lesbian

Beyond my Wildest Dreams: Queer Joy at 60

by
Mary Vermillion and Ben Thiel

This April brought me two new joys. I turned sixty, and I made my debut in Sinister Wisdom, the oldest lesbian literary journal in the U.S. me with Sinister Wisdom 132photo by Ben Thiel When I was in my thirties and forties, I never imagined that I’d be happy about turning sixty. In fact, I … Read more

Poetry, The Bittersweet, and Literary Serendipity

by
pen with variegated hosta

Serendipitous. Elated. Energized. That’s how I felt when I read the title poem of Andrea Cohen’s 2019 collection, Nightshade. On the surface, the short poem is about a plant:

Read more

In Praise of In-Person Readings

by

When my friend Mary Helen Stefaniak launches her third novel, The World of Pondside, her April 19th reading will be the first in-person author event I’ve attended at Prairie Lights since COVID. This momentous occasion has led me to reflect on the many readings that have enriched and shaped my life—both professionally and personally. Professionally, … Read more

My Queer Joy

by
Mary Vermillion and Benjamin Thiel

When I taught LGBTQ+ Literature this past fall, many students were so locked in on queer oppression and trauma that they overlooked queer hope and joy. Their negative focus was partly because of the pandemic and political climate, but also because of my text choices and teaching strategies. So I wrote a post about the … Read more