BOOK LIST:

LGBTQIA: Lesbian - Non-Fiction

Updated: June 18, 2025

Non-fiction books by or about lesbian writers, themes, issues.


Book cover for Against memoir : complaints confessions + criticism
Against Memoir: Complaints Confessions + Criticism
Tea, Michelle
Call Number: 813 T253T-2

This is Michelle Tea's recollection of her own life and others, told through essays. Not the usual memoir, and Tea speaks her mind and heart about whatever grabs her.


Book cover for Aimée & Jaguar : a love story, Berlin 1943
Aimée & Jaguar: A Love Story, Berlin 1943
Fischer, Erica
Call Number: 940.5343 F529

Photos, letters and love poems chronicle the unlikely love story of Felice and Lily, a German Jew and Nazi housewife respectively, surviving together in war-torn Berlin. A timeless true story about living and loving like there is no tomorrow.


Book cover for The arc of love : an anthology of lesbian love poems
The Arc of Love
Call Number: 811.08 A6685

A collection of love poetry by over 80 lesbian poets from around the world. "I ask myself and you, which of our visions will claim us/which will we claim/how will we go on living/how will we touch, what will we know/what will we say to each other."—Adrienne Rich


Book cover for Baby precious always shines : selected love notes between Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas
Baby Precious Always Shines
Stein, Gertrude
Call Number: 813 S819S-5

These are personal, informal and unguarded notes between Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.


Book cover for Before the rain : a memoir of love and revolution
Before the Rain: A Memoir of Love and Revolution
Torregrosa, Luisita Lopez
Call Number: 071.092 T6892

While covering the 1986 Philippine Revolution, Puerto Rican journalist Luisita Lopez Torregrosa falls in love with another writer, Elizabeth. The love affair is overwhelming and changes Torregrosa's life forever.


Book cover for Between certain death and a possible future : queer writing on growing up with the AIDS crisis
Between Certain Death and a Possible Future
Call Number: 810.8 B5655-1

Thirty-six personal essays about the impact and affect that HIV/AIDS had on the lives of those in the queer community.


Book cover for Black dove : mama, mi'jo, and me
Black Dove: Mama, Mi'jo, and Me
Castillo, Ana
Call Number: 814 C352

Ana Castillo, novelist, poet, journalist, and social critic, recounts the challenges, joys in this collection of personal essays.


Book cover for Buffering : unshared tales of a life fully loaded
Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded
Hart, Hannah
Call Number: 809.2953092 H325

Hannah Hart, Internet personality and digital maven, shares personal stories and insights into her dizzying life.


Book cover for The children of Harvey Milk : how LGBTQ politicians changed the world
The Children of Harvey Milk
Reynolds, Andrew
Call Number: 306.766 R462

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay public official elected in California to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, and was assassinated, along with Mayor George Moscone in San Francisco City Hall. Andrew Reynolds documents the worldwide history of LGBTQ political leaders who have made great strides in getting elected to public offices since 1977.


Book cover for Circulating queerness : before the gay and lesbian novel
Circulating Queerness
Hurley, Natasha
Call Number: 813.09 H965

A new examination of the history of the gay and lesbian novel as a distinct genre in American literature.


Book cover for The complete works of Pat Parker
The Complete Works of Pat Parker
Parker, Pat
Call Number: 818 P242

A compilation of the poetry and prose of Pat Parker, who was an activitist for civil rights, women's rights and gay rights. "Parker directed the Feminist Women’s Health Center in Oakland, founded the Black Women’s Revolutionary Council and the Women’s Press Collective, and testified before the United Nations on the status of women. She died of breast cancer in June of 1989."


Book cover for Cuíer : queer Brazil.
Cuíer: Queer Brazil
Call Number: 869.308 C9665

From Brazil comes this ecelctic collection of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and photography. Many of the writer's works appear in English for the first time.


Book cover for Darlinghissima
Darlinghissima: Letters to a Friend
Flanner, Janet
Call Number: 071.092 F585

Janet Flanner's correspondence with her longtime lover, Natalia Danesi Murray.


