Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog!

In fact, welcome no matter your personal sexual or gender identification. Honestly. Even if you’re, well, straight – welcome with open arms.

We (the GLBTQ community - that's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Queer community) need our straight allies to join us not just in our struggle for equality, but as friends and fellow adventurers in our journeys – even our adventures into books!

So, even though it’s called “I’m Here. I’m Queer. What the Hell do I Read?” I hope you’re here even if you’re not queer. No, really.

So who is this blogsite for?

I think it's for teens (queer or not), for librarians, for teachers, for booksellers, for people with teens in their lives and for anyone interested in YA books with GLBTQ characters and themes. What books are already out there? What's new? Your answers are here.

"I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" also offers a chance for readers to post reviews of the GLBTQ YA books and to read each other's reviews. Every book will eventually have its own post and listing in the column on the right. Click on the title and you'll go to the post on that book. There will be a brief summary, a photo of the cover, and of course whenever possible a link to the author's website. The "comments" for each book post will be the place for you to review the book yourself, and check out what other people thought of the book.

This blogsite is also for those interested in fascinating quotes and poems from GLBTQ history. Every week I'll be sharing one of my favorites, helping to show you all what a rich and varied tapestry of queer written culture already exists - some of it modern, and some of it ancient!

Oh, and "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" is also for those interested in discussing some intriguing and complex social and writing issues - better known as Lee's Musings. I'll post my take, and then you can tell me what YOU think in the "comments." Presto! It'll be a dialog!

So, Books. Quotes and Poems. Musings. We're going to have so much fun!

And I suppose those interested in this humble blogsite also include my personal allies (friends and family!)

Which is a perfect segue to give them a HUGE “Thanks!”

Thank you to my Allies, who helped me launch this blogsite:

Mark (my love)

Sara Wilson Etienne

Rita Crayon Huang

Greg Pincus

Tony Etienne

Ellen Wittlinger

Brent Hartinger

and all my supportive colleagues at the Yahoo glbtqYAwriters group!

I'll end this post in the way yoga classes end, with the word "Namaste."

It means something along the lines of: "the light in me recognizes and acknowledges the light in you."

And I do.

Namaste, and welcome to my blog!

Lee

ps- If you're wondering what's with the photo of the waterfall up top, here's the scoop: It's a picture I took of Akaka Falls on the big Island of Hawaii, right after Mark and I hiked up behind the waterfall and up along the rain forest riverbank to a pristine waterhole. It was rainy, and muddy, and we wore these funny frog-shoes but it was still slippery and scary... and exhilarating! It was one of the most challenging and amazing adventures of my life, and this photo reminds me that I can jump in there and take risks and come out wet and muddy -- and proud and happy, too. So this blog is kinda like that. It feels scary and exciting at the same time, and I hope it proves to be a great adventure for us all!