Queerly Recommended

It's that time of year again! The latest instalment of The Best Lesbian Erotica series is here, and Kris and Tara are thrilled to be joined by the collection's editor, Sinclair Sexsmith.

Together, they discuss why writing queer erotica is a radical and political act, the healing potential of reading erotica that reflects your identity and desires, and the case for expanding the definition of the word "lesbian."

Buckle up, friends. It's an important and enlightening conversation.

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Works Discussed

• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
• Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio
• Steven Universe (Cartoon Network)
• The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
• Hurts so Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart

About Sinclair Sexsmith

Sinclair Sexsmith (they/them) is “the best-known butch erotica writer whose kinky, groundbreaking stories have turned on countless queer women” (AfterEllen), who “is in all the books, wins all the awards, speaks at all the panels and readings, knows all the stuff, and writes for all the places” (Autostraddle). ​Their short story collection, Sweet & Rough: Queer Kink Erotica, was a 2016 finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, and they are the current editor of the Best Lesbian Erotica series. Find more of their work at sugarbutch.net.

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It’s our first pod of 2022, and Kris and Tara jump straight into the deep end.

They talk about Jeopardy! and how Wheel of Fortune is beneath Kris. (Did you know that Kris was almost on Wheel of Fortune? Or the obstacle that blocked her dreams of game show domination forever? Find out!) Also, it should be no surprise that Kris has an Alanis Morissette story. It’s a good time. We have fun here.

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Official Recommendations

This week, Kris recommends Vigil, a six-part series from BBC One. It revolves around the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death onboard a Trident nuclear submarine, which bring the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services. For Gentleman Jack fans, Suranne Jones heads up the investigation with Game of Thrones alum Rose Leslie.

Tara rounds out the recommendations with Love and other Disasters by Anita Kelly, a romance about the first openly nonbinary contestant on America’s favorite cooking show, who falls for their clumsy competitor. It’s got angst, and it’s that good, good angst.

Topics & Works Discussed

• Amy Schneider
• Wordle
• Yellowjackets (Showtime)
• Jagged (HBO)
• Tina (HBO)
• Changing Majors by Anna Harnett Rikeart
• RuPaul’s Drag Race - Season 14
• Willow (1988)
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Nintendo Switch)
• 1 Queen, 5 Queers (Crave)

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Auntie Tara and Aunt Kris welcome you around the fire with their recommendations and yours for the Christmas season.

Also, we know this time of year can be especially hard for the queer community, so we want you to know that we’re here for you. If you’re needing a pick-me-up, an urgent recommendation to get you out of a funk, or a cheering section, reach out to us at @queerlyrec on Twitter or email podcast(at)queerlyrecommended(dot)com. You’re not alone. Not now, not ever.

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Your recommendations:

• Tagan Shepherd recommends Single All the Way
• Cathy Pegau recommends A Muppet Christmas Carol
• Alyssa Linn Palmer recommends The Christmas Toy
• Sage recommends Baking Spirits Bright by Bryce Oakley
• Coffee Achiever recommends The Holiday

Kris's recommendations:

• Single All the Way
• Christmas at the Ranch
• Zoe’s Extraordinary Christmas
• The Christmas Setup

Tara's recommendations

• Silent Night by Lily Seabrooke
• Faux Ho Ho by Nathan Burgoine
• Christmas Inn Maine by Chelsea M. Cameron
• Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

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There are no listener questions this week, so things get a bit heated.

Tara regales us with her story of spite ice cream. Kris weighs in on reality show judging. Then it’s a knock down, drag out brawl with...Happiest Season? Close your ears, gentle listeners, as there is not much love for this movie here.

Kris's official recommendation this week is for the Hallmark holiday film Every Time a Bell Rings and Tara recommends the f/f romance Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey.

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Works Discussed

• Neither Present Time by Caren Werlinger
• Hanna Season Three (Amazon Prime)
• The Morning Show Season Two (Apple TV)
• The Wheel of Time (Amazon Prime)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
• Canada’s Drag Race
• Work in Progress (Showtime)
• The Brutal Truth Truth by Lee Winter
• Happiest Season (2020)
• You’ve Got Mail (1998)

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A lot of good questions on the pod this week. Kris details her editing woes, her paradoxical love of editors, and the blessing/curse of being a working writer. Then Tara joins her as they both go deep into how they found lesfic before giving all you angst-lovers out there some gut-wrenching recommendations. Enjoy, we guess?

Official recommendations for this week are Beginner’s Bet by Fiona Riley from Kris, and The Headmistress by Milena McKay from Tara.

