Review: The Letter Q

Edited by Sarah Moon (no website found)
Contributing editor James Lecesne
Available now from Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic)
Review copy
Read my review of ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS

When I picked up THE LETTER Q: Queer Writers' Notes to Their Younger Selves, I was super excited to have another book to add to my QUILTBAG list.  I love sharing books that can change someone's life and THE LETTER Q looked very promising.  The list of authors on the front (beautifully designed by Chip Kidd) included big names like Armistead Maupin, Gregory Maguire, and Jacqueline Woodson.

What lay inside lived up to the promise of that off-pink, off-blue cover.  Each writer's letter is personal, but contains universal advice.  Not just about love and perseverance - but telling their younger self to quit smoking  and to not hang out in parks at night and to trust their instincts.  THE LETTER Q can get repetitive if you read it all at once, but it's just right when you space the letters out and see just how each of these authors made it out of their childhood.  And as for the advice, my favorite bit came from Jewelle Gomez:

Maybe you should think about writing vampire stories, they might come back into fashion someday (133, ARC).

I liked that THE LETTER Q showcased a wide range of voices, allowing for a fuller picture of LGBQ life.  Sadly, the trans* voice is lost in this collection.  But there are black, Hispanic, and Asian voices, struggling with two kinds of marginalization.  There are older voices, including people who weren't able to come out until middle age.  There are younger voices that grew up in a more tolerant time.  There are children's book authors, young adult authors, and literary fiction authors.  There are playwrights, comic artists, and memoir writers.

The comics throughout THE LETTER Q cut the repetition of reading letter after letter.
This panel, by Michael DiMotta, was one of my favorites.

One of THE LETTER Q's greatest strengths is the way it serves as an introductory text.  I've talked to many people about Alison Bechdel's FUN HOME and how it led them to seek out the books she discusses in the text.  THE LETTER Q contains writing from dozens of authors (full list below).  Many who read THE LETTER Q will be inspired to pick up other works by those authors.  It's a bit of a who's who of queer lit.

I highly recommend reading this Advocate article about THE LETTER Q.  This anthology of letters will appeal to teens struggling with their identity as well as people of any age with an interest in the experiences of queer America.  It's a powerful, moving work.  Even better, half of the royalties will be donated to the Trevor Project, a resource for QUILTBAG youth contemplating suicide.

Amy Bloom	Michael Cunningham
Julie Anne Peters	Jacqueline Woodson
Eileen Myles	David Levithan
Jasika Nicole	Rakesh Satyal
Doug Wright	Melanie Braverman
Brian Selznick	Stacey D'Erasmo
Adam Haslett	Terrence McNally
Erik Orrantia	Jennifer Camper
Martin Moran	Armistead Maupin
Arthur Levine	Malinda Lo
Maurice Vellekoop	Larry Duplechan
Ali Liebegott	Paul Rudnick
Linda Villarosa	J. D. McClatchy
Anne Bogart	Eric Orner
Lucy Jane Bledsoe	Tony Valenzuela
Gregory Maguire	Christopher Rice
Jewelle Gomez	Bill Clegg
Erika Moen	Sarah Moon
LaShonda Katrice Barnett	Howard Cruse
Michael DiMotta	Diane DiMassa
Brent Hartinger	Susan Stinson
Marc Wolf	Lucy Knisley
Nick Burd	James Lecesne
Paula Gilovich	Colman Domingo
Richard McCann	Marion Dane Bauer
Lucy Thurber	Paige Braddock
David Leavitt	David Ebershoff
Benoit Denizet-Lewis	Ray Daniels
Michael Nava	Carole DeSanti
A. Carter Sickels	Bill Wright
Janice Maiman	Mayra Lazara Dole
Randall Kenan	Bruce Coville