Portrait of a man, the beginning — Thanks for coming to see me. Nobody really does anymore. I get it, they’re busy. Plus I smell so bad, I make myself sick. Gross, right? And sometimes when I look in the mirror, I wanna heave. They call me Brad. It’s really Broderick, but I always hated that name. So keep it to yourself, huh? …

On tears and rejecting harmful belief systems — I cried as I fell asleep — My own fault, really. I shouldn’t have been reading Braden’s Story by Mason Dodd. As an aspiring author of LGBTQ YA fiction, I read a lot. Knowing my genre is part of the job. This one knocked me for a loop.

Sneako first claimed the boys’ crudely sexist, transphobic, homophobic cracks were jokes. Then he doubled down on the hate. — Warning: Sexist, transphobic, homophobic hate speech (by children) quoted below. References to simulated rape. I don’t know what the worst part of this story is, that little boys are learning to worship Andrew Tate with his deep hatred of women and his glorification of rape, or that little boys are…

Prism & Pen Digest, link redirect — Dear P&P readers, we’re still having trouble with our weekly newsletter, so I’m removing tags from the main email to this separate story with a link. To read this week’s Prism & Pen newsletter with brief summaries of our stories, please click here. Diversity Is Beauty & Strength Prism & Pen Weekly — Sept 17, 2023.medium.com Esther Spurrill-Jones, Fred Shirley, neil chapman, David…

Prism & Pen Weekly — Sept 17, 2023. — by James Finn This week, Prism & Pen writers look at diversity, injustice, and systems of oppression. Canada’s Conservative Party goes full MAGA. Librarians in Kansas are fired over an autism-awareness campaign. Booking banning rages on as … Some queer people police each other’s identities rather than seeking to dismantle…

Can we please call off the hate? This is out of hand. — I wasn’t planning to write today, having resolved to take Saturdays off in favor of self care, but how can I not write? I’m both gay and autistic, and I’m beyond saddened over a story that is sort of making headlines (like in this Washington Post story you can read…

A Prism & Pen writers prompt — When you see the aphorism, “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger,” do you think of Kelly Clarkson’s 2001 hit that’s became an unofficial queer anthem? Or do you think of Friedrich Nietzsche? I’m not a Clarkson fan or much of a pop-music fan at all, but even I can…

On rom-coms, fantasy, personal fulfillment, and my fear of aging — Warning: minor film spoilers below. I watched ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ a couple weeks ago, and I hated it. Okay, that’s not fair. I disliked it. A lot. Rather, it disappointed me. See me equivocating already? I’m not afraid of expressing my opinion, despite the oodles of queer people…

Prism & Pen Digest, link redirect — Dear P&P readers, we’re still having trouble with our weekly newsletter, so I’m removing tags from the main email to this separate story with a link. To read this week’s Prism & Pen newsletter with brief summaries of our stories, please click here. Cutting Queer Journalism & Touching Queer Memoir Prism & Pen Weekly — Sept 10, 2023.medium.com Esther Spurrill-Jones, Fred Shirley, neil chapman, David…