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Also discussed:

• Letters Never Sent by Sandra Moran
• Love’s Melody Lost by Radclyffe
• The Goodmans by Clare Ashton
• Waiting in the Wings by Melissa Brayden
• Entangled by Melissa Brayden
• Dexter (Showtime)
• The Morning Show (Apple TV)
• The Great British Baking Show (BBC)
• QI (BBC)
• The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (Channel 4)
• The Demon Equilibrium by Cathy Pegau
• RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
• Canada’s Drag Race
• We’re Here (HBO)

Transcript coming soon

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This week we've got something special. Something very, very 2005. It's a commentary track for Imagine Me & You!

A lot of people love this movie, but it's also kind of strange. It's a cheating story about a woman who is tempted to leave her husband for a florist who only has one pair of pants. And people are all right with the cheating? (Which we all know is the ultimate lesfic no-no.) It's weird.

And did we mention it's also very, very 2005? A Dance Dance Revolution machine even appears at a pivotal point!

So sit back, get Imagine Me & You ready, and turn on this track at the same time. Enjoy!

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Tara and Kris are back and raring to go. Kris recalls her exploits at Women's Week at Ptown before delving into writerly questions. Tara opens up about her youth, pretending to be an olden-times camp follower. Recommendations are made, laughs are had, and the important question of "Would you rather be a vampire or werewolf?" Is asked...and answered!

Official recommendations for this week are The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (narrated by Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan and Robin Miles) and Squad, written by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and illustrated by Lisa Sterle.

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Also discussed:

• Bold Strokes Books Youtube (Recorded Panels from Women’s Week)
• Against All Odds by Kris Bryant, Maggie Cummings and M. Ullrich
• The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: The World Beyond
• The Great British Baking Show
• Persona 5: Royal (ATLUS)
• Mythic Quest (Apple TV)
• Maintenance Phase (Podcast)
• The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

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It's a spooky month, so Tara and Kris are celebrating with a new film commentary! What to do when your hosts don't like horror movies? Snark about The Rocky Horror Picture Show, of course. (Also, Kris was in P-Town when they needed to record the next episode, so it worked out.)

Kris and Tara dive into this important, unabashedly queer, classic that might... not be good? Kris discusses losing her Rocky Horror virginity at whatever age she says she is. Tara talks about the patriarchy and her father's favourite song at weddings.

Sit back, fire up The Rocky Horror Picture Show on the device of your choice, and hit play on this commentary track. Let's do the time warp AGAAAAAAAIN!

There’s nothing clever to say about twenty-two. It’s even, divisible by eleven. It’s...just there really. By contrast, this episode has substance.

Kris and Tara are talking about movies they’d like to see and actors...they have no idea about actors. Kris discusses her P-Town plans and prepares herself for some post-Covid socializing ugly crying. Tara joins in with her thoughts about Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Oh, and Kris reveals a hilarious and stunningly socially awkward moment. It’s *chef kiss* stuff.

Official recommendations for this week are The Intervention (2016) from Kris and The Good Place from Tara.

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Also discussed:

• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
• Stick McLaughlin by CF Frizzell
• The Walking Dead
• L-Word: Generation Q
• Season of Love (2019)
• Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
• The Headmistress by Milena McKay
• The Lost Girls by Sonja Hartl

Transcript coming soon

Happy 21st! The only thing this podcast can’t do is become president...yet.

Kris and Tara cover a lot of ground in this episode. Kris reveals she has a List of Pure Voices after Tara recounts her surprise at hearing Liza Minelli sing during a YouTube rabbit hole sesh. Our hosts give their two cents about their favourite FFBs (Funny Fucking Books). And then there's some disagreement about whether or not Dickinson is for them.

Lots of recs today, with the big ones coming in strong. This week Kris brings a movie with possibly the best title ever, Abbie and Ellie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt), and Tara follows with the HBO series We’re Here.

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Also discussed:

• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
• Timeless by Rachel Spangler
• Off Limits by Vanessa North
• The U-Haul Diary by KB Draper
• Demons Shemons and Spirits Smirits by KB Draper
• Just Jorie by Robin Alexander
• 31 Books that Made Us LOL from The Lesbian Review
• Maxxie LaWow: Drag Super-shero Animated Film Funding Campaign
• The Walking Dead (The Final Season)
• The L Word: Generation Q
• The Great British Bake-Off
• Schitt’s Creek
• Dickinson
• Match to Love by Johana Gavez
• Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

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Kris is the Cassandra of recommendations. How did we not realize this before? She lays down winners, and Tara? She will not budge. Listen to Kris, Tara! Everybody! Unless you can’t. Because, you know, Cassandra. What were we talking about again?

This episode goes some places. For official recommendations Kris brings 2020 film Joe Bell to the table. It’s an important but difficult movie that deals with the painful reality that many queer youth go through every day. To balance it out, Tara brings the exact opposite with About That Kiss by Harper Bliss.

Content warning for bullying, harassment and queer youth suicide in the discussion of Joe Bell 32:08 - 41:33.

