlapping landscapes, queer illustrator and curator Syan Rose shines a light on the faces and voices of these diverse, amorphous, messy, real, and imagined queer and trans communities. The many themes include Black femme mental health, Pacific Islander authorship, fat queer performance art, disability and health care practice, sex worker activism, and much more.” (Adapted from Catalogue) Also available in eBook format

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The Topp Twins’ bio: Pride eBook Club special!

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Celebrate Wellington Pride by joining us in reading Untouchable Girls: The Topp Twins’ Story. From March 8 to March 17, we’re providing unlimited eBook copies of the Topp Twins’ acclaimed biography. That means no waiting in long reserves queues – you’ll get free and instant access on Libby!

Untouchable Girls is described as ‘a rollicking, intimate, uproarious romp through the triumphant lives of Jools and Lynda that will make you want to sing, to go on the road, ride horses, fall in love and never stop laughing’ (Kete Books) — find out more below, or borrow a copy today!

Untouchable girls : the Topp Twins’ story / Topp, Jules (eBook)
“The iconic Kiwi duo – comedians, country music stars, yodellers, lesbians – in their own words. This is the incredible story of how a couple of country kids from Huntly became much-loved Kiwi icons and TV stars, with their own unique brand of original country music and comedy that has captivated audiences in New Zealand and overseas for more than 40 years. Jools and Lynda Topp aka The Topp Twins tell this story in their own words, describing their adventurous lives through laugh-out-loud anecdotes and heartwarming tales. As well as enjoying long careers as country music stars and comedians, with their characters like Camp Mother & Camp Leader and Ken & Ken, the twins have always stood up for their political beliefs and have been embraced by New Zealanders from all walks of life. Including never-before-told stories and images, this is a nostalgic and important historic record of the lives of two ground-breaking and inspiring women, and of the times through which they’ve lived.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

If You Would Have Told Me: New biographies in the collection

Kath

Summer is here and that means beach reads, holiday reads, chilling on the deck reads… all those lovely ways to relax and enjoy a good book.  This month we have some cracking good reads in our new biographies, take a look at these that have hit the shelves recently.

If you would have told me : a memoir / Stamos, John
“If you would have told a young John Stamos flipping burgers at his dad’s fast-food joint that one day he’d be a household name and that, at the height of his success, he’d be living alone, divorced, with no kids, high on a cocktail of forgetting, he might’ve asked, “You want fries with that?” John burst onto the scene in General Hospital, propelling him into the teen idol stratosphere, a place that’s often a point of no return. Whether showing off his comedic chops on Full House or his dramatic skills on ER, pushing the boundaries on Broadway or living out his youthful dreams as an honorary Beach Boy, John has surprised everyone, most of all himself.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The stirrings : a memoir in northern time / Taylor, Catherine
“This is a story about one young woman coming of age, and about the place and time that shaped her: the North of England in the 1970s and 80s. About the scorching summer of 1976 – the last Catherine Taylor would spend with both her parents in their home in Sheffield. About the Yorkshire Ripper, the serial killer whose haunting presence in Catherine’s childhood was matched only by the aching absence of her own father. About 1989’s ‘Second Summer of Love’, a time of sexual awakening for Catherine, and the unforeseen consequences that followed it.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Wifedom : Mrs Orwell’s invisible life / Funder, Anna
“Looking for wonder and some reprieve from the everyday, award-winning writer Anna Funder slips into the pages of her hero George Orwell. When she uncovers his forgotten wife, it’s a revelation. Eileen O’Shaughnessy’s literary brilliance shaped Orwell’s work and her practical common sense saved his life. But why-and how-was she written out of the story? Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder recreates the Orwells’ marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War in London.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

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Author Interview: Henrietta Bollinger’s ‘Articulations’

Tess

Pōneke-based writer, activist, and disability rights advocate, Henrietta Bollinger’s debut book Articulations is a collection of essays that speak to their experiences as a queer, disabled person in Aotearoa New Zealand. The book journeys through different personal insights; from first crushes and first periods to parliamentary reform and Disability Pride. Bollinger challenges the norms of our ableist society, asking us to consider better ways of being with each other and ourselves. 

Watch our  interview with Henrietta Bollinger where we chat about their advocacy work and the process of writing and publishing their first book with Tender Press.

We extend our thanks and appreciation to Henrietta for taking the time to answer our questions, and for providing insight into their writing and disability advocacy work. You can reserve a copy of Articulations below. 


Articulations / Bollinger, Henrietta

Articulations is a timely, personal, and poignant appraisal of life in Aotearoa. Soundtracked by the Topp Twins, Anika Moa, Woody Guthrie and more, Bollinger’s essays take us on a journey from first crushes and first periods to parliamentary reform and Disability Pride. They challenge the norms of our ableist society, asking us to consider better ways of being with each other and ourselves. (Adapted from Publishers description)

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Beyond the Gender Binary – Books By and About Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People

Kath

We’re deep in Pride month and today we’ve put together a list of books by trans and gender non-conforming people.  This list contains something for all ages, so whether you’re educating yourself, reading about folks like you, supporting loved ones or answering questions from rangatahi or tamariki, we’ve got something for you here.

Beyond the gender binary / Vaid-Menon, Alok
“Poet, artist, and LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alok Vaid-Menon deconstructs, demystifies, and reimagines the gender binary.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Gender queer : a memoir / Kobabe, Maia
“In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity – what it means and how to think about it – for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The autistic trans guide to life / Purkis, Yenn
“This book is a one-stop guide for autistic trans adults setting out practical strategies and advice to help them navigate through life. The book has chapters on coming out, relationships, sexuality, physical appearance, medical aspects, social transition, work, family life etc. The book is written from a perspective of empowerment and self-acceptance and has a strong focus on promoting pride and self-worth.” (Catalogue)

Being Jazz : my life as a (transgender) teen / Jennings, Jazz
“Teen activist and trailblazer Jazz Jennings–named one of “The 25 most influential teens” of the year by Time–shares her very public transgender journey, as she inspires people to accept the differences in others while they embrace their own truths.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Non-binary lives : an anthology of intersecting identities
“What does it mean to be non-binary in the 21st Century? Our gender identity is impacted by our personal histories; the cultures, communities and countries we are born into; and the places we go and the people we meet. But the representation of contemporary non-binary identities has been limited, until now. This thought-provoking anthology shows that there is no right or wrong way to be non-binary.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

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Pōneke poets: Open mic event for Pride 2023

Tess

We’re thrilled to be hosting a special free event as part of Wellington Pride Festival’s ‘Out in the City‘ celebrations. Local poets of all backgrounds and experience levels are invited to contribute to the vibrant and dynamic queer poetry scene, in Pōneke poets: open mic. We invite LGBTQIA+ poets and allies to join us and share oral histories, personal stories and creative voices in an open-mic poetry hour, hosted by local poet and comedian (and librarian) Alayne Dick.

This year’s Pride Festival theme is: ka mau ka muri — walking backwards into the future. As one of the oldest literary forms, crossing all boundaries, ethnicities, and time periods poetry expresses an imaginative wandering of culture and experience. We invite you to voice your creative hopes for the future through the engaging medium of spoken word poetry.

What: Pōneke poets: Open mic
When: Saturday 18th March, 1-2pm
Where: Harbourview Lounge, Michael Fowler Center, CBD
Free entry, open to all ages and experience levels
Event info on Facebook

As always, keep an eye out for our ‘Out in the City’ Wellington City Libraries stall! We’ll be there all day handing out our signature queer literary icon badges (as well as the usual rainbow library ones!), and talking about LGBTQIA+ books, movies, online resources and more. Come say hi!