Book cover for Dear Abby, I'm gay : newspaper advice columnists and homosexuality in America
Dear Abby, I'm Gay
Stoner, Andrew E.
Call Number: 070.44 S881

"This book chronicles some of the most popular and widely circulated newspaper columns between the 1930s and 2000, including Ann Landers, Dear Abby, Helen Help Us!, Dr. Joyce Brothers, The Worry Clinic, Dear Meg, Ask Beth, and Savage Love. It examines the function of these columns regarding the place of LGBTQIA people in America."


Book cover for Elizabeth Bishop : a miracle for breakfast
Elizabeth Bishop: A Miracle for Breakfast
Marshall, Megan
Call Number: 811 B6214Ma

Biography of noted American poet Elizabeth Bishop, based on newly discovered letters.


Book cover for Every true pleasure : LGBTQ tales of North Carolina
Every True Pleasure
Call Number: 810.8 E932-1

A collection of fiction and non-fiction from North Carolina's best writers who identify as gay, trans, bisexual, and straight.


Book cover for Flicker and spark : a contemporary queer anthology of spoken word and poetry
Flicker and Spark
Call Number: 808.1 F6213

The anthology of poems and poets is divided into three sections: Pre-Stonewall Poets (pre - 1970); Stonewall - First Diagnosis of AIDS Poets (1970 - 1981); AIDS Diagnosis - Brandon Teena's Death Poets (1982 - 1993).


Book cover for Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians
Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians
Faderman, Lillian
Call Number: 301.415709794 F144

A history of the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles. Stories include the 1967 protests against police brutality in Silverlake, which predated the Stonewall Rebellion by two and a half years; and the nation's first gay pride parade in 1970.


Book cover for Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister
Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister
Choma, Anne
Call Number: 306.7663092 L773Ch

In 1834, Anne Lister was the first woman to marry another woman and have it recorded. She was a force to be reckoned with as a landowner who took charge of her family's estate, Shildben, in West Yorkshire, England. She wrote constantly in diaries, some of which are in her coded language.


Book cover of Great LGBTQ+ speeches : empowering voices that inspire + empower
Great LGBTQ+ Speeches: Empowering Voices That Inspire + Empower
Call Number: 808.5 G7865-2

The collection contains more than 40 inspiring speeches from the LGBTQ+ community.


Book cover for Indomitable : the life of Barbara Grier
Indomitable: The Life of Barbara Grier
Passet, Joanne Ellen
Call Number: 085.473 G848Pa

"Barbara Grier—feminist, activist, publisher and archivist—was many things to different people." As one of the founders in 1973 of Naiad Press, she wanted to make sure that lesbians had access to literature that reflected their lives. This volume contains new and never published letters, and interviews from Grier's archive, and reveal the struggles of the lesbian community in that era.


Book cover for Janet, my mother, and me
Janet, My Mother, and Me
Murray, William
Call Number: 071.092 F585Mu

A loving, funny, and revealing remembrance by writer William Murray of his mother, Natalia Danesi Murray, and her lover Janet Flanner. Flanner was the celebrated journalist who wrote a regular column, "Letter from Paris," for the New Yorker, and Murray was a publishing executive, actress, and broadcaster. In many ways, the young William Murray led a privileged life divided between New York, Paris, and Rome, but it was also a hidden world at a time when lesbian relationships were unacceptable.


Book cover for LGBTQ comedic monologues that are actually funny
LGBTQ Comedic Monologues that are Actually Funny
Call Number: 808.82 L6875

"... this cutting-edge and incredibly hysterical monologue book is specifically for actors auditioning for LGBTQIA roles;... works by LGBTQIA writers and comics (and their allies) who have written and/or performed for Comedy Central, Backstage magazine, NBC, the Huffington Post, the Onion, Second City, E!, and many more. This collection is the go-to source for the comedic monologue needs of actors seeking LGBTQIA material, as well as a paean to LGBTQIA characters and artists."


