LGBTQ2S+

An anthology of stories and poetry written by Canadian LGBTQ2 authors who are immigrants, refugees, or Canada-born.

“What does it mean to be LGBTQ2 in Canada? The only possible answer to that question is one given in many voices. That is exactly what this book offers. There is struggle in these stories and poems, but there is also strength and resilience, compassion and determination. Woven together these voices leave me with a sense of hopefulness: a belief that the creativity and fierce commitment of our community will carry us forward as we work to create a Canada that lives up to the dream of freedom and safety it represents to so many people around the world.” — Robin Stevenson, author of Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community

Review
The anthology pieces are diverse with authors who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and 2-Spirited. It also includes stunning artwork by LGBTQ artists and allies. — Rainbow Refugee Society

Authors & Artists
Authors in this anthology include Teryl Berg, Kyle Chen, Wendy Judith Cutler, Corrie Hope Furst, Kevin Henry, Anne Hofland, Chantal Hughes, Masaki Kidokoro, Dale Lee Kwong, Austin Lee, JL Lori, Eka Nasution (narrator), Adam Nixon, Rainer Oktovianus (narrator), Gail Marlene Schwartz, Caelan Sinclair, LS Stone, Sosania Tomlinson, E.T. Turner, and Hayley Zacks.

Artwork by Joni Danielson, Wokie Clark Fraser, Austin Lee, Trinity Lindenau, and Rainer Oktovianus.

Additional Information
146 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"
Edited by Lori Shwydky

This book contains memoirs, stories, poems, and artwork, which is why it appears in a variety of categories, such as both Fiction and Non-fiction, on our website.

Raised on a reserve in northern Ontario, seventeen-year-old Joe Littlechief tries to be like the other guys. But Joe knows he's different -- he's more interested in guys than in any of the girls he knows. One night Joe makes a drunken pass at his best friend Benjy and, by the next morning, everyone on the rez is talking about Joe. His mother, a devout Christian, is horrified, and the kids who are supposed to be his friends make it clear there's no place for him in their circle, or even on the rez. Joe thinks about killing himself, but instead runs away to the city.

Alone and penniless on the streets of Toronto, Joe comes to identify with the Aboriginal idea of having two spirits, or combining both feminine and masculine identities in one person. He also begins to understand more about how his parents have been affected by their own experiences as children in residential schools -- something never discussed on the rez. And he realizes he has to come to terms with his two-spiritedness and find people who accept him for who he is.

This is a novel that reflects the complex realities faced by young LGBTQ and aboriginal youth today.

Educator & Series Information
SideStreets are edgy, fast-paced novels, that combine real-world themes and believable characters to make for short heart-stopping books - sure to engage the most reluctant reader.

Lexile measure: 600L

Additional Information
184 pages | 5.25" x 7.50"

The Eternity Tree has fallen, and with it falls Sheynadwiin. The forces of Eromar ravage the Everland, and the skies are filled with the smoke and ashes of the burning forests. Those Folk who do not escape into the far mountains and hidden valleys are driven into the broken westlands of Humanity, where Dreydmaster Vald reveals the full vision of his grand ambition, one that will annihilate even the memory of the Kyn and their kind. Never since the Melding have they faced such danger. Will their roots hold fast, or will they be lost upon the storm? Can they find a safe mid dle path on this way of thorn and thunder? Daniel Heath Justice wraps up his critically acclaimed trilogy, 'The Way of Thorn & Thunder' with Dreyd.

Educator & Series Information

This book is part of The Way of Thorn & Thunder Trilogy. It is Book Three in the trilogy (Kynship, Wyrwood, and Dreyd).

"The Way of Thorn & Thunder Trilogy: Kynship, Wyrwood, and Dreyd. An epic story of a struggle for the Everland, a green land of ancient mystery and danger, and the forest home of the Kyn. These three remarkable novels tell the story of Tarsa'deshae, a fearless Kyn warrior trained in the Redthorn ways of battle and blood. Tarsa is swept into the struggle between those Folk who would embrace the promises of Men, and those who would hold fast to the rooted understandings of the Eld Green. In beautifully crafted language, these stories break the stereotypes of both Indigeneity and gender, and serve as a powerful allegory for Indigenous history. Award-winning author Daniel Heath Justice has masterfully created a world of magic, adventure and heroism that rivals the classic fantasy of Tolkien and Le Guin." - Kegedonce Press

Additional Information
260 pages | 5.50" x 7.00"

The Sevenfold Council stands firm against Dreydmaster Vald's treaty terms, they will not surrender the Everland. Their will is strong, but there is a traitor in their midst, and Vald intends to win this struggle, by any means necessary.

