A Family by Any Other Name: Exploring Queer Relationships (TouchWood Editions, 2014). Edited by Bruce Gillespie
With essays by Paul Aguirre-Livingston, Kate Barker, S. Bear Bergman, ‘Nathan Burgoine, Jean Copeland, Sebastian Charge, Jason Dale, Dorianne Emmerton, Noreen Fagan, Bruce Gillespie, Danny Glenwright, Sara Graefe, Betty Jane Hegerat, Dale Lee Kwong, Max Mosher, Nancy Newcomb, Arleen Pare, Jeffrey Ricker, Rosemary Rowe, Ellen Russell, Maya Saibil and Keph Senett
Finalist in the LGBT Anthology category of the 27th annual Lambda Literary Awards
Silver Medal Winner: LGBT Non-Fiction Category, 2015 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs)
At no other time in history have lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) relationships and families been more visible or numerous. A Family by Any Other Name recognizes and celebrates this advance by exploring what “family” means to people today.
The anthology includes a wide range of perspectives on queer relationships and families; there are stories about coming out, same-sex marriage, adopting, having biological kids, polyamorous relationships, families without kids, divorce, and dealing with the death of a spouse, as well as essays by straight writers about having a gay parent or child.
These personal essays are by turns funny, provocative, and intelligent, but all are moving and honest. Including writers from across North America, this collection offers honest and moving real-life stories about relationships and creating families in the twenty-first century.
The fifth book in a series of books about the twenty-first-century family, A Family by Any Other Name follows How to Expect What You’re Not Expecting, Somebody’s Child, Nobody’s Mother, and Nobody’s Father, all essay collections that challenge readers to re-examine traditional definitions of “family.”
“A well-written, inspirational, and light read, recommended especially for those questioning how their queer or nontraditional family fits into society. Likely to appeal to anyone who enjoyed Patrick Merla’s ‘Boys Like Us.'” — Jessica Spears, Library Journal
“… a collection of first-person narratives on queer family is liberating and necessary….This book is about what is possible in the face of what you’re told is not.” — Stacey May Fowles, Quill & Quire
“This collection … offers an insider’s look at what makes a family in all its forms. There’s a vibrant diversity to them, in terms of gender, ethnicity, religion, age, and more…. The collection comes from a sometimes brutal but consistently affirming place of honesty, which makes it both fascinating and essential reading.” — William Northup, Curve magazine
“The stories are beautiful, without shying away from intelligent critique. They are by turns tragic and joyful.” — Meri Perra, BunchFamily.ca
“You should know: this is a good book. The average quality of the essays here is remarkably high. I like to think people who identify as queer take it extra seriously when we set out to tell our stories, but it must also be true that Gillespie is a fine editor who knows how to inspire his contributors.” — Julian Gunn, The Coastal Spectator
“There’s an exquisite hopefulness to this book, despite the difficulties many of its contributors have endured. Marriage, parenting, family-building, are presented as fresh and filled with sweetness.” — Maria Meindl, author of Outside the Box: the Life and Legacy of Writer Mona Gould, the Grandmother I Thought I Knew
“That kind of honesty and openness is what Gillespie hoped for with this book, and his contributors rose to the challenge.” — Scott Dagostino, Xtra
“…families struggling to see themselves reflected fully can find comfort in these essays because they offer someth