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    Queerly Recommended

    Book reviewer, Tara Scott, and award-winning author, Kris Bryant, discuss queer books, movies, TV shows, graphic novels and narrow down selections for listeners. Grab a glass of wine, dram of whisky, or cup of coffee and join them as they suggest to you, the listener, and to each other, something wonderfully queer and inspiring to check out.
    en92 Episodes

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    Episodes (92)

    Drunk me is fun, drunk her is awful (QR 078)

    Drunk me is fun, drunk her is awful (QR 078)

    Are all cats ice queens? Are all ice queens cats? What if they’re British? Kris’s Alexa wants to weigh in on this very important conversation, too. 

    We answer a listener question about debut authors that swept us off our feet, making this a recommendation-heavy episode. After this edifying topic, Kris and Tara belly up to a long conversation about the latest season of the trash can that is the latest season of Love is Blind.

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Nurses (Global/NBC)
    This week, Kris recommends the Canadian medical drama Nurses (Global/NBC), which follows a group of nurses in a busy downtown Toronto hospital. There’s a lot of death and dying in the show, so watch out for that if you’re squeamish. Otherwise, Kris describes it as a much less angsty Grey’s Anatomy.

    From Tara: Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton
    Tara recommends the contemporary sapphic romance Tempting Olivia by Clare Ashton. An icy, perfectionist lawyer with a secret celebrity crush ends up representing that celebrity during her divorce and, well, you can kind of figure out the rest from there.

    Tara praises the reality of how the relationship is handled, including how the power dynamics of their professional/client relationship are handled. Tara adored this book so much so that it’s now her favourite Clare Ashton book, toppling the reigning champ, Poppy Jenkins. Run, don't walk.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter
    • The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay
    • Compass Rose by Anna Burke
    • Stick McLaughlin: The Prohibition Years by C.F. Frizzell
    • Changing Majors by Ana Hartnett
    • The Red Files by Lee Winter
    • Jericho by Ann McMan
    • The Music and the Mirror by Lola Keeley
    • Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix)
    • Survivor, Season 46 (CBS)
    • The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (AMC)
    • Love is Blind, Season 6 (Netflix)
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 16 (MTV)
    • RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World, Season 3 (BBC Three)
    • Taylor Tomlinson: Have it All (Netflix)
    • Lean in to Love by Catherine Lane

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    Queerly Recommended
    enMarch 12, 2024
    ann mcman
    lola keeley
    lee winter
    ana hartnett
    milena mckay

    We got a room (at the library) (QR 077)

    We got a room (at the library) (QR 077)

    CONTENT WARNING: We're excited that Kris’s team won the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. Tragically, as some of you may have heard, the celebratory parade was interrupted by a mass shooting. Kris talks about her experience and feelings about the event. There are no graphic or scary details, but if you want to avoid it, the section is 01:28 - 07:36. Stay safe, everyone.

    Tara’s reading slumpbuster keeps on chugging with more book recommendations. Kris goes to space (and the library) to get some work done. Reality television, in books and otherwise, is discussed at length. 

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: ISS (2023)
    This week, Kris recommends the science fiction thriller ISS. Kira Foster is the latest addition to the International Space Station. When nuclear war breaks out on Earth and the key to survival lies in the research aboard the ISS, America and Russia order their respective astronauts to take the station at any cost.

    From Tara: Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter
    This week, Tara recommends Vengeance Planning for Amateurs by Lee Winter, which the author described on Facebook as her first "romcom on purpose."

    Muffin maker Olivia Roberts is tired of being taken advantage of by a series of bad exes and has decided on revenge. The problem is she needs help. When she puts out an ad looking for a henchperson, she gets it in the form of the mysterious Margaret Blackwood, and then we’re off to the races. Tara adored this book and thinks you will too.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Love is Blind, Season 6 (Netflix)
    • True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 16 (MTV)
    • RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World, season 2 (BBC Three)
    • Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
    • Forever by Kris Bryant

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    Queerly Recommended
    enFebruary 27, 2024
    lee winter

    A little flash of Fireball (QR 076)

    A little flash of Fireball (QR 076)

    We've got a packed house this week at ol’ QR HQ. Kris has some big projects out on them lonely roads. Tara’s reading slump seems to have been busted (fingers crossed). We talk card conventions and we answer your questions. Pull up a chair and hang out for a while.

