I was hungry for language. And stories. And how to tell our stories. That's what this book gave me. But let's not make a Bible out of it. Today we meet Kris Kleindienst and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Diving Into The Wreck by Adrienne Rich. Kris is a 72-year old queer lesbian writer, bookseller, and activist. She owns Left Bank Books, a 56-year old progressive bookstore in St. Louis, Missouri. Kris edited a collection of activist essays titled This Is What Lesbian Loo...
May 27, 2025•34 min
A new episode in our special limited series featuring owners/staff of LGBTQ bookstores drops next week on May 27th! In our off weeks, we air a recent episode of The Gaily Show which John hosts. The Gaily Show is the only daily LGBTQ news and talk shows in the country airing in Minneapolis (AM950-KTNF) and Chicago (WCPT 820). In this episode, two previous guests of This Queer Book Saved My Life and 7 Minutes in Book Heaven return to share their new novels! Blair Fell’s just published Disco Witche...
May 20, 2025•46 min
What would it feel like for other people to love me if they were to truly see me and truly know me as I am right now? Today we meet Esmé and we’re talking about the queer book that saved their life: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. And Martha joins us for the conversation! Esmé has been slinging radical books at Firestorm since 2019. They wear multiple hats including communications, event facilitation, and offsite sales. When she doesn't have her nose in a gay book, Esmé sings in a doom me...
May 13, 2025•58 min
A new episode in our special limited series featuring owners/staff of LGBTQ bookstores drops next week on May 13th! In our off weeks, we air a recent episode of The Gaily Show which John hosts. The Gaily Show is one of the only daily LGBTQ news and talk shows in the country airing in Minneapolis (AM950-KTNF) and Chicago (WCPT 820). Joining us today: Dr. Gwen Bass returns! We featured Gwen in an episode of 7 Minutes in Book Heaven a couple years back. Now, we had the chance to sit down for forty ...
May 06, 2025•47 min
What would it happen if I allowed my thoughts about my gender become known to me? Today we meet Dr. Christina Neuwirth and we’re talking about the queer book that saved their life: Something That May Shock and Discredit You by Daniel M. Lavery. And Daniel joins us for the conversation! Dr. Christina Neuwirth is a writer, researcher and bookseller based in Edinburgh. Their 2018 novella Amphibian was shortlisted for Scotland’s National Book Awards. Their writing has been published in Gutter Magazi...
Apr 29, 2025•45 min
A new episode in our special limited series featuring owners/staff of LGBTQ bookstores drops next week on April 29th! In our off weeks, we air a recent episode of The Gaily Show which John hosts for AM950 Radio. The Gaily Show is one of the only daily LGBTQ news and talk shows in the country. Joining us today: Emmy winner Ross Mathews and Dr. Wellithon Garcia-Mathews’ new book Tio and Tio: The Ring Bearers came out April 15! Inspired by their wedding and their nephews' role in the wedding, ...
Apr 22, 2025•47 min
I was 8,000 miles from home asking is it ok to be gay? That's when I wandered into a shop found this book. Today we meet Stephanie Beardslee and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Dare Truth or Promise by Paula Boock. And Paula joins us for the conversation! Stephanie Beardslee is the owner of Wolf & Wyld’s Queer Bookstore, an online and pop-up bookstore based in Manitou Springs, Colorado. She is a Front Range (of Colorado) native that is really hacked off that the ...
Apr 15, 2025•49 min
A new episode in our special limited series featuring owners/staff of LGBTQ bookstores drops next week on April 15th! In our off weeks, we air a recent episode of The Gaily Show which John hosts for AM950 Radio. The Gaily Show is one of the only daily LGBTQ news and talk shows in the country. In this Thinking Clearly, Thinking Queerly episode, attorney Dr. Tim Jon Semmerling joins us to share his experiences in GTMO as a gay-American: death-penalty-defense, working with al-Qaeda defendants charg...
Apr 08, 2025•50 min
How was I going to reshape my life into something new after this fundamental part of me had been buried? Today we meet Casey Holland and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett. And Kristen joins us for the conversation! Casey is one of the owners of Wayfaring Booksellers, a queer bookstore in MI. She's worked in bookstores for the last six years and is a lover of all things spooky and weird. When she's not slinging books, you can fi...
Apr 01, 2025•47 min
How do you get out of a spiral of shame and guilt and try to make the world a better place? Today we meet Max Yeshaye Brumberg-Kraus and we’re talking about the queer book that saved their life: The Once and Future King by T.H. White. Max studied classics and theatre at Beloit College, received their MA in Theology and the Arts from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. They are the author of The(y)ology: Mythopoetics for Queer/...