Book cover of Life in every breath : Ester Blenda : reporter, adventurer, pioneer
Life in Every Breath: Ester Blenda
Bremmer, Fatima
Call Number: 079.092 B647Br

Ester Blenda Nordström was born in 1891 and was known as Sweden’s first investigative journalist. She did groundbreaking work, traveled widely, but "her forbidden love affair with a woman ended in heartbreak—and her powerful voice was silenced."


Book cover for The love that dares : letters of LGBTQ+ love & friendship through history
The Love That Dares
Smith, Rachel
Call Number: 808.68 S657

LGBTQIA love letters and letters of friendship that span the ages.


Book cover for More than organs
More Than Organs
Barrett, Kay Ulanday
Call Number: 811 B2725

These poems speak beautifully to Brown, Queer, Trans people and to others, so as to create connections of understanding and harmony.


Book cover for Mouths of rain : an anthology of Black lesbian thought
Mouths of Rain
Call Number: 810.8 M7895

Essays, poems, stories are part of this unique book that is organized historically in blocks of time, from 1909 to 2020.


Book cover for My life is poetry : an anthology of writings by gay, lesbian, and bisexual seniors
My Life is Poetry
Call Number: 811.08 M9955-2

A collection of poems from a 16-week workshop taught at the Gay & Lesbian Center in Los Angeles, which was funded by a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. A special feature of the workshop is that autobiographical poetry was taught to LGBT senior citizens.


Book cover for Native country of the heart : a memoir
Native Country of the Heart: A Memoir
Moraga, Cherrie
Call Number: 810.92 M827

Writer, editor, playwright, poet, essayist, feminist, and lesbian activist, Chicana Cherrie Moraga presents a deeply felt autobiography. It is, in great part, a loving homage to her mother,r with whom she had a complicated and inspiring relationship.


Book cover for Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
Faderman, Lillian
Call Number: 301.415709 F144-1

Faderman’s groundbreaking work uses a myriad of sources including interviews, photographs, and medical literature to chronicle the history of American lesbian culture in the 20th century.


Book cover for The one you want to marry (and other identities I've had) : a memoir
The One You Want to Marry (and Other Identities I've Had)
Santos, Sophie
Call Number: 812.092 S237

Comedian Sophie Santos presents her coming-of-age autobiography. and how she found her true self—a lesbian and artist. As to be expected from a talented writer and comedian, she accomplishes all of it with wit, charm and loads of humor.


Book cover for The only wonderful things : the creative partnership of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis
The Only Wonderful Things
Homestead, Melissa J.
Call Number: 813 C363Ho

For 40 years, novelist Willa Cather had a professional and personal relationship with Edith Lewis, who, until now, was thought to be a secretary/assistant. This new biography sheds light on Lewis’ importance in the life of the artist.


Book cover for Ordinary girls : a memoir
Ordinary Girls: A Memoir
Díaz, Jaquira
Call Number: 818 D542
Jaquira Díaz writes about growing up queer, closeted and biracial in Puerto Rico and Miami. With a childhood marked by poverty, racism, mental illness, addiction, and violence, Díaz describes her journey to self-determination and stability.

Book cover for Outer voices, inner lives : a collection of LGBTQ writers over 50
Outer Voices, Inner Lives
Call Number: 810.8 O945

Sixteen stories by LGBTQIA men and women, which provide a historical perspective and testimony for people of all ages.


Book cover for Queer nature : a poetry anthology
Queer Nature
Call Number: 808.1 Q35

This anthology is "concerned with poems that speak to and about nature as the term is applied in everyday language to queer and trans bodies and identities..." The poems are representative LGBTQIA+ voices.


Book cover for The queer South : LGBTQ writers on the American South
The Queer South
Call Number: 810.8 Q35-1

A collection of LGBTQIA stories, poems, and memories of coming out—from writers who share their experiences about the American South.


Book cover for Queer Threads: Crafting Identity and Community
Queer Threads: Crafting Identity and Community
Chaich, John
Call Number: 746 C434

Featured are the works of 30 artists who have remixed fiber crafts, such as crochet, embroidery, quilting, sewing, and weaving. Using their artwork, they seek to examine queerness in various forms. The book is lavishly illustrated with color photographs.