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Theater Camp (2023)
    This week, Kris recommends Theater Camp. It's a delightful and heartfelt mockumentary-style comedy about a summer theater camp in New York where the kids are wonderful and the adults are all hot messes.

    From Tara: How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly
    This week, Tara recommends How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly, a cozy and queer sports romance. Which sport? Tara doesn’t know. Basketball, maybe?  It features characters from Kelly’s other books but stands alone just fine. Tara adored this book.

    Works/People Discussed

    • All Things Beautiful by Alaina Erdell
    • The Grammys
    • The Color Purple (2023)
    • True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season Sixteen (MTV)
    • Not in the Plan by Dana Hawkins
    • Keep This Off the Record by Arden Joy
    • Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
    • Thorn by Anna Burke
    • The Bear (FX on Hulu)
    • Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
    • Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly

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    Queerly Recommended
    enFebruary 13, 2024
    dana hawkins
    arden joy
    alaina erdell
    anita kelly
    anna burke

    Going to a Casino When You’re Broke (QR 075)

    Going to a Casino When You’re Broke (QR 075)

    Kris returns from a road trip adventure that pitted her against all kinds of weather. Tara talks about conquering her public speaking fear and announces that she’ll be attending GCLS for the first time this year. For all those planning to attend, you’ll experience the first meet-up between our Queerly Recommended hosts. Shit’s gonna get wild, friends.

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Joy Ride (2023)

    This week, Kris recommends Joy Ride, a raunchy, sex-positive comedy about four Asian American friends reconnecting while travelling across China. Kris loved the relationships in this one and found a subplot about transitioning to be respectfully and lovingly handled.

    From Tara: Limelight by Gun Brooke

    Tara recommends Limelight by Gun Brooke, a sapphic romance set in a competitive singing reality TV show, with a contestant and one of the show's mentors falling for each other. Tara describes the setting as perfect for driving tension without requiring a third-act break up and she enjoyed the spin on ice queens, too. 

    Works/People Discussed

    • QR 044 - Jonathan Van Ness Says “Tara 4 Congress!”
    • Chicago Fire (NBC)
    • Love on the Spectrum (ABC TV/Netflix)
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race, season 16 (MTV)
    • Canada’s Drag Race, season 4 (Crave)
    • RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World, season 2 (BBC Three)
    • Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
    • Fierce Overture by Gun Brooke
    • Course of Action by Gun Brooke

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    Queerly Recommended
    enJanuary 30, 2024
    gun brooke

    Money Makes a Big Difference (QR 074)

    Money Makes a Big Difference (QR 074)

    After recounting their holidays and discussing the vomiting strategies of families with small children, Kris and Tara start with their new year updates. The first? Kris’s new book, Dreamer, is out. You can check it out here or wherever books are sold.

    We’ve got some good recommendations this week, folks. Conversation starters, you might say.

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Good Grief (Netflix)

    This week, Kris recommends Dan Levy's directorial debut, Good Grief, which recently premiered on Netflix. In addition to directing, Dan Levy writes and acts in this compelling (and sometimes frustrating) film about a man and his friends struggling to come to terms with their grief after his husband dies tragically.

    Watch this movie with someone because it may not be a perfect movie, but it’s a perfect movie to talk about. You'll thank us later.

    From Tara: Magdalene Nox by Milena McKay

    This week, Tara recommends Magdalene Nox by Milena McKay, the companion novel to one of Tara’s all-time favourite romances, The Headmistress. Tara praises its heightened language and how that contributes to creating the vibe of a beautiful fairy tale about two women surrounded by others while still very much alone, as they find companionship in each other.

    While The Headmistress was written as a standalone novel, Madalene Nox references it without always reproducing the content, making it a little more difficult to read by its own. This is great for you because you get to read both!

    Works/People Discussed

    Survivor, Season 45 (CBS)

    Fool Me Once (Netflix)

    Canada’s Drag Race (Crave)

    RuPaul’s Drag Race, Season 16 (MTV)

    Snack vs. Chef (Netflix)

    Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

    The Beat Of Her Heart by Steren_Heart

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    Queerly Recommended
    enJanuary 16, 2024
    milena mckay

    One-Star Gay (QR 073)

    One-Star Gay (QR 073)

    Queerly Recommended is three years old! According to physical development guidelines, this podcast should be able to a) ride a tricycle b) climb stairs and c) walk backwards or side to side. Two out of three ain’t bad, and the less we say about emotional development, the better.

