‘This Queer Book Saved My Life’ Podcast Celebrates LGBTQ+ Authors and Their Impact

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With Pride Month 2023, the LGBTQ+ community finds itself in very precarious times, facing an onslaught of hate by the Republican Party and its cadre of right wing Christian white supremacists. Attacks on the trans and drag communities and the banning of LGBTQ books in school libraries have become hallmarks of this ongoing assault. It is an unfortunate coincidence that this year marked the 90th anniversary of the Nazi ransacking of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld’s Institute of Sexology on May 6, 1933, and the destruction of its vast research library days later during the infamous book burning in Berlin, Germany. Hirschfeld, who was gay and Jewish, pioneered sexual and gender research and is known today as the creator of the term transvestite. Like today, his sexual identity, Jewish ethnicity, progressive pursuit of knowledge made him a target.

If nothing else, the attack on books, then and now, reveals the fascist fear of the ultimate power held within those precious volumes. It is a power recognized as life giving by Minnesotan J.P Der Boghossian (JP), Lambda Literary Fellow, essayist and founder of the Queer Armenian Library, who, just a year ago in June 2022, launched a podcast series “This Queer Book Saved My Life.”  

‘7 Minutes in Book Heaven’

With several dozen episodes spread over the podcast’s three seasons, listeners should be inspired to read those same books that have already impacted the readers who suggested them. A companion mini-podcast about new books, “7 Minutes in Book Heaven,” is integrated into the series and presents authors of new books coming out.

In an interview with JP, I asked what role traditional books play in these times in which social media and search engines dominate as primary go-to resources for accessing information and why he decided to focus his podcast on this medium. “The reason is that books have always been a passion of mine. Books are my solace, my happy place, books are where I’ve gone to make sense of the world.” he replied. 

He continued by explaining how his passion evolved as the basis for his podcast. “The podcast was the means of capturing my skills. I wanted to talk with authors who have gotten their story through the writing, the publishing and distribution. The books we focus on dive into themes that queer folks are facing again. The internet can offer a wide variety of information, but books are more specific and deal with subjects in depth. For our listeners, if they are coping with abuse, domestic violence in queer relations, or trauma, a book can address that in more nuanced ways,” JP said, mentioning Alison Bechdel’s depiction of queer families, coming out, and familial homophobia in Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic or Dreadnought by April Daniels about a trans teen superhero, as examples.  

The recruitment of authors for the podcast relies on readers’ input as well as outreach to queer book sources, cold calls, or guests recommending guests. Representation is key. “We try to intentionally recruit people from across the rainbow, if you will. If a listener is only interested in a particular subject they can find it. It’s a mixture. It’s another way of creating uplift for writing. We’re all about promoting LGBTQ books,” JP said. 

Secondary Audience

Obviously, the podcast’s target audience is primarily queer people, both readers and writers, and young adults in particular. However, JP makes it point to mention allies as a secondary audience. “If you want to be an ally who actually does things, knowing those you help is a priority. Allies are not from the community and have cultural blind spots. Take of this what you need,” JP adds.

JP finds a certain inspiration through his day job as a chief diversity officer. “When dealing with that I look to something that is life giving.” That suits the podcast’s central theme of how a book can save lives. Perhaps, as JP notes, it is as much about the author as about the book, if not more so, saying “Authors are not justifying queerness but running with it.”  

A complete catalogue of the three-season podcast may be found at thisqueerbook.com.