142: Layla McCay: The Queer Bookshelf – A Literary Guide to Queer History | Reading is Political

What can the books we read tell us about queer history, and what happens when important stories are allowed to disappear?In this episode of In My Good Books, part of the Reading Is Political series, I'm joined by author Layla McCay to talk about The Queer Bookshelf: A Reader's Guide, her celebration of the LGBTQ+ books that have shaped literature, culture and queer lives across centuries.Layla explains why a conversation at an LGBTQ+ book group made her realise that some of the most important books in queer literary history were at risk of fading from cultural memory, and why she wanted to create an accessible guide for readers looking to explore them.We also discuss representation within queer fiction, the stories that are still underrepresented, why so many adults are discovering queer YA novels they never had access to growing up, and whether publishing has moved from expecting queer stories to focus on trauma towards a different set of stereotypes. And, appropriately for an author who has written an entire book about books, Layla shares a brilliant selection of recommendations:The Outrage – William HusseyBoy Like Me – Simon James GreenStone Butch Blues – Leslie FeinbergZami: A New Spelling of My Name – Audre LordeClaudine at School – ColetteThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Becky Chambers