D2 from Start the Wave - Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story

This is our last new episode of 2021 and we're going out with a BANG! In our first erotica we spoke to author Liz Asch about her new collection of mostly queer erotica short stories in Your Salt On My Lips.   Liz is an artist, an author, and an acupuncturist and we had such a great conversation with her.  You don't want to miss this one!
<book summary>
Playful, explorative, taboo-smashing, and delectably liberating, Your Salt on My Lips is a mostly-queer collection of literary erotica that will leave you stimulated, satisfied, and yearning for more. 

At times amorous and passionate, uninhibited and unrequited, there is something for every kink and orientation. From coquettishness to masturbation, daydreaming to boundary breaking, this collection is replete with orgies, personal discoveries, anachronous adventures, and hallucinatory spins exploring love, lust, and play across the spectrum of sexuality. 

As both an artist and author, Asch ascends beyond everyday erotica, dancing from prurient to poetic in thirty-five scintillating shorts that will stimulate so much more than just your sex drive.

https://lizasch.com

The pandemic has been a tough time for all, but add a little lesbian romance to it makes it just a bit better! That's exactly what Michele Reynolds did in her book Six Feet!

Six Feet is a contemporary, pandemic romance with the emphasis on romance.

Henley Stones Smith, 42, is a psychologist with three foster daughters: Paloma, Jackie and Manhattan.
Nicki Zabelle, 28, is a professional video gamer who sleeps in late and always orders take-out.

The Covid pandemic hits and Nicki abruptly moves from Boston to Western Massachusetts where Henley is juggling working from home, remote school, and single parenthood.

Little Jackie's early morning mishap brings Henley and Nicki together.
Henley sees Nicki as an incredibly young neighbor who is kind enough to share her pool.
Nicki sees Henley as an incredibly hot neighbor who she hopes is kind enough to share her bed.

     This week we're posting the crossover episode that we did with our friends, Sarah and Persis,  over at Girl on Girl Podcast.  If you haven't subscribed to their podcast yet, what on earth are you waiting for!?  
     We talked to Sarah and Persis this week about several queer books that were adapted into movies.  We also chatted about a whole lot that has nothing to do with those movies.  We always have so much fun talking to these two and we really hope you enjoy this episode.  After you subscribe to their show give this episode a listen and let us know what you think! 

Get ready to laugh, y'all! Former Kansas Citian, Sophie Santos, shares all kinds of stories about her soon to be released memoir. From being a military kid, playing tackle football, joining a sorority in the South, coming out, mental health, and so much more! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh again! There's something in this book that so many can relate to and we highly recommend it! 
Book is currently available on Amazon
Also, stay tuned until the end to find out which KC BBQ place is Sophie's fave! 

This is a special episode because we chat with friend and super-human person, Sam Brinton of The Trevor Project (to name only one thing they are involved with) as well as Dr. Jessie Freyermuth (spouse of 1/2 of the pod).  We all read and chatted about the book Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride.  This book was unexpectedly sad but overwhelmingly awesome.  Sarah McBride is changing our country for the better with her work in the US Government.   

<book summary>
Before she became the first transgender person to speak at a national political convention in 2016 at the age of 26, Sarah McBride struggled with the decision to come out - not just to her family but to the students of American University, where she was serving as student body president. She’d known she was a girl from her earliest memories, but it wasn’t until the Facebook post announcing her truth went viral that she realized just how much impact her story could have on the country.

Four years later, McBride was one of the nation’s most prominent transgender activists, walking the halls of the White House, advocating inclusive legislation, and addressing the country in the midst of a heated presidential election. She had also found her first love and future husband, Andy, a trans man and fellow activist, who complemented her in every way...until cancer tragically intervened.

Informative, heartbreaking, and profoundly empowering, Tomorrow Will Be Different is McBride’s story of love and loss and a powerful entry point into the LGBTQ community’s battle for equal rights and what it means to be openly transgender. From issues like bathroom access to health care to gender in America, McBride weaves the important political and cultural milestones into a personal journey that will open hearts and change minds.

As McBride urges: “We must never be a country that says there’s only one way to love, only one way to look, and only one way to live.” The fight for equality and freedom has only just begun. 

In this episode we discuss All Out: The No Longer Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages with Persis and Sarah from Girl On Girl Podcast! 
 We go over our favorite stories, who we would cast as our favorite characters, and cap it all off with... murder?? Guess you'll have to listen to find out Persis's little secret! 