    Speaking of new developments, Kris talks about her new book baby, Dreamer, which is out January 1st from Bold Strokes Books. Kris also has an interesting answer to the time old publishing question, “What comes first, the book or the book cover?”

    Blow out the candles and make a wish. We hope it’s for…. recommendations!!!

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)

    This week, Kris really wanted to recommend another queer Christmas movie, but the selection out there didn’t deliver. It’s very possible a slate of Christmas films were delayed or cancelled due to the writer’s strike.

    So instead, Kris draws your attention to Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix). It has a bunch of queer people in it, it’s fun, and there are a lot of very hot, very tight bodies on display. And honestly, what’s more Christmasy than that?

    From Tara: A Flight to Love by Frankie Fyre

    This week, Tara recommends the novella A Flight to Love by Frankie Fyre. She describes this as “zero-angst” and “utterly Hallmark”. If you’re up for a gentle read about exes rekindling their relationship (plus, some pretty hot airport sex) then check this one out this holiday season.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Tinsel by Kris Bryant
    • Dreamer by Kris Bryant
    • Leave the World Behind (2023)
    • Elf (2003)
    • Candy Cane Lane (2023)
    • While You Were Sleeping (1995)
    • Obliterated (Netflix)
    • The Great Canadian Baking Show, season 7 (CBC Television)
    • Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
    • Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)
    • Heartstopper, Vol. 2 and 3 by Alice Oseman
    • Bottoms (2023)
    • Highlander (1983)

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    Queerly Recommended
    enDecember 19, 2023
    alice oseman
    frankie fyre

    Maybe the tree isn’t going up today (QR 072)

    Maybe the tree isn’t going up today (QR 072)

    It’s the holiday season BAYbee! We’re decking those halls. We’re putting up the tree. Kris demands to know how big Tara’s feet are, which leads to a measurement ON AIR. We’ve got bitches stealing Christmas, a bunch of thirsty suitors, and an oddly unprompted promotion for a Secret Santa website. Buckle up.

    On a more serious note, this week Tara recommends (albeit not queerly) the short documentary film Apostate by Carmel Mikol, which both deals with and leads to a conversation about religious trauma, cults and a bunch of related bad stuff. If you're not down for that, the applicable content is between 31:00 - 40:16.

    Official Recommendations 

    From Kris: The Holiday Sitter (2022)

    A workaholic bachelor gets stuck with his sister’s kids for the holiday season. What a bummer. He’s not cut out for this. His solution involves hiring a guy who is into taking care of the kids…and his heart!

    Kris describes this as perfectly gentle and the kind of Christmas movie where all the obstacles are believable but totally overcome. It’s a warm hug of a film. Don't you deserve a warm hug?

    From Tara: Make Her Wish Come True by A.L. Brooks

    Tara's recommendation is a fauxmance leading to true romance at Christmas. A woman’s kid writes a letter to Santa asking for another mom for Christmas. Turns out Santa thinks the proper present this year is an aspiring journalist who's looking for a story and open to fake dating to get it. And he’s right!

    Tara notes that despite it having fake dating deception in it, the deceit is dropped fairly early on. So, put down the stress ball, kiddies. It’s time for some romance under the mistletoe. 

    Works/People Discussed

    • elfster.com
    • The Great British Baking Show (BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4)
    • RuPaul's Drag Race UK (BBC Three)
    • Canada’s Drag Race (Crave)
    • The Bitch Who Stole Christmas (2021)
    • Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games) 
    • Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
    • A Carol for Karol by Ann Roberts
    • Apostate
    • Spider Man Pointing at Spider Man Meme

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    Queerly Recommended
    enDecember 05, 2023
    heartstopper
    alice oseman
    rupaul's drag race
    ann roberts

    The Holiday Season is UNCANCELLED (QR 071)

    The Holiday Season is UNCANCELLED (QR 071)

    Queerly Recommended is here to celebrate the resolution of the SAG-AFTRA strike — and also that we'll be covering queer holiday-themed content this year! Labor rights are of the utmost importance and we would have supported the strike as long as it took, but we're excited to bring you Christmas treats next month, too.