Mar 18, 2025•55 min
When a queer book elevates our own expectations of ourselves and moves us to honor ourselves by saying: we deserve something more. Today we meet Blair Fell and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: The Persian Boy by Mary Renault. Blair Fell’s television work includes Queer as Folk , and the Emmy Award–winning California Connected . He’s written dozens of plays including the award-winning plays Naked Will and the downtown cult miniseries Burning Habits . He’s a two-time winner ...
Mar 04, 2025•42 min
A new episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life drops next week on March 5! In our off weeks, we air a recent episode of The Gaily Show which J.P. hosts for AM950 Radio. The Gaily Show is one of the only daily LGBTQ news and talk shows in the country. In this episode, author and teacher Belo Miguel Cipriani brings students from his writing courses at Metro State University in St. Paul, MN to read their work and talk about that queer writing life. Watch on YouTube We're in video too! You can ...
Feb 25, 2025•47 min
Ok, I've started to embody my transness. Now what? Today we meet Seth Anderson-Matz and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You by S. Bear Bergman. And Bear joins us for the conversation! Seth Anderson-Matz is a queer & trans community organizer and minister. He has lived and worked in the Twin Cities area all his life, and currently resides in South Minneapolis with his wife (Jenn), one big dog (Roxie), one tiny dog (Saul), and one wei...
Feb 18, 2025•52 min
When you find the book that gives you the resilience, strength, and willingness to be yourself. Today we meet Louisa Hext and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Ruby Fruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown. Louisa is a transformational coach, speaker, and mediator with over 30 years of experience helping individuals and families navigate forgiveness, healing, and personal growth. Drawing from her research and nearly 13 years as the curator of a highly regarded traveling photographic ...
Feb 04, 2025•48 min
How do I keep going when my one support person isn't there for me anymore? Today we meet Edwin Santos Lepiz and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera. And Adam joins us for the conversation! Edwin is a gay first-generation Mexican-American graduate student at the University of Utah College of Social Work. Edwin is pursuing a Master of Social Work degree to pursue work at the intersection of language justice and suicide prevention ...
Jan 21, 2025•48 min
Is the loss of innocence the beginning of compassion and wisdom? Today we meet Dean Backus and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Dean is a playwright, essayist, screenwriter, journalist, filmmaker, and high school English teacher. He is the author of Darts and Flowers and the forthcoming The Deep End of the Pool . Harriet the Spy is a timeless YA classic by queer author Louise Fitzhugh. In it, Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, ...
Jan 07, 2025•39 min
We have a special Christmas episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life dropping next week! Today, Once Upon a Crime Books presents 7 Minutes in Book Heaven , the podcast where we interview LGBTQ authors about the new books they have coming out for us to love and cuddle up with. Once Upon a Crime Books is an independent bookstore specializing in mystery fiction. Located in Uptown Minneapolis, you can shop in their store Monday through Saturday 11am – 5:30pm. Or, visit their website! There, you can ...
Dec 17, 2024•12 min
How do you go on in life after losing a child who is still alive? Today, Chloé Caldwell returns to the podcast! But this time, we talk about the queer book that saved her life: Love Me Tender by Constance Debré . Chloé is the author of the national bestseller, Women (Harper Perennial, 2024). Chloé’s next book, Trying , is forthcoming from Graywolf, on August 5th, 2025. She is also the author of the books I’ll Tell You In Person (2016), The Red Zone (2022), and Legs Get Led Astray (2012). Love Me...
Dec 10, 2024•40 min
We have a new episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life coming up December 10! Today, Once Upon a Crime Books presents 7 Minutes in Book Heaven, the podcast where we interview LGBTQ authors about the new books they have coming out for us to love and cuddle up with. Once Upon a Crime Books is an independent bookstore specializing in mystery fiction. Located in Uptown Minneapolis, you can shop in their store Monday through Saturday 11am – 5:30pm. Or, visit their website! There, you can browse all o...
Dec 03, 2024•13 min
I don't know who I was fooling by bringing this book to school with me and being like, "I am not gay." Today we meet Haley Steinhilber and we’re talking about the queer book that saved their life: Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden. Haley Steinhilber is a public historian and host of Q4Q: The Queer Personals Podcast. In Annie On My Mind , when Liza Winthrop meets Annie Kenyon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she knows there is something special between them. But Liza never knew fa...