Book cover for Queerly centered : LGBTQA writing center directors navigate the workplace
Queerly Centered: LGBTQA Writing Center Directors Navigate the Workplace
Webster, Travis
Call Number: 808 W384

"Queerly Centered explores writing center administration and queer identity, showcasing nuanced orientations to LGBTQA labor undertaken but not previously acknowledged or documented in the field's research."


Book cover for Queers : eight monologues
Queers: Eight Monologues
Call Number: 808.82 Q35

A selection of monologues for male and female performers, covering numerous topics that have affected people in recent times.


Book cover for Real queer America : LGBT stories from red states
Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States
Allen, Samantha
Call Number: 306.76620977 A429

Samantha Allen took a cross-country road trip from Provo, Utah, to the Bible Belt to the Deep South, allowing her motto, "Something gay every day," to guide her.


Book cover for Save yourself
Save Yourself
Esposito, Cameron
Call Number: 812.092 E77

Los Angeles based comic, actor and writer, Carmen Esposito recalls her Catholic upbringing, coming-out experience, career as a lesbian standup comic. With humor and honesty, she tackles issues of gender, sexuality and self-acceptance.


Book cover for Sculptor's daughter
Sculptor's Daughter
Jansson, Tove
Call Number: 839.73 J35J

Finnish writer Tove Jansson is best known for her series of imaginative children's books about the Moomins, but she was also a novelist, painter, illustrator, and comic strip author. Her life partner was Tuulikki Pietila, a graphic artist and gallery owner. According to the Moomin website, they were "... among Finland's most visible gay couples..." Her autobiography is a charming remembrance of her childhood.


Book cover for Searching for Sappho : the lost songs and world of the first woman poet : including new translations of all of Sappho's surviving poetry
Searching for Sappho
Freeman, Philip
Call Number: 884 S249Fr

Sappho is often called the first female poet of the Western world. Until recently, there were few known poems by the author; however, more have been found. She was an aristocrat, a wife, a devoted mother, a lover of women, and a great writer. This book includes numerous poems freshly translated into English.


Book cover for The Stonewall Reader
The Stonewall Reader
Call Number: 306.7660973 S8815

The Stonewall uprising took place 50 years ago. This book is comprised of articles, diaries, memoirs documenting the importance of the event, and some of what followed in the fight for LGBTQIA rights in the United States.


Book cover for Sybille Bedford : a life
Sybille Bedford: A Life
Hastings, Selina
Call Number: 820.92 B411Ha

The extraordinary and adventurous life of Sybille Bedford was thoroughly researched for this biography. She was a writer and journalist with a precise and evocative writing style. Her life was remarkable for the variety of work she did, her sharp curiosity and intelligence, the many people she knew, and her personal relationships.


Book cover of This much is true
This Much is True
Margolyes, Miriam
Call Number: 822.092 M329

Miriam Margolyes is an actress who is British-Australian, an award-winner, has been honored with an OBE, and is a lesbian. In this charming autobiography, she writes with equal humor and seriousness about her life.


Book cover for To some women I have known
To Some Women I Have Known
Hansen, Renee
Call Number: 811 H24895

Part memoir and reminiscence, in poetic format, about the social and political times, past history, and how all of it affected Hansen's life.


Book cover for A wild and precious life : a memoir
A Wild and Precious Life: A Memoir
Windsor, Edie
Call Number: 306.7663092 W766

Edie Windsor's lawsuit against the federal government made international news when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in her favor, overturning The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and paving the way for full marriage equality. The person behind the plaintiff is revealed, as Windsor chronicles her life experiences: her social life in the underground gay scene of 1950s Greenwich Village, her trailblazing career in computing, and her 44-year partnership with psychologist Thea Spyer


Book cover for Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name
Lorde, Audre
Call Number: 818 L867 1983

This biomythography chronicles Lorde’s life, beginning with her childhood in 1930s Harlem to the women who shaped her adulthood. A poignant chronicle of Black lesbian life in mid-century New York City.


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