Hey friends! We are bringing you a very very special Pride Episode! At the beginning of pride month we were the keynote speakers for an event held by Best Egg; a company in Delaware, to speak about the importance of pride, and queer voices, amongst so much more. We discussed our favorite reads, some spicy takes about books we wouldn't want to read again, and the joy of being able to speak with authors about their work! theme song by Man With Roses

Hey friends! This week we are joined by Joe Jiménez to talk about his new novel Hot Boy Summer! We're talking about the complicated friendships of queer teens, drag race, Ariana Grande and much more! Theme song by Man With Roses Mac has never really felt like he belonged. Definitely not at home—his dad’s politics and toxic masculinity make a real connection impossible. He thought he fit in on the baseball team, but that’s only because he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Finding his first gay friend, Cammy, was momentous; finally, he could be his authentic self around someone else. But as it turned out, not really. Cammy could be cruel, and his “advice” often came off way harsh. And then, Mac meets Flor, who shows him that you can be both fierce and kind, and Mikey, who is superhot and might maybe think the same about him. Over the course of one hot, life-changing summer, Mac will stand face-to-face with desire, betrayal, and letting go of shame, which will lead to some huge discoveries about the realness of truly belonging. Told in Mac’s infectious, joyful, gay AF voice, Hot Boy Summer serves a tale as important as hope itself: four gay teens doing what they can to connect and have the fiercest summer of their lives. New friendships will be forged, hot boys will be kissed…and girl, the toxic will be detoxed.

Hi Friends! This week we are joined by Caroline Palmer! With Caroline we talk about their new graphic novel, Camp Prodigy! We're talking about the pressures of being an artist, Caroline's process with drawing their comic and much more! Theme song by Man With Roses After attending an incredible concert, Tate Seong is inspired to become a professional violist. There’s just one problem: they’re the worst musician at their school. Tate doesn’t even have enough confidence to assert themself with their friends or come out as nonbinary to their family, let alone attempt a solo anytime soon. Things start to look up when Tate attends a summer orchestra camp—Camp Prodigy—and runs into Eli, the remarkable violist who inspired Tate to play in the first place. But Eli has been hiding their skills ever since their time in the spotlight gave them a nervous breakdown. Together, can they figure out how to turn Tate into a star and have Eli overcome their performance anxieties? Or will the pressure take them both down?

Hey Friends! This week we're talking about Eight Strings by Margaret DeRosia. We're discussing the complications of being a queer person in 19th century Italy, the history of dildos, the class divide in theater and so much more! Theme song by Man With Roses Ever since her grandfather introduced her to eight-string marionettes, Francesca has dreamed of performing from the rafters of Venice’s popular Minerva Theater. There’s just one problem: the profession is only open to men. When her father arranges to sell her into marriage to pay off his gambling debts, Francesca flees her home. Masquerading as a male orphan named Franco, she secures an apprenticeship with the Minerva’s eccentric ensemble of puppeteers. Amid the elaborate set-pieces, the glittering limes, and the wooden marionettes, she finds a place where she belongs—and grows into the person she was always meant to be: Franco. The past threatens to catch up with Franco when his childhood friend Annella reappears and recognizes him at the theater. Now a paid companion to an influential woman, Annella understands the lengths one must go to survive, and she promises to keep Franco’s secret. Desire sparks between them, and they find themselves playing a dangerous game against the most powerful figures of Venice’s underworld. With their lives—and the fate of the Minerva—hanging in the balance, Franco must discover who is pulling the strings before it’s too late. Rich in historic detail and imbued with sharp social commentary, Eight Strings is a gorgeous, spellbinding debut that celebrates love, life, and art in all its forms.

Hey Friends! This week we're talking about Emmet by LC Rosen, a modern queer adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, Emma. We're talking about he complications of queer friendships, relationships, cruising culture and so much more! Theme song by Man With Roses

