Is it hard for you to find LGBTQ+ books to read? Don’t worry, I got you. In today’s episode we take another break from the news to talk about the Qube and all things queer literature. The Qube is our curated app where you can discover the best BIPOC & QTPOC music & podcasts dropping later this year. Check it out.
Family, its your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn with our queer news for today. Now, I want to make you a promise. We will continue to bring you the latest in queer news, culture and politics: 7 minutes a day, 5 days a week. So, if you are digging our intersectional take on the daily, consider joining the QCrew.
The QCrew is our monthly membership program we started to help us grow the podcast. With your help we can bring you more stories celebrating our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & comrade communities. You’ve shown us your support by tuning into this episode. You can show your curiosity by clicking the link in the show notes to learn more about the QCrew.
Now for the news. I’m dropping some queer book & podcast recommendations and of course we have an update on BG so lets go!
Family, its your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn here with an update on BG. One hundred forty-two days. That is how long BG has been behind bars in Russia. On the second day of her trial on Thursday, Brittney pleaded guilty to criminal drug charges, which carries up to a 10 year prison sentence. Can you imagine the fear and uncertainty that BG must be feeling right now? Can you imagine how you would feel facing a decade in a Russian prison for ⅔ grams of hashish oil? Come on y’all. She has already said she’s terrified she might be there forever. As you know, Putin has a history of criminalizing LGBTQ people which only heightens my concern for her wellbeing, especially in the midst of this crazy, unwarranted, and ridiculous war. But the battle to bring BG home is not over. It is far from over. Our work to raise awareness has been working. You see it for yourself. You see that there are more news stories, more people are talking about Brittney Griner. I feel like more people heard BG’s story this week and could really feel her fear after the letter she wrote to President Biden. Not to mention the tireless drive of her wife Charelle to speak out. But to help guarantee BG’s safe return, President Biden and the state department needs to negotiate her release from Russia asap. Because We Are BG.
Last Thursday, I brought you 5 binge-worthy queer TV shows and movies recommendations. Did y’all stream them yet? If not, go back and listen as I give a spoiler free rundown on each of them. I’ve included a link to that podcast in the show notes. One of my picks was First Kill a new series about a queer vampire and vampire hunters in supernatural queerl love. And believe me you’ll want to tune in, especially because today I got the chance to talk to the show runner, head writer, and executive producer, Felicia D. Henderson and she is the moment! It was so amazing to be in conversation with this Black woman in Hollywood who has written and produced for shows like Family Matters, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sister, Sister, and a fan favorite, Soul Food. Felicia D Henderson is the business, and she is all of that for First Kill. It was a wonderful time. And the interview is exclusively for our QCrew membership. So if you’re not a part of the QCrew, go head and check the link in the show notes to find out more information. You can join with just $5/month to support this work. So, today – because the news again this week has been a lot – we’re pressing pause on it and bring you 100+ queer book recommendations for all my bookworms out there. Family, you know I couldn’t forget about you. We won’t touch on all 100 but we have a couple notable mentions, and I’ll tell you how to find the others.
But first I want to take some time to spread the good news about The Qube. We’ve been working on the Qube for three years now and it’s really coming together. We are the one and only curated app where you can discover the best BIPOC & QTPOC music & podcasts. We are still in development and are looking to drop our beta version to the public in September. So, this is why I need your support family. There’s a lot that goes into making this podcast so I can still bring you the news — 7 minutes a day, 5 days a week. So if you enjoy what you hear please consider joining the QCrew. The QCrew is our monthly membership program we just started to help us grow the podcast. If you’re down with it check the link in the show notes for more information. And if you join, you’ll be able to get that exclusive Felicia D. Henderson interview as well. Now, check me out on TikTok & IG to follow everything that doesn’t make it on the podcast. Now for those book recommendations. Let’s get into it.
Now I’m not the type to read many books, so when I came across these two lists of queer literature recommendations I had get with it cause yall deserve. The first recommendation comes from the list by book riot called Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta. This book is set in 1960s Nigeria, a Christian Igbo girl discovers her love for a Muslim girl, only to experience homophobia and pressure from her family to conform. Don’t that sound good? I know! Chinelo is a well known and well respected Nigerian author and professor here in the United States. Definitely go check out Under the Udala Trees. Next up is a book that’s set to drop this month called Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan. Set in Harlem during the 80s & 90s, the novel is a queer, fat, and Black coming of age story about Malaya – who struggles with the expectations of her mother and grandmother, while finding comfort in 90s musicians like Aaliyah and Biggie Smalls. This one sounds good too rite? I know I’m leaving both lists in the show notes because these writers deserve more visibility and amplification. & We deserve to see and imagine ourselves in the books we read as well.
And ya’ll know I can’t recommend books without recommending a podcast too. The recommendation for this week is 1972. 1972 is a seven part historical audio drama detailing the story of Shirley Chisholm and Angela Davis in 1972. It was so well done and totally worth the listen. I mean it is centering two of the most influential Black women of our time. Yo! & the sound design is on point. You can listen wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
Now family let’s close out the podcast with a word. And the word for today is I love you. From the deepest depths of my heart. I love ya’ll truly for your continued support, for the way that you show up, for the DMs that say ‘keep going, don’t stop’ – thank you! Thank you for believing in what we’re building with E3 Radio & The Qube. I am so proud to say that we’re getting closer by the day of dropping the Qube into your local app store. It is exciting to say that. So stay locked in with us. Don’t go nowhere. Tell a friend or two, okay? & Take good care of yourself this weekend. Until Monday, peace.