    In addition to talking about the outcome of the strike (there’s a lot of good here, but some troubling portents for the future), Kris talks about good vs bad queer kissing in films. Tara goes on to discuss the benefits of feeling uncomfortable. 

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)

    This week, Kris dives into the 2023 film Red, White & Royal Blue, the cinematic adaptation of Casey McQuiston’s m/m novel of the same name. It’s a high-powered romance featuring the son of the American president and a British prince. Kris wants you to know that the chemistry is hot, hot, hot, and the cast is out of this world. 

    From Tara: Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith, by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer (Illustrator)

    Tara recommends the graphic novel, Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith, by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer (Illustrator). It’s a fictionalized imagining of how Patricia Highsmith came to write The Price of Salt, aka Carol, and it doesn't shy away from Highsmith's flaws. This story invites us to hold two truths at the same time: The Price of Salt is a foundational text in the sapphic canon that saved an inestimable number of lives and Highsmith held awful views and exhibited ugly behaviors. This exploration of her life and times will leave you with a deeper appreciation of our history and can't be missed.

    Works/People Discussed

    Queerly Recommended
    enNovember 21, 2023
    patricia highsmith
    hannah templer
    grace ellis

    I’m Greedy (QR 070)

    I’m Greedy (QR 070)

    This week, Tara and Kris are back! They're also sleepy, busy, and full of recommendations. 

    Kris is our official correspondent from this year’s Women’s Week in Provincetown. Then, Kris accuses Tara of lying about her height and Tara insists she's not because that inch is REAL. 

    Kris explores the sweeter side of David Beckham. Tara talks about a comedian’s dreams of ice skating and Whitney Houston. Both discuss how watching so many documentaries has changed them (for the better!). And then, as always… the recommendations.

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Back to Black (2020) and Reclaiming Amy (2021) 

    This week, Kris recommends two documentaries about Amy Winehouse, Back to Black (2020) and Reclaiming Amy (2021). Taken separately, they tell conflicting stories that silo Winehouse into images that those creating the documentaries most want to portray. But, the truth is in the cracks, in the similarities and differences between accounts.

    From Tara: An Acquired Taste by Cheri Ritz (Bella Books)

    This week, Tara recommends An Acquired Taste by Cheri Ritz, which she describes as the ultimate gentle, cozy, lovely, sapphic romance. Set in a reality competition cooking show, it follows two former acting rivals who are both competing for something different: bragging rights as Celebrity Cook Off Champion. Maybe they'll cook up some love too? (We'll see ourselves out...)

    Works/People Discussed

    • The Great British Baking Show (BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4)
    • The Great Canadian Baking Show (CBC Television)
    • Beckham (2023) (Netflix)
    • Survivor (CBS)
    • Alone (History)
    • Alone Australia (SBS)
    • RuPaul's Drag Race UK (BBC Three)
    • I Have Nothing (Crave Original)
    • Baroness von Sketch Show (CBC Television)
    • Handsome podcast

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    Queerly Recommended
    enNovember 07, 2023
    alone
    rupaul's drag race
    cheri ritz

    Rerun: Melissa Brayden Has Not Been Frugal With Her Jewels (QR Bonus 006)

    Rerun: Melissa Brayden Has Not Been Frugal With Her Jewels (QR Bonus 006)

    Kris went to Women's Week and Tara got knocked over by a couple of vaccines, so no new episode this week. 

    We didn't want to leave you totally hanging, so we're rerunning one of our faves: last year's conversation with Melissa Brayden, popular author of sapphic romances. We may have recorded it for Valentine's Day, but this is a fun listen any time of year. 

