Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories

Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories
Author: Michael Earp
Publisher: Walker Books Australia
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2019-06-01
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1760651303

Twelve of Australia’s best writers from the LGBTQ+ community are brought together in this ground-breaking collection of YA short stories. What does it mean to be queer? What does it mean to be human? In this powerful #LoveOzYA collection, twelve of Australia’s finest writers from the LGBTQ+ community explore the stories of family, friends, lovers and strangers – the connections that form us. This inclusive and intersectional #OwnVoices anthology for teen readers features work from writers of diverse genders, sexualities and identities, including writers who identify as First Nations, people of colour or disabled. With short stories by bestsellers, award winners and newcomers to young adult fiction including Jax Jacki Brown, Claire G Coleman, Michael Earp, Alison Evans, Erin Gough, Benjamin Law, Omar Sakr, Christos Tsiolkas, Ellen van Neerven, Marlee Jane Ward, Jen Wilde and Nevo Zisin.

Underdog

Underdog
Author: Tobias Madden
Publisher: Black Inc.
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2019-03-05
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1743820798

#LoveOzYA celebrates the best of new Australian writing for teenage readers. It has grown from a humble hashtag into a movement, reflecting the important role young-adult fiction plays in shaping our current generation of readers. This anthology collects, for the first time, some of the tremendous work from the #LoveOzYA community. Featuring a foreword by award-winning Australian novelist Fleur Ferris (Risk, Wreck, Black and Found), Underdog celebrates the diverse, dynamic and ever-changing nature of our nation's culture. From queer teen romance to dystopian comedy, from hard-hitting realism to gritty allegory, this brilliant, engrossing and inspiring collection of short stories will resonate with any teen reader, proving, yet again, why there is just so much to love about #LoveOzYA.

Unbroken

Unbroken
Author: Marieke Nijkamp
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2018-09-18
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0374306516

This anthology explores disability in fictional tales told from the viewpoint of disabled characters, written by disabled creators. With stories in various genres about first loves, friendship, war, travel, and more, Unbroken will offer today's teen readers a glimpse into the lives of disabled people in the past, present, and future. The contributing authors are awardwinners, bestsellers, and newcomers including Kody Keplinger, Kristine Wyllys, Francisco X. Stork, William Alexander, Corinne Duyvis, Marieke Nijkamp, Dhonielle Clayton, Heidi Heilig, Katherine Locke, Karuna Riazi, Kayla Whaley, Keah Brown, and Fox Benwell. Each author identifies as disabled along a physical, mental, or neurodiverse axis—and their characters reflect this diversity.

Euphoria Kids

Euphoria Kids
Author: Alison Evans
Publisher: Echo
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2020-02-04
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1760686492

Ever since the witch cursed Babs, she turns invisible sometimes. She has her mum and her dog, but teachers and classmates barely notice her. Then, one day, Iris can see her. And Iris likes what they see. Babs is made of fire. Iris grew from a seed in the ground. They have friends, but not human ones. Not until they meet Babs. The two of them have a lot in common: they speak to dryads and faeries, and they're connected to the magic that's all around them. There's a new boy at school, a boy who's like them and who hasn't yet found his real name. Soon the three of them are hanging out and trying spellwork together. Magic can be dangerous, though. Witches and fae can be cruel. Something is happening in the other realm, and despite being warned to stay away, the three friends have to figure out how to deal with it on their own terms. Anyone who loves the work of Francesca Lia Block and delights in Studio Ghibli films will be entranced by this gorgeous and gentle young adult novel about three queer friends who come into their power.

Terra Nullius

Terra Nullius
Author: Claire G. Coleman
Publisher: Small Beer Press
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2018-09-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1618731521

NPR Best Books of 2018 “Coleman’s timely debut is testimony to the power of an old story seen afresh through new eyes.” —Adelaide Advertiser “In our politically tumultuous time, the novel’s themes of racism, inherent humanity and freedom are particularly poignant.” —Books + Publishing The Natives of the Colony are restless. The Settlers are eager to have a nation of peace and to bring the savages into line. Families are torn apart. Reeducation is enforced. This rich land will provide for all. This is not the Australia we know. This is not the Australia of the history books. Terra Nullius is something new, but all too familiar. Shortlisted for the 2018 Stella Prize Indie Book Awards and Highly Commended for the Victorian Premiers Literary Awards, Terra Nullius is an incredible debut from a striking new Australian Aboriginal voice. Jacky was running. There was no thought in his head, only an intense drive to run. There was no sense he was getting anywhere, no plan, no destination, no future. All he had was a sense of what was behind, what he was running from. Jacky was running. Claire G. Coleman is a writer from Western Australia. She identifies with the South Coast Noongar people. Her family are associated with the area around Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun. Claire grew up in a Forestry’s settlement in the middle of a tree plantation, where her dad worked, not far out of Perth. She wrote her black&write! fellowship- winning manuscript Terra Nullius while traveling around Australia in a caravan.

We Go Forward

We Go Forward
Author: Alison Evans
Publisher:
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2016-03-16
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781620047262

Christie travels to run, to forget. She has no place to call home, but desperately wishes she did. Roslyn has never been overseas and fears getting stuck in one place. If she's never left Melbourne, how does she know that's home? A crossing of paths in Berlin, wine, and wifi leads to the two traveling together, and as they travel the two find some things they were looking for, and maybe something they weren't...

The Pronoun Lowdown

The Pronoun Lowdown
Author: Nevo Zisin
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Australia
Total Pages: 113
Release: 2021-03-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1923049216

Dismantle the messy myth of gender with this colourful, approachable book. We find ourselves at an exciting moment in history. For the first time, trans and gender diverse people are being seen and heard. Thanks to tireless activism, and an increased visibility worldwide, these lived experiences (the joyful, and the painful) are no longer able to be ignored. And so, The Pronoun Lowdown is here to demystify and celebrate trans and gender diverse excellence. Woven together with author Nevo Zisin’s own pronoun journey, this colourful hardback sheds light on the complicated history of gender around the world, in language and across time. Nevo shares their ideas for how young trans and gender diverse folk might begin to navigate their identities, as well as simple suggestions for friends and family on how to provide the best support possible. And, as well as Nevo’s own anecdotes, these pages also salute the tireless work of other LGBTQIA+ trailblazers and activists – without whom this joyous book could never exist. Everyone deserves to have their identify affirmed by their friends, families, and the world through which they move. The Pronoun Lowdown celebrates trans and gender diverse identities, in all their fluid and imperfect perfection!

The Lost Arabs

The Lost Arabs
Author: Omar Sakr
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Total Pages: 92
Release: 2020-01-14
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 1524860476

Award-winning Arab Australian poet Omar Sakr presents a pulsating collection of poetry that interrogates the bonds and borders of family, faith, queerness, and nationality. Visceral and energetic, Sakr’s poetry confronts the complicated notion of “belonging” when one’s family, culture, and country are at odds with one’s personal identity. Braiding together sexuality and divinity, conflict and redemption, The Lost Arabs is a fierce, urgent collection from a distinct new voice.

Highway Bodies

Highway Bodies
Author: Alison Evans
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre Ltd.
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2019-02-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 176068595X

Bodies on the TV, explosions, barriers, and people fleeing. No access to social media. And a dad who'll suddenly bite your head off - literally. These teens have to learn a new resilience... Members of a band wield weapons instead of instruments. A pair of siblings find there's only so much you can joke about, when the menace is this strong. And a couple find depth among the chaos. Highway Bodies is a unique zombie apocalypse story featuring a range of queer and gender non-conforming teens who have lost their families and friends and can only rely upon each other.