Friday, October 03, 2008

Blog of the Week:
Lee Wind's I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I read?...


This week I kick off my new recurring Friday feature, Blog of the Week, with I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I read?, "The Place to find out about Young Adult fiction books with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning characters and themes....and other cool stuff from Lee Wind, Teen Action Fantasy author."

Wind began blogging in 2007, and had since amassed a comprehensive collection of GLBTQ books which are listed by category on I'm Here. I'm Queer. "When I was a teenager, I read everything sci fi and fantasy and YA I could get my hands on," he says. "But there were NO gay characters. In anything. Today my blog lists over 170 books that would have changed my life if I could have read them when I was 16. Hopefully, knowing these books are out there so they can get them and read them will make a difference for Teens today."

Lee's blog mission is to:

  1. Provide Lists, Synopses and Reviews of every YA and younger book with Gay (GLBTQ) Characters and Themes
  2. * Share Hidden Gay History--the stuff they don't necessarily teach in school
  3. Talk about Popular Culture, Gay Teens, and Kid Lit
  4. Spark and nurture a sense of community--(i.e., providing weekly topics for Gay Straight Alliance Meetings)
* In regards to #2, I asked Lee if there is actually gay history taught in schools. After all, he's in California, I'm in Ohio--things may be way different on the West Coast. There was some effort, he says, to pass a gay history curriculum, but it was vetoed it. "But some schools (especially those with GSAs) seem to be discussing some gay issues and history, even if it's not part of the curriculum. I guess I'm being optimistic and should just say 'the stuff they don't teach in schools!'" [Note: As I was working on this post yesterday, the PW Children's Bookshelf hit my inbox and included an article titled Gay History 101 about Linas Alsenas' Gay America which has just come out from Amulet.]

You can read more about I'm Here. I'm Queer by clicking here. Click on the individual books listed on the blog to read overviews along with reviews from blog readers and add your own reviews. And be sure to direct teens who have an interest in GLBTQ literature to Lee's Blog.

14 comments:

Lee Wind, M.Ed. said...

Alice,

Thank you so much for letting everyone know about my blog! I'm flattered and honored.

I'm also really excited to find out about Linas' "Gay America!" I can't wait to get a copy - an actual history book about the GLBTQ community in America, written for Teens! What a find - thanks for spreading the word about it!

Maybe I'll have to start a non-fiction category at my blog. Hmmm... That's actually a great idea!

Thank you again!

Namaste,

Lee

SCBWI said...

Thanks, Lee. Happy to feature your blog as my very first Blog of the Week. Perhaps soon we'll get your take on "Gay America." Yay for nonfiction!

MotherReader said...

So happy to see Lee highlighted here. Not only does his blog provide a needed service to the book n' blogging community, but he is the nicest guy ever.

I'll be looking forward to your Blog of the Week feature.

Suzanne Young said...

Excellent choice! Congrats, Lee!!!!

Terry Doherty said...

A Kickin' Kickoff ... You've set the bar high, and it will be fun to follow the picks in the weeks to come. Congrats, Lee!

Sara Wilson Etienne said...

It's a great blog and I'm psyched more people will get to read it now. Yay Lee!

Kim Baker said...

Great new feature, super blog, and a fantastic guy! Yay!

Rita said...

What a terrific new feature, and what a great blog to start it with! I've been getting reading recommendations from http://www.leewind.org/ for over a year. It's really broadened my awareness of what's out there!

BookChook said...

Excellent choice!

Cuppa Jolie said...

I have to agree with all the other commenters. Lee is a great choice to kick-off your new Blog of the Week (another reason to look forward to Friday)!

Kelly Polark said...

Super new Friday feature, Alice.
Congrats to Lee for being the first Blog of the Week!

holly cupala said...

Great idea, Alice! And a terrific blog to highlight! Not to mention one of the hands-down nicest people I've ever met. Hooray, Lee!

Jackie Parker said...

I <3 Lee Wind, his blog, and his mission. Good Choice!

Unknown said...

Lee, it's Nikita...remember me?!?!?!? I've thought about you 1000's of times over the years!!! Email me when you can...you're name just came up relating to a project...wanna see if you're interested.

nsadams@hotmail.com