"All of us were refugees of the nuclear family..." - Chelsey Johnson
This is a thought provoking and insightful episode, y'all! 
Join us as we discuss the intricacies of Stray City with actor Humberly Gonzalez!

Book Summary:
Twenty four year old artist Andrea Moralez escaped her Midwestern Catholic childhood - and the closet - to create a home and life for herself within the thriving but insular lesbian underground of Portland, Oregon. But one drunken night, reeling from a bad breakup and a friend's betrayal, she recklessly crosses enemy lines and hooks up with a man. To her utter shock, Andrea soon discovers she's pregnant - and despite the concerns of her astonished circle of gay friends, she decides to have the baby.

This week we chat with fresh young author Upasa Borah about their book Thick and Thin, their fan fiction, and about how they came to be a writer and a poet.  They are so talented at only 21 years old, we truly think they are going to do great things.  The audio quality is a bit subpar this episode but we promise it will be worth it.

(book summary)
In Raumah, a city where wealth and familial ties rule all, the four Kings walk a path seemingly paved in gold. Duante, the protector. Strong, amiable and desperate to keep his loved ones out of harm’s way. Drayden, the golden boy. Smart and resourceful, heir to the country’s largest and most influential business empire. Shohei, the celebrity. Delicate but determined, this fabulous fashion icon is the darling of Raumah. Aqil, the prodigy. Truly gifted and academically dominant, but is it earned or is it his family ties that are the key to his successes?Everything on the surface seems picture perfect, but dark secrets lie hidden behind the frame. When Duante’s past comes calling, the Kings’ world is thrown into chaos.Faced with the ghosts of his bloody past, Duante’s hard-earned freedom is put in jeopardy, just as Shohei’s love is put to the test. Drayden’s ruthless determination is usually his strength, but this time, will it blind him to what’s right? Can Aqil, the trailblazing son of the Faiz family, face his fears, before the fire burns him alive?Facing their fears is no easy task, will they bow under the pressure or come out stronger than ever?
Cherry Publishing

The wait is finally over.  This is part two of our episode with D2 from Start the Wave, and in the second half we get a bit more introspective in how this book affected us personally.  We always have a great time talking to D2, no matter the subject.  After you've finished this book please join us in checking out the Start the Wave pride resource list, as it is filled with many important and incredible books.  We are slowly making our way through all of them.  Also follow Start the Wave on Instagram and at Startthewave.org to see all the incredibly amazing waves of positive change they are creating.

<book summary>
As a young child in North Carolina, Jacob Tobia wasn't the wrong gender, they just had too much of the stuff. Barbies? Yes. Playing with bugs? Absolutely. Getting muddy? Please. Princess dresses? You betcha. Jacob wanted it all, but because they were "a boy," they were told they could only have the masculine half. Acting feminine labelled them "a sissy" and brought social isolation.

It took Jacob years to discover that being "a sissy" isn't something to be ashamed of. It's a source of pride. Following Jacob through bullying and beauty contests, from Duke University to the United Nations to the podiums of the Methodist church--not to mention the parlors of the White House--this unforgettable memoir contains multitudes. A deeply personal story of trauma and healing, a powerful reflection on gender and self-acceptance, and a hilarious guidebook for wearing tacky clip-on earrings in today's world, Sissy guarantees you'll never think about gender--both other people's and your own--the same way again.

This week is part one of another super sized episode!  Kendra and Amanda brought back D2 from Start the Wave to read and discuss the novel Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia.  This book is on the Start the Wave resource list so we talk more about that resource list, the purpose and the content you'll find there, as well as the first book we read but didn't record an episode about. 

<Summary>
Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story by Jacob Tobia
As a young child in North Carolina, Jacob Tobia wasn't the wrong gender, they just had too much of the stuff. Barbies? Yes. Playing with bugs? Absolutely. Getting muddy? Please. Princess dresses? You betcha. Jacob wanted it all, but because they were "a boy," they were told they could only have the masculine half. Acting feminine labelled them "a sissy" and brought social isolation.

It took Jacob years to discover that being "a sissy" isn't something to be ashamed of. It's a source of pride. Following Jacob through bullying and beauty contests, from Duke University to the United Nations to the podiums of the Methodist church--not to mention the parlors of the White House--this unforgettable memoir contains multitudes. A deeply personal story of trauma and healing, a powerful reflection on gender and self-acceptance, and a hilarious guidebook for wearing tacky clip-on earrings in today's world, Sissy guarantees you'll never think about gender--both other people's and your own--the same way again.

Part 2 of this amazing discussion will be released in two weeks.