In this panel, historical fiction novelists Federico Erebia, Jeffrey Dale Lofton, Rasheed Newson, and Bushra Rehman share their reflections on writing coming-of-age stories with unapologetic and resilient queer protagonists. From a closeted Hollywood hunk and a drag diva superstar, to a teen idol heartthrob and an important civil rights activist who is finally getting recognition, and many more, each novelist will identify Queer Icons that have influenced them, their characters, or the themes central to their book. They will also mention villains, fiends, and scoundrels in our cultural history who compel them to write a more truthful queer narrative.
The panel conversation will take place on Zoom on Thursday, October 10, 2024, from 6-7:30 p.m. PT, and will be followed by a Q&A with the panelists.
This program may not be suitable for all ages.
Panelists
Federico Erebia is a retired physician, woodworker, author, poet, and illustrator. He received the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Exceptional New Writer for his debut novel, Pedro & Daniel (Levine Querido, 2023). Other commendations include: 2024 Ohioana Book Award – Finalist; 2024 Massachusetts Book Awards – Longlist; 2024 Crystal Kite Award – Honor Book; 2024 Américas Book Award – Commended Title; 2024 Bank Street – Best Book; 2023 Kirkus Reviews – Best Book; and starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Shelf Awareness.
Jeffrey Dale Lofton’s debut novel is Red Clay Suzie, a fictionalized memoir written through his personal lens as an outsider—gay and living with a disability in a conservative community in the Deep South. Red Clay Suzie was Longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, named an Indie Next Pick by the American Booksellers Association, and awarded the Seven Hills Literary Prize for Fiction. Lofton is a Senior Advisor at the Library of Congress, co-host of the Inside Voices podcast, and the Pat Conroy Literary Center Spring 2024 Writer-in-Residence. He was recently named Georgia Author of the Year.
Rasheed Newson is the author of My Government Means to Kill Me, which examines the political and sexual coming of age of a young, gay, Black man in New York City in the mid-1980s. The novel was a 2023 Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and was named one the “The 100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times.
Bushra Rehman’s novel Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion is a modern classic about what it means to be Muslim and queer from a Pakistani-American community in Queens. Roses was noted as a Best Book and Editor’s Choice by The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, People Magazine, Good Morning America, Ms. Magazine, and more. Rehman is co-editor of Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism and author of the poetry collection Marianna’s Beauty Salon. Her first novel, Corona, was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of its favorite books about NYC.
The program is organized by Federico Erebia as part of Circa: Queer Histories Festival 2024, presented by One Institute.