Perfectly Queer: Award-Winning Authors for August

Hear two award-winning authors read from their most recent works

Willy Wilkinson, author of BORN ON THE EDGE OF RACE AND GENDER
In this historic moment of transgender visibility in the U.S., writer, activist, and public health consultant Willy Wilkinson’s Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A Voice for Cultural Competency uses the power of storytelling to contextualize one of the most misunderstood social issues of our time. This poetic, journalistic memoir shines an intersectional beacon on the ambiguity and complexity of mixed heritage, transgender, and disability experience, and offers an intimate window into how current legislative and policy battles impact the lives of transgender people. Whether navigating the men’s locker room like a “stealth trans Houdini,” accessing lifesaving health care, or appreciating his son’s recognition of him as a “transformer,” Wilkinson compellingly illustrates the unique, difficult, and sometimes comical experiences of transgender life.
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Vincent Meis, author of Deluge
When a young white man in high school, becomes involved with a black football star, the relationship leads to disastrous results in a small town in Mississippi. It is the early 1980’s and racism and homophobia are very much alive. In Book One of the novel, Byron struggles with revenge, redemption, and the sexuality that always seems to lead to pain. In Book Two, a young black man wonders about the mystery surrounding the uncle he never knew. Lamar struggles to navigate the minefields of black youth in our society, complicated by the fact that he is a Katrina refugee in Oakland and must deal with his own fluid sexuality. The story is revealed through the two characters, one white, one black, one rich, one poor. Their lives and families become entwined, and ultimately new families are formed. The experiences of the characters reflect the issues surrounding race and sexuality in the last thirty years in the U.S.