The Way Disabled People Love Each Other
by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Arsenal Pulp Press, 2026
Feels like reading late-night voice notes from your smartest, fiercest friend.
If you love intimate, politically sharp poetry about grief, memory, care, and the ways marginalized people keep loving each other through impossible times, this one will stay with you.
The Blue House by Sky Gilbert
Cormorant Books, 2025
Feels like a fever dream somewhere between queer literary fiction and psychological memoir.
A timely read for the AI era, Sky Gilbert’s novel asks: if a machine can generate music, what makes human art matter? If you’re fascinated by stories about creativity and the dark side of creative genius (with a side of queer romance), this one is a winner.
Village Dreams by Jay Quint
Guernica Editions, 2026
Feels like wandering through a queer bookstore at midnight.
If you’re fascinated by queer spaces and their histories, this one explores the world’s famous Gay Villages as places of liberation, reinvention, loneliness, and community all at once. A perfect read for those who love blending theory with lived experience.
River Running by Loch Baillie
Goose Lane Editions, 2026
Feels like if a friend let you read their diary.
For readers who love queer Bildungsromans and soft, introspective poetry, this debut collection traces both a geographical and emotional journey. A tender queer coming-of-age with reflections on identity, grief, and becoming.
Soundtrack by Michael V. Smith
Book*hug Press, 2025
Feels like the ultimate nostalgic mixtape.
A poetic memoir about growing up gay in the shadow of AIDS told through songs and pop culture moments. If you love personal stories and music, this queer joy anthem is one to tune in to.
Kainchee Lagaa & Jhooti: The Begging Brown Bitch Plays by Zaiba Baig
Playwrights Canada Press, 2026
Feels like fourth-wall-breaking chaos (in the best way).
If you’re into stories that keep pulling the rug out from under you, this one delivers with two explosive plays centring Brown trans women navigating life while completely dismantling respectability politics and the white saviour gaze.
The Last Caravan by Anna Byrne
Caitlin Press, 2026
Feels like being held through grief.
Part travel memoir, part social justice chronicle, this book follows a lifetime of community-building and asks what it means to truly belong. If you want to read a deeply moving reflection on dying with dignity, check this one out.
Not All Dragons by David Ly
Wolsak & Wynn, 2026
Feels like you’re living inside a blockbuster high fantasy.
If you like the thrill of immersive fantasy and want a story about identity, destiny, and the search for belonging, this fascinating and fresh take on dragons from poet David Ly might just do the trick.
Find our picks on All Lit Up or from your local indie bookseller. For more book recommendations by LGBTQ+ authors, click here.
Happy Pride!