    We’re talking love this episode, people! Kris, Tara and Melissa compare their fave fictional couples, kisses, and romances that they love to reread. We also find out if Kris has a low bar for kissing in media (Melissa thinks so), Kris thinks out loud about Charlize Theron’s mouth, and Tara recounts her Summer of Steel at the tender age of twelve.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Chapters: Interactive Stories – App
    • Imagine Me & You (2005)
    • Atomic Blonde (2017)
    • Steven Universe (Cartoon Network)
    • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
    • Tricky Wisdom by Camryn Eyde
    • And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E. Lane
    • Wynonna Earp (Syfy)
    • The Red Files and Under Your Skin by Lee Winter
    • Star by Danielle Steel
    • Paradise by Judith McNaught
    • Too Close to Touch by Georgia Beers
    • Letters Never Sent by Sandra Moran
    • Turn Back Time by Radclyffe
    • Fated Love by Radclyffe
    • Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon
    • Winter Jacket by Eliza Lentzski
    • Leave Yesterday Behind (1978)
    • Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman (CBS)
    • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
    • All that Matters by Susan X. Meagher
    • Didn’t Stay in Vegas by Chelsea M. Cameron
    • Truth and Measure by Telanu

    If you want to check out more from Melissa, you can find her on:

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    Queerly Recommended
    enOctober 24, 2023

    Nice! (QR 069)

    Nice! (QR 069)

    This week, Tara and Kris start by celebrating the conclusion of the WGA strike and sending support for SAG-AFTRA in their continued quest for an equitable deal.

    Looking ahead, they wonder about the future of AI. Tara doesn’t think it’s as bleak as it sounds. Kris disagrees. Luckily we have opinions on survival reality shows to bring us together. 

    After getting deep into Alone Australia and Survivor, we hear more about RuPaul's Drag Race UK from Tara and then dive headlong into recommendations!

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Gaga: Five Foot Two (Netflix)

    This week, Kris recommends the 2017 Netflix documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, which covers a year in the life of Lady Gaga as she works on her fifth studio release album, Joanne. It’s a deeply vulnerable piece according to Kris, examining long standing pain conditions that the artist suffers from. It also details the 51st Super Bowl half-time show where Gaga gave her critically acclaimed appearance.

    From Tara: Bingo Love by Tee Franklin (Author), Jenn St-Onge (Artist)

    After comic creator Lawrence Lindell talked about it in our bonus episode with him, Tara picked up one of the books he suggested: Bingo Love. Spoiler: she fell in love with it.

    Bingo Love is a second-chance romance between two Black women that starts in the 1960s when they meet and become instant best friends at their church's Sunday bingo. Separated once their relationship turns romantic and is discovered, they go on to marry men, have families, and then meet once more sixties at another Sunday bingo when they're in their 60's. It’s a beautiful story about love, second chances, and honestly how many stories like this include Black women? We love to see it. Check it out.

    Works/People Discussed

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    Queerly Recommended
    enOctober 03, 2023
    alone
    rupaul's drag race
    archie bongiovanni
    lawrence lindell

    Ding Dong Delicious (QR 068)

    Ding Dong Delicious (QR 068)

    This week, we start with a little update on the Hollywood strikes (still ongoing, no end in sight). This was recorded before Drew Barrymore and Bill Maher decided to go back on strike instead of scabbing, but that doesn't mean our assessment of Bill Maher being a colossal asshole was incorrect. Bill might be a stopped clock that's correct in this moment, but we’re full digital at Queerly Recommended and we know an asshole when we see one.

    We also talk about Kris’s new work situation, which seems to include nothing but meetings. It’s like that Lion King meme where Mufasa is saying everything the light touches belongs to Simba, except it's meetings. Everything the light touches is meetings.

    You know what else the light touches? Recommendations.

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Glow Up, Season Five (Netflix)
    This isn't the first time that this reality make-up competition show has been queerly recommended (and we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not the last, either). The Netflix show is a delight of diverse contestants, celebrations of art, and in Kris’s words "a good introduction for seeing what a queer world actually looks like." 

    From Tara: Goodbye Volcano High by KO_OP (Playstation, PC)
    It’s the senior year of high school, and young Fang has to decide what to do with the rest of their life. The Battle of the Bands is coming, but so are strange reports of a coming meteor. Did we mention that Fang and all her friends are dinosaurs? Tara described this game as a poignant, powerful reflection of our modern moment. Also, the music fucking slaps. Check it out.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Alone Australia (SBS)
    • RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (WOW Presents Plus)
    • Alone (History Channel)
    • The Bodyguard Affair by Anna Stone and Hildred Billings
    • I Like to Watch with Trixie and Katya (Youtube)
    • How to Become a Cult Leader (Netflix)

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    Queerly Recommended
    enSeptember 26, 2023
    alone
    glow up
    hildred billings
    anna stone

    Making Zines and Building Community with Lawrence Lindell (QR Bonus 11)

    Making Zines and Building Community with Lawrence Lindell (QR Bonus 11)

    Kris and Tara sit down with cartoonist Lawrence Lindell to talk about his upcoming graphic novel, Blackward (releases September 26th!).