If you're a parent or family member of a queer kiddo and are looking for support, contact your local chapter of PFLAG. And if you are a young, queer person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk (or know one such person), reach out to The Trevor Project.

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Also discussed:

• A Tip of the Tongue Podcast
• The Walking Dead (AMC)
• The L Word: Generation Q
• He’s All That (Netflix)
• Cinderella (Amazon)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars Season Six (Finale)
• Wild Nights with Emily (2018)

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19. 19 is about getting cocky. It’s about feeling yourself. And what’s more 19 than starting a podcast episode with a round of Fuck, Marry, Kill using the cast of The L Word and expecting you’ll be friends by the end?

Kris answers the question of whether she’d write anything outside of lesbian romance. Tara brings the latest game phenom Boyfriend Dungeon to the table to discuss how the rules are different for queer creators. Also, Kris tells the story of how she has tiger blood (or something).

Official recommendations this week are Netflix’s The Old Guard, with Kris swooning over Charlize Theron and the rest of her immortal buddies. Tara gushes about Lily Seabrooke’s Fake It, an f/f romance with a trans lead written by a trans author. It’s a fake relationship romance, people!

Note: spoilers for the season finale of Alone from 11:07-14:17

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Also discussed:

• Alone, Season 8 Finale (History)
• The Walking Dead (Final Season)
• The Great British Bake-Off (BBC)
• The Great Canadian Baking Show (CBC)
• Baroness von Sketch Show (CBC)
• The L-Word
• The L-Word: Generation Q
• RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, Season 6
• Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)
• Dream Daddy (Game Grumps)

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In her twenties, Tara learned in the eulogy of a famous Detroit news anchor that he had an enduring fondness for the "Windsor Ballet." And today is your lucky day, because you’re going to learn about this Canadian cultural institution. You’ve heard about the Calgary Stampede. Now it’s time to go to the ballet. Never let it be said we don’t go places on this podcast.

The official recommendations this week are proper bangers. Kris gives a rousing endorsement of the 2020 film Cowboys, about a trans boy fighting for his identity and the troubled father who fights for him. Tara brings out the big guns with Ann Bannon’s groundbreaking Beebo Brinker series.

This isn’t the first time Tara has spoken about Ann’s influence in lesfic. After the episode, if you want to learn more about Ann, you can listen to Tara’s 2019 interview with Lynn Ames about why Beebo Brinker is essential reading and the interview with Ann Bannon that Tara references in the podcast:

CONTENT WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD: 31:05 - 32:15.

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Also discussed:

• Glow Up Season Three (Netflix)
• The L Word: Generation Q Season Two (Showtime)
• Alone Season Two (History)
• Jungle Cruise (Disney)
• Busy Ain’t The Half of It by Frederick Smith and Chaz Lamar Cruz
• Just Kids by Patti Smith
• Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2017)
• The White Lotus (HBO)
• Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrest

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Kris and Tara had a dispute about Gunpowder Milkshake. Words were said. And now they're watching 2018's Ocean's Eight and delivering a bonus episode commentary track. We start right at 0:00 and go to the end. It's a bit of an experiment. Some chemical courage. Let us know what you think and if you're interested in seeing more.

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The episode you’re about to hear was recorded on July 26, 2021. This is important because that day is… a Monday. Normally Kris and Tara record on Sunday evenings, after a long, restful weekend. Monday recordings are different. They’re punchy. They’re silly. They’re… well they’re a bit much, really. You have been warned.

With that out of the way, it’s a pretty full episode. Tara shares her experiences with the Calgary Stampede, AKA the totally safe and not a super spreader event that’s been going on for weeks and has a pretty shitty history. Kris regales us with her worst kiss story and it’s delightful.

They have some killer recommendations with Kris going through the history of queer athletes with 2017’s Battle of the Sexes. Tara follows up on her reading of Ann McMan’s Covenant from last week, turning it into a full recommendation.

CONTENT WARNING FOR DISCUSSION OF FAMILY SEX ABUSE REPRESENTATION IN COVENANT: 1:10:55 – 1:11:50.

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Also discussed:

• Change of Plans by K. J.
• Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
• Summer Strawberry by Melissa Brayden
• The Goodmans by Claire Ashton
• Waiting in the Wings by Melissa Brayden
• Entangled (Tangle Valley #1) by Melissa Brayden
• The Tricky Series by Camryn Eyde
• Alone (History)
• Ted Lasso (Apple TV)
• Gunpowder Milkshake (Netflix)
• Ocean’s 8
• RuPaul’s Drag Race
• Cinders of Yesterday by Jen Karner
• Undercover Madam by JJ Arias
• Work Won’t Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe

It’s Queerly Recommended’s Sweet Sixteen and we have one question for you: Are you down with the witchy witchy?

