Gay black author
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No? Okay, maybe you just want to read an incredible gothic romance, then? From groundbreaking novels to searing poetry, memoirs to speculative fiction, these authors challenge norms, speak truths, and craft stories that hit hard and linger long after the final page.
Whether you’re diving into your summer reading list or curating your classroom syllabus, these Black queer authors deserve a top spot.
It's a powerful and lyrical tale of self-discovery and love.
Cinderella Is Dead - Kalynn Bayron
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron reimagines the classic fairy tale with a feminist twist. It's a powerful exploration of race, class, and standing up against injustice.
The Weight of the Stars - K.
Ancrum
The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum follows Ryann Bird, a teenager dreaming of escaping her small town to explore the stars. Her debut collection, Ayiti, explores the Haitian diaspora through fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. An Unkindness of Ghosts reimagines a space-faring society structured around racial oppression, while The Deep is a haunting novella about memory, legacy, and the descendants of enslaved Africans who live beneath the sea.
Must-read: The Deep — an immersive Afrofuturist tale born from a song by clipping.
In a publishing world that often overlooks intersectional narratives, these voices cut through the noise with power and purpose.
Reading their work is more than literary appreciation—it’s an act of cultural affirmation and resistance. It widens your worldview, helps you reevaluate ingrained biases and beliefs, and, hopefully, exposes you to incredible new authors and books you might not have discovered if you only ever explored stodgy old lists of classics featuring solely straight cis white authors.
These authors are carving out new worlds for readers who have long felt unseen.
Whether you’re looking to deepen your perspective or simply enjoy some of the best writing out there, this list is your starting point.
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Queer experiences, for example, don’t necessarily look the same for any two people—especially if one of them is white and another Black.With Pride Month in the rearview mirror, it’s also a great time to reexamine your TBR and your bookshelves—make sure the books you’re reading don’t solely reflect one identity, whether one portion of the LGBTQ community or mostly white authors.
Diversifying your bookshelf is incredibly important. They are central to our understanding of identity, resilience, and the future of literature. A fat, Black queer girl who is not interested in your diet advice, thank you very much, is at the heart of If It Makes You Happy. and fantasy series The Fifth Season also feature incredible characters, queer and otherwise.