Hey friends! In our first episode of the year we speak with author Marisa Kanter about her forthcoming YA book, Finally Fitz! We talk all about Finally Fitz (coming out 4/23/24!) the importance of not assuming pronouns, creative burnout (and how to work through it!) and the importance of being nicer to ourselves along with bi representation and so so so much more! Theme song by Man With Roses Book synopsis down below; Ava “Fitz” Fitzgerald has worked hard to create the picture-perfect life she’s always wanted. She spent her junior year transforming her passion for sustainable fashion and upcycling into a viral online platform, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and spending every free second with her soon-to-graduate girlfriend, Danica. And this summer she plans to take it all to the next level by attending a prestigious summer fashion program in New York City and convincing Dani that they can survive a year of long distance. But when Dani dumps her before classes even start, accusing Fitz of being more invested in growing her online persona than deepening their relationship, she’s left not only heartbroken, but also creatively blocked. Fitz will do anything to win Dani back, even if that means taking a break from the platform that she’s worked so hard to build. But just as she decides to go all-in on a hiatus, a chance encounter reunites her with Levi Berkowitz, her childhood best friend that she hasn’t seen since elementary school. Levi is struggling with heartbreak of his own, and this cosmic coincidence sparks a new use for her social media savvy. Fitz offers to help Levi craft a fake relationship online to make his person jealous…if in return he can pretend to be her boyfriend in front of Dani to make her jealous. If all goes according to plan, by the end of the summer they’ll both be reunited with their perfect partners and get to rekindle their friendship in the process. Sometimes even the most carefully designed plans can come apart at the seams, though. And when real history leads to not-so-fake feelings, Fitz will have to decide if she’s finally willing to let go of what she thought was picture-perfect and choose what might actually be right for her.

Hey friends! Happy 2024!!!! Today's episode is all about our favorites from 2023, whether its books or shows we watched this year, we had to pop some champagne and celebrate our favorites (and making it through the year!) Did you have any favorites you want us to talk about? Let us know! Theme song by Man With Roses

Hey friends! We have a treat for you this week! This week we're chatting with our friend, Author F.T. Lukens about their forthcoming book 'Otherworldly'! Otherworldly launches April 2nd, 2024, and it's a magical contemporary book! We also talk about advice for authors (how to not be your own biggest critic!) magical references, and so so much more in this episode! Otherworldly follows Ellory, a non-binary teen who has moved away from their family farm to live with their cousin Charlie and her partner Zada to live in the city. Ellory's family farm has been plunged into decline as both the country side and the city have been gridlocked in what could be an eternal winter, with no end in sight. Ellory also doesn't believe in the gods or the magical beings that exist in the world, and is soon face to face with this magical world when they have a run in with Knox, a magical being who was summoned to this world to assist with a deal that seems to have come to an end. Knox is worried there is something wrong with his Queen, because she has not responded to his messages for 5 years. Can a non-believer and a magical being figure out what's plaguing the world? Or will this eternal winter continue for eternity ? Theme song by Man With Roses

Hey friends! This week we get the immense joy of getting to speak with fellow podcast host* and author Lindz Amer about their forthcoming picture book called Hooray for She, He, Ze and They! (Which publishes February 27th 2024!) We chat about the art style of the book, their youtube channel Queer Kid Stuff, the importance of conversations about gender and pronouns with children and also how to start having the conversations with your young ones about how they feel about what their pronouns could be! We talk about so so so much more, and we are so happy to be sharing this episode ahead of the launch of their book next year! Theme Song by Man With Roses *Lindz Amer is the host of The Rainbow Parenting Podcast

Hey friends! This week we speak all about Endpapers by Jennifer Savran Kelly! While we talk about this amazing debut, we also talk about artist block, the pressure to be the perfect queer person and so much more! Book description down below; Theme Song by Man With Roses It’s 2003, and artist Dawn Levit is stuck. A bookbinder who works in conservation at the Met, she spends her free time scouting the city’s street art, hoping something might spark inspiration. Instead, everything looks like a dead end. And art isn’t the only thing that feels wrong: wherever she turns, her gender identity clashes with the rest of her life. Her relationship, once anchored by shared queerness, is falling apart as her boyfriend Lukas increasingly seems to be attracted to Dawn only when she’s at her most masculine. Meanwhile at work, Dawn has to present as female, even on the days when that isn’t true. Either way, her difference feels like a liability. Then, one day at work, Dawn finds something hidden behind the endpaper of an old book: the torn-off cover of a ‘50s lesbian pulp novel, Turn Her About. On the front is a campy illustration of a woman looking into a handheld mirror and seeing a man’s face. And on the back is a love letter. Dawn latches onto the coincidence, becoming obsessed with tracking down the note’s author. Her fixation only increases when her best friend Jae is injured in a hate crime, for which Dawn feels responsible. As Dawn searches for the letter’s author, she is also looking for herself. She tries to understand how to live in a world that doesn’t see her as she truly is, how to get unstuck in her gender, and how to rediscover her art, and she can’t shake the feeling that the note’s author might be able to help guide her to the answers.