Hello

[J.]

Hello. I'm J. Warren. I live in Wyoming, and teach as well as write.
I read lots of lgbtq fiction and nonfiction, as well as transgressive fiction. My favorite thing is when both combine (sassafras lowrey's Roving Pack is a book I'm in love with).
My first novel, Stealing Ganymede, came out in 2009, and is available on Amazon or from Rebel Satori Press.
I maintain a blog at www.jwcampb.blogspot.com, and I'm on twitter at @iamnotecho

[Nancy]

Congrats on your first novel, J. It's getting some excellent reviews.

[Bill, Moderator]

Welcome J. I didn't know "Transgressive Fiction" was an actual genre. It's so hard to keep up with everything. I found this users list on Amazon—http://www.amazon.com/Transgressive-F...— and can see how the one's I know fit the wikipedia definition.

What GLBT... lit today would you recommend as TF?

[Nancy]

I'd say Dennis Cooper, Poppy Brite and maybe Wayne Courtois would fall into that category.

[J.]

Amazon's list is quite good, but not all are LGBTQ-centric. The two don't cross over nearly as much as I'd like. I agree with all those Nancy listed. Most of the cool LGBTQ transgressive stuff is happening on small presses. I can't recommend Sassafras Lowrey's novel, Roving Pack, enough. Lots of my imprint-mates on Rebel Satori are doing some great transgressive work. Tristram Burden's My Hero was good. Tomas Mournian's Hidden is not only Transgr. LGBTQ, but also based in reality. Bigger press examples are J T Leroy's novels (if you don't mind the author controversy), Scott Heim's Mysterious Skin, of Dennis Cooper's work, I most recommend The Sluts, and Marbled Swarm for beginners (you'll want to tackle the George Myles cycle of novels eventually if you like his work). While not specifically LGBTQ, Bret Easton Ellis' Glamorama flirts with the lines between straight and gay so much it might as well be (I like that one a lot because of how postmodern it is, too--a difficult but very rewarding read).

[Bill, Moderator]

I've been thinking of what I've read recently that might be TR. One would be Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders by Samuel R. Delany which works on many levels, the most obvious being (Gay) porn can be literary and have "redeeming social value". Delany really tests the limits in his most remarkable way.

Cory Doctorow's Little Brother and Homeland would fit I think being hacker kids vs The Department of Homeland Security—two of my favorite books of the century, not Gay but important.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[J.]

Delany is a favorite of mine, but I think I should warn you off of Through The Valley... (Though you're right, it's quite transgressive). I have a review of the book in my feed here on Goodreads, but one also here on my blog: http://jwcampb.blogspot.com/2012/05/r.... I wish I could say it was better, because he's a hero of mine, but...

[Bill, Moderator]

J. wrote: "Delany is a favorite of mine, but I think I should warn you off of Through The Valley... (Though you're right, it's quite transgressive). I have a review of the book in my feed here on Goodreads, b..."

Oh, I loved it. By the end I loved it. I felt like I lived the lives of those guys. A lot of detail I would probably have kept private ;-)

[Bill, Moderator]

J. wrote: "Delany is a favorite of mine, but I think I should warn you off of Through The Valley... (Though you're right, it's quite transgressive). I have a review of the book in my feed here on Goodreads, b..."

Oh, I loved it. By the end I loved it. I felt like I lived the lives of those guys. A lot of detail I would probably have kept private ;-) It's amoung my Delany to reread, but Dhalgren 1st.