    As well as being a self-proclaimed introvert (hard same), Lawrence is an artist and educator, working in many disciplines like comics, music, illustration, and mixed media. His self-published graphic memoir, From Truth With Truth, was nominated for the Believer Book Awards, and the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics in 2020.

    Together, the three talk about Blackward, the choices that went into it, and what Lawrence is currently reading and recommending.

    Lawrence recommends:

    Bingo Love by Tee Franklin

    When Hazel Johnson and Mari McCray met at church bingo in 1963, it was love at first sight. Forced apart by their families and society, Hazel and Mari both married young men and had families. Decades later, now in their mid-'60s, Hazel and Mari reunite again at a church bingo hall. Realizing their love for each other is still alive, what these grandmothers do next takes absolute strength and courage.

    Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni

    Best friends and chosen family Chris, Elise, Jo, and Alex work hard to keep themselves afloat. Their regular brunches hold them together even as the rest of their lives threaten to fall apart. In an effort to avoid being the oldest gays at the party, the crew decides to put on a new queer event called Grind–specifically for homos in their dirty thirties.

    Grind is a welcome distraction from their real problems: after a messy divorce, Chris adjusts to being a single parent while struggling to reconnect to their queer community. Elise is caught between feelings for her boss and the career of her dreams. Jo tries to navigate the murky boundaries of being a supportive friend and taking care of her own needs. And Alex is guarding a secret that might change his friendships forever.

    While navigating exes at work, physical and mental exhaustion, and drinking way, way too much on weekdays, this chosen family proves that being messy doesn’t always go away with age.

    Rupert Kinnard

    Rupert Kinnard is a long-time activist and American cartoonist who created the first ongoing gay/lesbian-identified African-American comic-strip characters: the Brown Bomber (a teenage superhero) and Diva Touché Flambé (his ageless lesbian partner).

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    Queerly Recommended
    enSeptember 19, 2023
    rupert kinnard
    archie bongiovanni
    lawrence lindell
    tee franklin

    Coming Out in a Blaze of Glory (QR 067)

    Coming Out in a Blaze of Glory (QR 067)

    Welcome to Queerly Recommended’s Documentary Era! With the writer and actor strikes continuing in Hollywood, Kris and Tara have been digging into a lot of interesting and provoking queer documentaries.

    Everything’s about eras these days, isn’t it? Tara is living in that kids-going-back-to-school era. Kris is entering a new professional era… and she might even be slipping into her third-person era. It’s wild. Also, Tara gives Kris a big surprise.

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Wish Me Away (2011) 
    This week, Kris continues her long line of musical documentary recommendations with Wish Me Away. It tracks the story of Chely Wright, the first major country music singer to come out publicly as queer. Kris describes Chely’s coming out as "a blaze of glory," something the star did intentionally and confidently, despite the negative repercussions.

    From Tara: Freedom Uncut (2022) 
    Spurred on by Kris’s Wham! (Netflix) recommendation last episode, Tara recommends the documentary George Michael Freedom Uncut, which follows George Michael's career after Wham!. It paints the star’s life, including his public and private successes and losses, as one defined by a sadness deeply felt, and his legacy of beautiful, timeless music.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Alone Australia (SBS)
    • Eliza Lentzski’s Winter Jacket Series
    • RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (WOW Presents Plus)
    • Alone (History Channel)
    • Maintenance Phase Podcast
    • “You Just Need to Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon

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    Queerly Recommended
    enSeptember 12, 2023
    alone
    rupaul's drag race
    maintenance phase
    eliza lentzski

    Can We Take A Break Now, Sharon? (QR 066)

    Can We Take A Break Now, Sharon? (QR 066)

    It’s a big ole catchup episode this week. Tara’s back from a botched vacation with tons of recommendations. Kris returns with boat problems and a bunch of excitement about the current state of (checks notes) foot…ball? 