While you ponder that, listen to Kris and Tara dish about the latest Marvel offerings, tags for fiction, and the romantic utility of the humble tentacle. They revisit last week’s conversation about trans women in lesfic with a terrific list of books that are just waiting for you to dive into. Last but not least, Kris utters a phrase that Tara has Never Heard An Author Say Before. Enjoy!

Official recommendations for this week are Under Her Influence by Amanda Radley, presented by Kris, and One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, presented by Tara.

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Also discussed:

• Black Widow (Disney+)
• The Lesbian Review and its many, many tags
• Roller Girl by Vanessa North (As you guys mentioned)
• Knowing Her by Raquel De Leon
• Second Exposure by Chelsea Cameron
• The Dreadnaught series by April Daniels
• Cheer Up (Graphic Novel) by Crystal Frasier
• Fake It by Lily Seabrooke
• Alone - Season Two (History)
• Atypical (Netflix)
• Fear Street Part One: 1994 and Part Two: 1978 (Netflix)
• Loki (Disney+)
• Covenant by Ann McMan
• Under Her Influence by Amanda Radley
• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
• Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
• Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk  by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
• The Queen (Netflix)

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It's a big week for Kris and Tara as they talk over their lives, recommendations and schemes.

Last week, Kris figured out how to get women by kidnapping and this week she's perfected an approach to winning the reality series Alone. Tara brings the cozy goodness of Stardew Valley and dips into Marvel's Loki.

Official recommendations for this week are Love, Victor from Kris and Tara brings us Didn’t Stay in Vegas by Chelsea M. Cameron.

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Also discussed:

• Grace Note's crowdfunding campaign
• Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
• Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
• Olivia Waite’s Feminine Pursuits Series
• Roller Girl by Vanessa North
• Femme Confidential by Nairne Holtz
• Wrong Number, Right Woman by Jae
• Handmaid's Tale
• Stardew Valley
• Catfish (movie and television show)
• Alone
• Change of Plans by K.J.
• RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season Six
• Griftlands
• Black Summer (Netflix)
• Loki (Disney Plus)

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It's episode 14! Kris's favourite number 14! We made it, friends!

This week, Kris regales us with stories of P-Town and Tara stirs the pot by asking which is gayer: P-Town or Palm Springs, and talking about an article with the best way to cook a cicada. It's a strange adolescence we're having. You know, trying new things, new experiences...but cicadas?

For official recommendations, Kris brings us Life in Death by M. Ullrich (Bold Strokes Books) and Tara cheats by saying she's recommending one book (Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price), only to sneak in two more (F*ck No! by Sarah Knight and Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski). We have a format, Tara!

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Also discussed:

• The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya
• Backcast by Ann McMan
• Stick McLaughlin: The Prohibition Years by CF Frizzell
• Sarah the Illstrumentalist
• Measure of Devotion by CF Frizzell
• Handmaid's Tale
• Alone (Second Season)
• How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole
• Stardew Valley
• Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier
• Tara's list of 14 f/f books to read this summer (Lambda Literary)
• A Breathless Place by Harper Bliss
• In the Distance There is Light by Harper Bliss
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

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Welcome back loyal listeners! Queerly Recommended is now a teenager and we're feeling all kinds of things.

Kris and Tara start off with an extremely strong stance on annuals vs. perennials and it just...goes from there. And that recent Autostraddle quiz about which job you'd have in a lesbian romance? Well, they answer it on the air, for... science?

For official recommendations this week, Kris and Tara are both back with media they were just getting into last time: Tara comes in with Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters and Kris shares why everyone should watch the Pride docuseries from Hulu.

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Also discussed:

• A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
• Drunk Lesfic
• Truth and Measure by Telanu (aka Roslyn Sinclair)
• SpacedMuch’s Not Everyone and the follow up Pure Shores (no, we're not even linking to it, that's how salty Tara still is about that story)
• Rae D. Magdon’s The Best Entertainment
• Handmaid’s Tale
• Ragnarok (Netflix)
• How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole

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It's episode 12! Queerly Recommended is officially old enough for vaccines and to celebrate, Kris and Tara share the origin stories of the podcast and a certain nom de guerre.

Then, things turn to the professional as Amanda Radley mails in with an answer to that Audible question from the last episode. Kris (or, rather, Brit Ryder) pimps her new book Not Guilty and discusses the novella that launched it, Shameless.

Eventually, Tara and Kris remember to share their recommendations and this week it's a real catch. Kris delights in Netflix's Someone Great and Tara does a glow up with Netflix and BBC's...Glow Up (It sounded better in our head. Enjoy!)

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Also discussed:

• Amanda Radley
• Drunk Lesfic (available through Kris's Patreon)
• Shameless and Not Guilty by Brit Ryder
• Pride (Hulu)
• Handmaid's Tale and Cruel Summer (still)
• Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters
• Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• Someone Great (Netflix)
• Glow Up (Netflix)

Transcript coming soon!