I once wrote a short story for a school assignment and received the feedback: “it’s just too confusing to read a non-binary main character”. There’s a parallel universe where I didn’t just roll over and change their gender. Instead, I threw these books at my teacher, insisted that I just wasn’t a good enough writer yet, and demanded that a creative writing class teach me how to better integrate diverse characters rather than force me to sand down their edges to fit into prescriptive boxes.

series w whimsy + humor

An incomplete list of books that inspired Matt Dahan's radio-musical series Pulp Musicals, or otherwise have something to do with it

I am developing a personal curriculum around queer relationships, kink, and polyamory, and thought that my list may be helpful to other people too! I invite suggestions to add to this list in the comments!

A collection of books on minorities and discrimination and other things your white friends should educate themselves on.

Books with Mallworld/liminal spaces vibes

My all time favorite books

horror books with autistic protagonists!

good! for! her!

unnerving, unsettling, spooky or generally creepy books that take place in summer + have that slow scorching summer dread vibe

Stories that traded chapters for showtunes! From literary classics to contemporary novels these books found a second life under the Broadway lights! Please let me know any that I've missed!! (Note on curation: I've been cross checking titles with Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) which is Broadway's official archive)

queer & trans stories of screens and robots

It’s your grandma’s! Or your great-grandma’s, or your great-great-grandma’s…

This list includes some of the earliest female authors of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. This includes novels, novellas, and collections of short stories. I’ll be adding works/authors (particularly less-known ones) as I discover them.

Keep in mind, these works are often from the mid-20th century and earlier! Critical reading and remembering the context they were produced in is important.

2013-2026