LGBTQ Literature

From Christopher Isherwood's enduring 20th-century classic Goodbye to Berlin to contemporary titles like Janet Mock's Redefining Realness, the titles in this study guide collection explore a range of ideas, issues, genres, and forms that speak to the LGBTQ community.

You Are Jeff

by Richard Siken

Publication year 2019

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Love, Shame & Pride, Conflict, Perseverance

Tags LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Narrative Poem

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Young Mungo

by Douglas Stuart

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Masculinity, Mothers, Siblings, Coming of Age, Conflict, Social Class, Safety & Danger, Love

Tags LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Bullying, Social Class, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, European History, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

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Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

by Audre Lorde

Publication year 1982

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity

Tags Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Black Arts Movement, Women`s Studies, Race & Racism, Classic Fiction, Biography

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name is a biomythography concerning the coming-of-age of poet Audre Lorde (1934-1992). This work of creative nonfiction conflates the author’s memoir—which spans from the time of her birth to her early twenties—with West Indian mythology and stories, as well as the author’s own poetry. In this way, the work exists as something other than a simple autobiography, as it emphasizes the importance of dreams, stories, and songs within the... Read Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Summary