    They check in on the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which most recently has taken the second season of A League of Their Own as a casualty (or that's what management claims, anyway). This isn’t going to end anytime soon, folks, but we’re in it for the duration.

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Wham! (Netflix)
    This week, Kris brings a recommendation for the music lovers out there: Wham!. This documentary covers the popular band from their childhood friendship in the 1970s through to their megastardom in the 1980s, via archival footage and interviews with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. Kris loved it and thinks you will too.

    From Tara: All Man: The International Male Story
    Tara's officially recommending the documentary All Man: The International Male Story. It covers the full lifecycle of the highly sought-after, mail-order catalog International Male, from its very beginnings to how it all unravelled. You'll never look at contemporary men's fashion the same way again after watching this one.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Tagan Shepard
    • A League of Their Own (Amazon Prime)
    • Wynonna Earp (Syfy)
    • Warrior Nun (Netflix)
    • Alone (History)
    • Alone Australia (History)
    • Wytchwood by Alien Trap Games
    • The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge (Netflix)
    • Matteo Lane: The Advice Special (YouTube)
    • Under the Stars with You by Jaime Clevenger

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    Queerly Recommended
    enAugust 29, 2023
    alone
    a league of their own
    jaime clevenger

    Hollywood Strikes & Audiobooks with Lori Prince & Marisa Calin (QR Bonus 10)

    Hollywood Strikes & Audiobooks with Lori Prince & Marisa Calin (QR Bonus 10)

    Kris, aka "The Road Trip Warrior Audiobook Listener," and Tara have talked many times about their love of audiobooks. The right audiobook is a mix of the right story and the right performer. If you only have one, the project doesn’t work. So, it’s with great joy that we welcome two very special guests this week to talk about all things audiobooks.

    If you've listened to a sapphic romance in the last 5 years, chances are good you've heard Lori Prince's voice. And if you listen to historical fiction, then you've probably heard Marisa Calin, too. Here’s the other cool thing: Marisa and Lori are married to each other!

    You know what narrators, readers, and writers also love to do? Laugh. There’s a lot of laughing in this episode, probably because there’s a lot of love here. Love for stories and how they reach out through our headphones, our speakers, or just the page itself, to connect us all together.

    Like Kris, aka "The Pusher," is fond of saying, “Punch and roll, bitches. Let’s go!”

    Works/People Discussed

    About our guests

    Lori Prince is an New York City based actor and narrator with over 25 years of acting experience. She has an extensive theatre background from Off-Broadway to some of the country’s top regional theatres and you’ve probably seen her on TV. With over 150 audiobooks on Audible, she has become a go-to Sapphic Romance narrator with two Earphones Awards.

    Marisa Calin is an Audie, Odyssey, seven-times Audiofile Earphones Award winning and SOVAS nominated audiobook narrator. She’s had an Audible Best Audiobook of the Year, Apple Books Must-Listen audiobooks of the month, starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal, and books on YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks of the year list. She's also the author of Between You & Me, a queer YA coming of age novel which was selected for ALA’s Rainbow Book List, and the writer of the film A Million Happy Nows, which won best feature at the first Clexacon conference. 

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    Queerly Recommended
    enAugust 24, 2023

    Book Babies (QR 065)

    Book Babies (QR 065)

    Kris celebrates the birth of her new book… baby. Book babies are a thing, right? The book is called Cherish. You should check it out when it drops in September.

    If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, Kris reveals the winning strategy to make it through the survival reality show, Alone. Tara and Kris discuss their troubled history with Mus musculus (the common house mouse), as well as the extent to which they will allow their home to be "hacked."

    Programming note: the actors and writers unions currently on strike in the United States have asked for podcasts to not review or promote "struck" work, and we at Queerly Recommended stand with union asks. So until the strike ends you’ll be getting fewer movies and scripted TV series from us, and more books, documentaries, video games, etc. 

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Nothing Compares (2022)

    This week, Kris recommends the documentary, Nothing Compares, which details Sinead O’Connor's rise and fall in the public sphere, surrounding her infamous appearance on SNL when she ripped up a photo of the Pope. There is a lot to her struggle and her history that Kris didn’t know before this documentary and she wishes she’d paid more attention sooner. Sinead O’Connor was a defiant, powerful, liberatory artist. The world is lesser without her in it.

