As the subtitle indicates, this is an anthology of essays and poetry written by (mostly) trans and nonbinary authors. (A few of the pieces are by cis people writing about trans people they love.) Benson’s concept was an empowering collection, featuring writing on the topic of love and the specific way trans and nonbinary people experience it, and with this book I think she delivers on that promise.⁣
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As with any anthology, this collection was varied in the strength of the authors’ writing, but to me that fell secondary to how exciting it is to see a collection of writing that lifts up and celebrates voices so frequently silenced in the world we live in today. Even as trans representation in media becomes more commonplace, it’s still mostly through the cis gaze, depicting simplistic views of trans lives for shock value or trauma porn. Collections like this one combat that, giving precedence to actual trans people to talk on a range of topics from their lived experiences. I also appreciated the diversity of ages of the authors, and especially the inclusion of pieces by older trans writers unfolded a longer story of their trans life. ⁣
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