By: Izzy Cheung, Arts & Culture Editor
Nestled in a quaint corner south of Commercial-Broadway SkyTrain station is Cross & Crows Books. This cozy haven is “the friendliest, queerest bookstore in East Van,” and features a variety of queer literature for all to explore. On Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., they offer mask-mandatory shopping and reduced lighting. Buy their books at their store, or online with shipping or local East Vancouver-based deliveries. Here are some of our suggestions for your next summer read.
jaye simpson’s moving poetry and prose book navigates her intergenerational trauma as a trans woman. simpson is an Oji-Cree Saulteaux writer and poet, and also goes by her drag queen name, Persephone Estradiol. The book features lush poetry such as “sea glass,” a poem comparing the speaker to sea glass that cascades down the page like drops of water down a windowpane.
This collection of fiction, published on May 21, highlights “intersecting stories of Indigenous love and loneliness.” It follows a range of Indigenous voices as they explore their own paths towards finding love and seeking comfort within themselves. Written by Billy-Ray Belcourt, a member of the Driftpile Cree Nation and an associate professor at UBC’s School of Creative Writing, Coexistence reminds readers of the message it intends to spread — the beauty of coexistence.
Featuring stories from writers such as Khalid Abdel-Hadi, Saleem Haddad, and Tania Safi, This Arab is Queer brings together the stories of 18 queer Arab writers. These retellings of personal accounts bring to light experiences that uplift their intersecting identities as well as remind readers of the personal challenges faced by them. Follow along as these writers describe memories such as “touring overseas as a drag queen to a concert in Cairo where the rainbow flag was raised to a crowd of thousands.”
Comic artist Syan Rose and writer Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha combined their artistry to create Our Work Is Everywhere, a graphic novel amplifying the history behind queer and trans resistance. Elements of “Black femme mental health, Pacific Islander authorship, fat queer performance art, disability and health care practice, sex worker activism, and much more” find themselves imbued within the narratives. The pages are beautifully oriented with chunks of text circling around richly patterned drawings of individuals like Ceyenne Doroshow and Geleni Fontaine.
All books can be purchased at crossandcrows.com
