Twitter: @TriciaLockwood

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First poems you read or loved:

“Anecdote of the Jar” by Wallace Stevens; “Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal” by Tennyson; “The Song of Wandering Aengus” by Yeats

Favorite poems or book of poems:

The Collected Poems of Kenneth Koch

What was the last book of poems you read:

Don’t Let Me Be Lonely by Claudia Rankine

Your favorite motto / quote:

I actually have no motto so I looked up a list of mottos. This seems like a good one: 

“I’m lovin’ it.” — McDonald’s

Your favorite occupation / hobby:

Making jewelry out of powerful freaking crystals

Your idea of happiness:

OK so check it out. I’m in a bath but the water never gets cold. I’m reading a book that’s floating above my face without me having to touch it and I’m hooked up to some sort of casual IV filled with fruit juice. I never have to go to the bathroom and my knees never stick up out of the water and my body is coursing with the fine effects of fruit juice and legal drugs. Best of all …

I am a mermaid.

Your idea of misery:

All right listen to this. I’m in a bath but the water never gets cold. I’m reading a book that’s floating above my face without me having to touch it and I’m hooked up to some sort of casual IV filled with fruit juice. I never have to go to the bathroom and my knees never stick up out of the water and my body is coursing with the fine effects of fruit juice and legal drugs. However …

I am not a mermaid

Your favorite virtue:

What’s a virtue?

What you appreciate the most in your friends:

The fact that they’re human … either that or dogs.

Your favorite prose authors:

A.S. Byatt, Sarah Waters, John Crowley, George Saunders, Lorrie Moore

Your favorite artist or musician:

I never tired of listening of listening to Joni Mitchell, and I never get tired of looking at the photorealistic cows of Rosa Bonheur.

The natural talent you would most like to have:

I would love to have a fine bass voice so I could sing the low part in barbershop quartets.

What is your present state of mind:

I’m too hot because I’m wearing too many clothes but I’m too lazy to take some of the clothes off. This is what the life of a writer is like at any given moment: hot, lazy, and paralyzed.

What can’t you tolerate:

Haters. I cannot and will not tolerate the Haters.

What is your favorite food or drink:

The food and drink that is described in books

What is your least favorite word:

I despise any and all butt-slang. If it’s slang for a butt I’m probably going to want to die when I hear it. 

What is your favorite word:

“Lipstick,” for some reason; no one knows why. Whenever I hear it I think of Ursula the Sea Witch reddening up her lips with a plump little bivalve in her underwater dressing-room. I’m rolling my eyes back with pleasure just thinking about it. The BEST word. LIPSTICK.


—questions answered January 2, 2014

Day 11

Favorite LGBTQIA+ historical figure

James Baldwin (1924-1987)

In his teen years, American novelist James Baldwin began to feel smothered for being both African-American and gay in a racist and homophobic America.

Baldwin escaped to France where he wrote essays critiquing race, sexuality and class structures.

He brought to light the challenges and complexities black and LGBT+ people had to face at the time.

He died in 1987 at the age of 63.

Day 7

Favorite LGBTQIA+ Book

Definitely Pet, a YA novel by Akwaeke Emezi. This book was a journey from start-to-finish, I’ll tell you that much. If you like speculative fiction or horror with an obscure angle, then take out your summer reading list, friends.

Here’s the book description in case y’all are curious:

“There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question --How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?

A riveting and timely young adult debut novel that asks difficult questions about what choices you can make when the society around you is in denial.”

The main protagonist, Jam, is a Black trans girl with selective mutism. While beloved and supported by those around her, the adventure she’s ensnared in becomes quite harrowing. It’s a read that weighs heavily on you, but it’s worth it nonetheless. However, I must warn you: if you are sensitive to or triggered by CSA (child s*x abuse), you may want to skip out on this one.

Last but not least, some honorable mentions:

Small Update: I added Claudine. I can’t believe I forgot this manga! This manga in particular chronicles the life and times of a transgender man in early 20th century France; the art and storytelling are beautiful. Full of melodrama and sorrow, this is a stand-alone piece by the same mangaka behind The Rose of Versailles!

(CW: misgendering, suicide. In addition to that, some of the content in it is…dated to say the least but nonetheless, it’s a lovely manga)

Day 7: Favorite LGBTQIA+ book

If We Were Us by K.L. Walther

Today’s LGBTQ+ book recommendation is:

The Shadow Game series by Amanda Foody, which includes a bisexual main character in an m/f relationship, wlw and mlm relationships, and a genderfluid side character.

Mrs. S by K. Patrick