    From Tara: Blackward by Lawrence Lindell

    Rounding it off, Tara recommends the graphic novel, Blackward by Lawrence Lindell, which will be released this September. It’s about a group of black queer people trying to create community for themselves and others like them, and the challenges they face along the way.

    Blackward is written in African American Vernacular English. If you are not familiar with it, check out this quick primer to better your reading experience of this wonderful book.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Crush by Ana Hartnett Reichardt
    • Alone (History)
    • Hack My Home (Netflix)
    • The Last of Us (HBO)
    • Diablo IV (Blizzard Entertainment)
    • Venba (Visai Games)

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    Queerly Recommended
    enAugust 15, 2023
    ana hartnett reichardt
    lawrence lindell

    I Still Can’t Quit It (QR 064)

    I Still Can’t Quit It (QR 064)

    It’s been a bit since Kris and Tara sat down together, so there’s a lot of catching up to do! Kris reports back on her experience at the annual GCLS conference, as well as what to expect if you’re a newbie. And Tara’s been on vacation! Well, sorta. Some of it was working. She brings to the podcast tales of her hometown pizza and spending time with some of her many, many cousins. You have a favourite cousin, right? With all the pleasantries done, they dive deep into the oceans of backlogs and recommendations. Release the Kraken…of content!

    Official Recommendations

    From Kris: Carol (2015)

    This week, Kris recommends the 2015 film that got all the sapphics excited: Carol. Having seen it before, Kris’s recollection was that the movie was pretty boring. Thankfully she gave the movie a second chance (to settle a bet, as one does) and….yeah, it’s a completely different movie now. That said, she does have a take that she doesn’t think you’ll see coming. 

    From Tara: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

    This week, Tara recommends Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Fun Home: A Family Tragicomedy. It’s a difficult, challenging, and beautiful book that dives into Bechdel's childhood and her relationship with her father. There are books you read and then there are experiences you have with books. For Tara, this book is an experience.

    Works/People Discussed

    • Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS)
    • Storm Crow Manor
    • Glad Day Bookshop
    • Alone, Season 10 (History)
    • Suits (USA Network)
    • A Lesbian’s Guide to Women by Erica Lee
    • The Delicate Things We Make by Milena McKay (Narrated by Abby Craden)
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars, Season Eight (Paramount+)
    • Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus, Seasons 1 + 2 (Cinemax)
    • Hack My Home (Netflix)
    • Siren: Survive the Island (Netflix)
    • The Persuaders by Anand Giridharadas
    • Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas
    • Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby
    • Letters Never Sent by Sandra Moran
    • The Swashbuckler by Lee Lynch

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    Queerly Recommended
    enAugust 01, 2023
    rupaul's drag race
    hannah gadsby
    erica lee
    alison bechdel
    milena mckay

    The Timelessness of Ann Bannon (QR 063)

    The Timelessness of Ann Bannon (QR 063)

    Hey folks, Tara here. Kris and I are taking a break this week because I left town for a working vacation just as Kris was heading home from GCLS when we would have normally recorded. So, we’re rerunning one of my favourite interviews from my previous podcast, Les Do Books. 

    Ann Bannon is a keystone in lesbian literature and the impact of her lesbian pulp Beebo Brinker novels can't be overstated. Her books inspired generations of writers and readers who followed her and her historical perspective is both timeless and vitally important as today’s political landscape grows ever more hostile to LGBTQ people.

    Works/People Discussed

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    Queerly Recommended
    enJuly 18, 2023
    katherine v. forrest
    marijane meaker
    ann bannon

    Book Banning with Salem West and John Copenhaver (QR Bonus 009)

    Book Banning with Salem West and John Copenhaver (QR Bonus 009)

    Every so often, Kris and Tara put out a call for questions on Twitter. Late this spring, publisher and author Salem West asked about one of the most important topics in queer media: the rise of legislation aimed at criminalising LGBTQ+ books.

    So, of course they invited Salem to join them, along with John Copenhaver, author of the crime novels Dodging and Burning and The Savage Kind. Together, the four discuss the history of book bannings, the different effects felt by large and independent publishers, and how we can all push back against this tide of discrimination.

    Works/People Discussed

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    Queerly Recommended
    enJuly 04, 2023
    marijane meaker
    ann bannon
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