As the Everland is torn apart by invasion and the threat of civil war, the young warrior-Wielder, Tarsa'deshae, and the Tetawa Leafspeaker, Tobhi Burrows, travel to Eromar City, the centre of Vald's influence, in hopes of rescuing the diplomats who have long languished in the shadows of Gorthac Hall. But only one remains alive, and he knows all too well the price for fighting the Dreydmaster's will. It will take all their strength, courage, and good fortune to escape with their lives.

Whether they have a home to return to is another matter entirely.

Reviews
"What a treasure for anyone looking for heroes and adventure in a series based on Aboriginal philosophy and wisdom" - Richard Van Camp

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of The Way of Thorn & Thunder Trilogy. It is Book Two in the trilogy (Kynship, Wyrwood, and Dreyd).

"The Way of Thorn & Thunder Trilogy: Kynship, Wyrwood, and Dreyd. An epic story of a struggle for the Everland, a green land of ancient mystery and danger, and the forest home of the Kyn. These three remarkable novels tell the story of Tarsa'deshae, a fearless Kyn warrior trained in the Redthorn ways of battle and blood. Tarsa is swept into the struggle between those Folk who would embrace the promises of Men, and those who would hold fast to the rooted understandings of the Eld Green. In beautifully crafted language, these stories break the stereotypes of both Indigeneity and gender, and serve as a powerful allegory for Indigenous history. Award-winning author Daniel Heath Justice has masterfully created a world of magic, adventure and heroism that rivals the classic fantasy of Tolkien and Le Guin." - Kegedonce Press

Additional Information
228 pages | 5.50" x 7.00"

The Everland-home of the tree-born Kyn since time immemorial, a deep green world of ancient mystery and danger. The wyr-powers of the Kyn and the other Eld Folk have preserved this wild region from the ravenous hunger of Humanity for over a thousand years, but those powers are fast fading away. As the eyes of Men turn once more to the Everland and its rich bounty, the leaders of the Folk gather in Sheynadwiin, the Kyn capital, hoping to find a way to survive the growing storm. She is Tarsadeshae the Spearbreaker a fearless Kyn warrior trained in the Redthorn ways of battle and blood. She knows her place in the Everland's cycle of life and death, and that knowledge gives her strength and purpose. Yet Tarsa's ordered world is shattered when an act of courage goes horribly awry, and her spirit awakens to the wild wyr of her ancestors powers long persecuted by the assimilationist Shields and their allies. As she struggles to reconcile her former life with the call of the rising bloodsong, Tarsa joins the summons of the Sevenfold Council, where she is swept into the struggle between those Folk who would embrace the promises of Men, and those who would hold fast to the rooted understandings of the Eld Green. For all who call the Everland home, there can be no middle path.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of The Way of Thorn & Thunder Trilogy. It is Book One in the trilogy (Kynship, Wyrwood, and Dreyd).

"The Way of Thorn & Thunder Trilogy: Kynship, Wyrwood, and Dreyd. An epic story of a struggle for the Everland, a green land of ancient mystery and danger, and the forest home of the Kyn. These three remarkable novels tell the story of Tarsa'deshae, a fearless Kyn warrior trained in the Redthorn ways of battle and blood. Tarsa is swept into the struggle between those Folk who would embrace the promises of Men, and those who would hold fast to the rooted understandings of the Eld Green. In beautifully crafted language, these stories break the stereotypes of both Indigeneity and gender, and serve as a powerful allegory for Indigenous history. Award-winning author Daniel Heath Justice has masterfully created a world of magic, adventure and heroism that rivals the classic fantasy of Tolkien and Le Guin." - Kegedonce Press

Additional Information
262 pages | 5.50" x 7.00"