Nov 26, 2024•31 min
Today, Once Upon a Crime Books presents 7 Minutes in Book Heaven, the podcast where we interview LGBTQ authors about the new books they have coming out for us to love and cuddle up with. Once Upon a Crime Books is an independent bookstore specializing in mystery fiction. Located in Uptown Minneapolis, you can shop in their store Monday through Saturday 11am – 5:30pm. Or, visit their website! There, you can browse all of their books, from new releases to classic mysteries. In this new episode, On...
Nov 19, 2024•13 min
This is a level of "relate" that I hadn't read in other books. Today we meet René Zadoorian and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: I Will Greet The Sun Again by Khashayar J. Khabushani. And Khashayar joins us for the conversation! René Zadoorian, is an Armenian writer with a degree in creative writing from California State University, Northridge. He was born in Tehran, Iran, and now resides in Los Angeles. He is a reader for Fahmidan and Orca, A Literary Journ...
Nov 12, 2024•39 min
This book gave me an understanding of the queer community that I hadn’t found anywhere else. Today we meet David Reddish and we’re talking about the queer book that saved his life: Angels in America by Tony Kushner . Self proclaimed uber-geek David Reddish is the award-winning author of Sex, Drugs & Superheroes trilogy. The third novel in the series, The Wrath of Comic-Con , came out earlier in 2024. His novel The Passion of St. Sergius & St. Bacchus celebrates its 10th anniversary this ...
Oct 29, 2024•57 min
Who am I going to be and what is my life going to look like? Today we meet Samantha Mann and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: The Hours by Michael Cunningham . Samantha writes essays & articles exploring culture, mental health, motherhood, & LGBTQ issues. Her work has been featured in The Cut , Vogue , Elle , TODAY , Romper , and more. Her forthcoming collection, Dyke Delusion , debuts June 2025. The Hours tells the story of three women: Virginia Woolf, beginning t...
Oct 15, 2024•46 min
Am I the only one who feels this crazy about what's happening to me right now? Today we meet Mia Arias Tsang and we’re talking about the book that saved her life: Women by Chloé Caldwell . And Chloé joins us for the conversation! Mia is a writer, freelance editor, and former biologist based in Queens, NYC. She has conducted extensive research in evolutionary virology and epigenetics, and has studied with writers such as Chloé Caldwell, Sarah Stillman, Michael Cunningham, and Susan Choi. Chl...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Is it possible that my family, my mother, could ever accept me? Today we meet Eric Marcus and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: Consenting Adult by Laura Z. Hobson . Eric Marcus is the author of a dozen books, including two editions of Making Gay History (the original 1992 edition is entitled Making History ), Why Suicide? , and Breaking the Surface , the #1 New York Times bestselling autobiography of Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis. Eric is also the co-producer of Those Wh...
Sep 17, 2024•47 min
A new episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life drops next week on September 17! In our off weeks, we air the most recent episode of The Gaily Show which J.P. hosts for AM950 Radio. Today, the director of the new documentary Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln is here. Also joining me are two historical experts from the film. It debuted in theaters on September 6. Check your local listings for showtimes and or for when it is streaming. Watch on YouTube We're in video too! You...
Sep 10, 2024•20 min
Exile is not a choice that anyone wants to make. It’s something we come to through necessity. Today we meet seeley quest and we’re talking about the book that saved hir life: Exile and Pride by Eli Clare . And Eli joins us for the conversation! Seeley Quest (sie/hir) is a trans disabled environmentalist, working in literary and body-based composition, curation and facilitation. Eli Clare (he/they): white, disabled, and genderqueer, Eli lives near Lake Champlain in unceded Abenaki territory (also...
Sep 03, 2024•36 min
This book isn’t about celebrity. It’s about queer heritage. And passing it on. Today we meet Brent Love and we’re talking about the book that saved his life: Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile . Brent Love is the author of the memoir Leap which debuted in June 2024. He is also the host/producer of the podcasts Hope Works: A Surrogacy and You and Me and Everyone We Know . Brent currently resides in Hawaii with his family. In Broken Horses , Brandi Carlile takes readers through the events of her life...
Aug 20, 2024•53 min
No queer person is an island. Even if we start off that way. Today we meet Robin Jeffrey and we’re talking about the book that saved her life: Stars In My Pocket Like Grains of Sand by Samuel R. Delaney . Robin Jeffrey is the author of the series of classic murder mysteries with scifi-twists, The Cadence Turing Mysteries and the paranormal romance series The Night . A former academic librarian, she holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Washington and a M.S. in Li...
Aug 06, 2024•41 min
