Sweeter Voices Still: An LGBTQ Anthology from Middle America

By: Ryan Schuessler & Kevin Whiteneir

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Synopsis: &“A collection of prose and poetry that aims to challenge clichés about LGBTQ+ life in the Midwest and Appalachia.&” —The Buckeye Flame The middle of America―the Midwest, Appalachia, the Rust Belt, the Great Plains, the Upper South―is a queer place, and it always has been. The queer people of its cities, farms, and suburbs do not exist only to serve as &“blue dots&” within &“red states.&” Every story about a kid from Iowa who steps off the bus in Manhattan, ready to &“finally&” live, is a story about a kid who was already living in Iowa. Sweeter Voices Still is about that kid and has been written by people like them. This collection features queer voices you might recognize―established and successful writers and thinkers―and others you might not―people who don&’t think of themselves as writers at all. You&’ll find sex, love, and heartbreak and all the beings we meet along the way: trees, deer, cicadas, sturgeon. Most of all, you&’ll find real people. If you&’re seeking fully realized stories about the nuanced, joyous complexity of queer identity in the Midwest, Sweeter Voices Still is the book for you. &“A marvelous ode to humanity and its passions [and] a reminder that LGBTQ individuals and communities (and those who exist outside the confines of the acronym) have always kept the Heartland beating.&” ―Little Village Magazine Includes a foreword by Northwestern University professor Doug Kiel