Both/And, EL’s series of essays by trans writers of color, is going to be a book published by HarperOne—edited by our editor-in-chief, Denne Michele Norris! The anthology will feature new essays by acclaimed writers Tanaïs, Meredith Talusan, and J Wortham, alongside some of our community’s most beloved entertainers and activists, such as Peppermint and Raquel Willis, as well as essays by Zeyn Joukhadar, Autumn Fourkiller, Denny, and Jonah Wu from the original series.
Both/And will not seek to justify trans lives in a culture that remains hostile to their existence. This anthology will instead tell stories both intimate and expansive, gritty and messy, that honor trans self-determination in the face of obstacles that often seem insurmountable.
Norris says, “These essays are intended to give voice to the complexity of our lives, while highlighting our bravery in taking center stage. We’re writing for our lives, yes, but we are also writing towards one another.”
As for Electric Literature, it’s safe to say we’ve entered our book publishing era! Both/And will be EL’s first book; we hope the first of many. Join us in celebrating this important milestone, the growth of our publication, and most importantly, our commitment to elevating trans writers.
Here are some of the writers featured in the anthology:
Denny is a writer, actor, and musician, currently working as the LGBTQ Communities Reporter at Reckon News. She has appeared in the TV series “POSE,” “New Amsterdam,” and “City on Fire.” Her writing has appeared in The Grammy’s, Allure Magazine,PAPER, and the New York Times’ Modern Love.
Autumn Fourkiller is a writer and mystic from Stilwell, Oklahoma, the “Early Death Capital of the World.” She is currently at work on a novel about Indigenous identity, the Olympics, and climate change. A 2022 Ann Friedman Weekly Fellow, her work can be found in Atlas Obscura, Longreads, and elsewhere.
Zeyn Joukhadar is the author of the novels The Thirty Names of Night, which won the Lambda Literary Award and the Stonewall Book Award, and The Map of Salt and Stars, which won the Middle East Book Award. Joukhadar guest edited Mizna‘s 2020 Queer + Trans Voices issue, serves on the board of the Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI), and is a mentor with the Periplus Collective.
Denne Michele Norris is the Editor-in-Chief of Electric Literature, and the first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major literary publication. A 2021 Out100 Honoree, her writing has appeared in McSweeney’s, American Short Fiction, and ZORA. She co-hosts the podcast “Food 4 Thot,” and her debut novel, When The Harvest Comes, will be published by Random House in 2025.
Peppermint is an American actress, singer, songwriter, television personality, drag queen, and activist. She is best known from the nightlife scene, and in 2017 was the runner-up on the ninth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” In 2018, Peppermint made her debut in The Go-Go’s-inspired musical “Head Over Heels as Pythio,” becoming Broadway’s first out trans woman to originate a lead role.
Meredith Talusan is the author of the memoir Fairest, a 2020 Lambda Literary Award finalist. She has contributed to ten other books and has received journalism awards from GLAAD, The Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. She is also the founding Executive Editor and current Contributing Editor at them., Condé Nast’s LGBTQ+ site.
Tanaïs is a writer, artist and perfumer behind the independent beauty and fragrance house TANAÏS. They are the author of In Sensorium: Notes for My People, winner of the 2022 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, and Bright Lines, a novel. They are currently working a speculative sci-fi book, Stellar Smoke, which will be published by Dutton Books in 2025.
Raquel Willis is an African American writer, editor, and transgender rights activist. Formerly, she was a national organizer for the Transgender Law Center and the Executive Editor of Out Magazine. She is the Director of Communications for the Ms. Foundation for Women. Her debut memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom, was published in 2023.
J Wortham is an American journalist. They work as a culture writer for the New York Times Magazine and co-host the New York Times podcast “Still Processing” with Wesley Morris. In 2020, with Kimberly Drew, Wortham published Black Futures, an anthology of Black art, writing, and other creative work.
Jonah Wu is a non-binary and transmasculine Chinese American fiction writer and essayist. Their work can be found in Longleaf Review, beestung, Jellyfish Review, Bright Wall/Dark Room, The Seventh Wave, smoke and mold, and the Los Suelos anthology. They are a winner of Brave New Weird: The Best New Weird Horror.
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