I'm reading
Queer South Rising: Voices of a Contested Place, edited by Reta Ugena Whitlock.
From the back cover:
Queer South Rising is a collection of essays about the South by people who identify as both Southern and queer. Essays explore the complexities of the Southern place while questioning notions of a universal, homogenous LGBT, queer, identity. Essays explore topics ranging from religion, politics, sexuality, race and education, inviting readers interested in the South and queer themes to engage with the narratives it holds. Whitlock has sought, in collecting these essays, to shatter perceptions about a nostalgic, romanticized Southern culture in general.
"This is simply wonderful! Reading these pieces is invigorating- like getting a call from my mama- as if she had never died and had just been hiding out in the moutains somewhere. Suddenly I feel like I am not alone, that I have family close by. These essays are resonant powerful tales and wonderfully complicated examinations of what most of the world does not even acknowledge, my people and our messy lives." - Dorothy Allison
I have an essay in the book, so yeah, I'd recommend it.
