The Gravity of Us

by Phil Stamper

“Don’t aim to fix people. Fixing seems so permanent, so absolute. Like there’s no room for error. Aim to make things better.

I never got to see myself in these books. Sure, I could relate to Hermione getting picked on for being a bit of a know-it-all—yep, I was that kid—but I never saw a gay boy on the cover of any books. My experience wasn’t on the page, and it felt like it never would be. But now, there are so many fantastic queer books on the shelves, and I’m so lucky to be able to write the books I’d have needed most as a teen.