Recorded at the Dauphin County Library System's Rainbow Makers' Fair on 6/20/26, Amber interviews makers and attendees to find out their favorite queer books and tropes!

Thank you so much for listening. We're honored to have been a part of your lives!

Reflecting on how far books have come in LGBTQ+ representation since they were kids, Ben and Jamie discuss some of the books that made an impact on them in their journeys.

Books discussed:

• Gilda Trillim: Shepherdess of Rats by Steven L. Peck
• The Bachelor Brothers Bed & Breakfast by Bill Richardson
• Faking It by Jennifer Crusie
• Shakesqueer by Madhavi Menon
• We Burn So Bright by TJ Klune
• Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
• The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite
• Angels in America by Tony Kushner
• The Witches of Thistle Grove by Lana Harper
• Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy

The truly riveting Meg Day joins cohosts Ben and Samantha in this episode as they discuss Day's book, Last Psalm at Sea Level. Meg describes their inspiration for this breathtaking collection of poetry , from Donne and deafness, to simply wanting to be seen for who you are. An hour has never gone by so quickly!

If you're interested in reading Last Psalm at Sea Level after listening to this episode, consider borrowing it from your local library or purchasing it from an independent bookstore!

If you've ever wished for an early 20th century book that combines capitalism with a lavender marriage and a winking narration style, Olivia Wolfgang-Smith's Mutual Interest should be on the top of your TBR pile!

Hosts Amber and Jamie discuss the class difference between eccentricity and ending up in an asylum, the joy of found family, and how a walrus exhibition can become a meet cute.

Hosts Benjamin and Amanda discuss Mark Oshiro's Anger Is a Gift.

The YA novel focuses on Moss, a Black queer teenager living in Oakland, California, who along with his friends, work to bring their community together to address concerns after a tragic event in their increasingly militarized school.

As always, if you're interested by the book following the podcast, consider purchasing it from your local bookstore or borrowing it from your public library!

Right on time for Spooky Season, hosts Em and Ben discuss Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova!

This horror story opens with the death of a child and examines how the characters cope with their grief, including removing a portion of the body and growing a new creature from it. A creature that, despite what its mother desperately wishes, is not a clone of her little boy.

As always, if you're interested by the book following the podcast, consider purchasing it from your local bookstore or borrowing it from your public library!

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White is a Young Adult novel about a generational blood feud in a fictitious West Virginian town, and the efforts of a young trans man desperate to hold the local ruling family to account for their underhanded deeds.

Hosts River and Em also discuss growing up queer in a small town, the beauty and bleakness of Appalachia, and the effect of labor unions on working class families.

This is more violent than most of the books we cover for the podcast. Please listen to the content warning given at the beginning to determine if this is an episode you wish to listen to.

Hijab Butch Blues describes Lamya H's coming of age as she explores what it means to be a queer devout Muslim woman.

Growing up in an culture where it seemed no one else was like her, Lamya found kinship in an unexpected place: the Quran. Through reading the traditional stories from a queer perspective, Lamya discovers a sense of belonging. Hosts Madysen and Goldie discuss the challenges faced by immigrants, growing up queer in a religious environment, and the similarities between the Bible and the Quran.