What: Second Annual Queer Blackathon When: Saturday, June 19 (AKA my birthday Juneteenth), 2021 and through the weekend How Long: For however long you want to participate across the 48-hour period As a queer Black woman with an enormous, never-ending TBR, I’m always happy to find a way to hone and refine said reading list, and things to join that will help me dig through it. And Jesse and Starlah have come up with ways that anyone who wants to join can take whatever time they want and whatever avenue they’d prefer to celebrate and acknowledge the lives of Black queer folks living and lost.
Group Read
Reading Prompts
Your next option is to read from three reading prompts. You can stick to one prompt, combine prompts, or read something of all three. They’re relatively broad prompts, so you can probably find something in your TBR already that would work, but just in case, I’ve got some ideas for you, too!
Prompt One: Read a Book By an Author You Haven’t Read Before
This one is hard to recommend for, because I have no idea who you, dear reader, might or might not have read. But here goes:
Prompt Two: Read a Graphic Novel
Prompt Three: Read a Book with a Bisexual, Asexual, or Trans Protagonist, By an Author That Fits into One or More of Those Identities, or Both
And obviously, these are just suggestions. There are so many other authors you could pick up that weekend. Leah Johnson. Julian Winters. Countee Cullen. Dean Atta. Janet Mock. Samantha Irby. Claire Kann. Alice Walker. Morgan Rogers. Bryan Washington. Paul Mendez. Bayard Rustin. Katrina Jackson. Kosoko Jackson. I could go on. Really, anything by this author is probably a good choice for this weekend. RM Virtues is a breakthrough new romance author who has made a huge splash in a small amount of time, and I look forward to seeing where he goes next (I hear there’s a Black retelling of The Mummy in our futures).
Just Read
Your third option is to just read. Read books that highlight and elevate the queer Black experience, or just books by queer Black authors that are about any damn thing. The most important part is that you’re reading it. And of course, you can combine any of these methods to have an amazing Juneteenth weekend full of queer Blackness. Read Sorrowland and a few graphic novels. Read a bunch of new-to-you queer Black authors. Or read a little bit of everything. It’s your weekend, we’re just here to make it a little better. Jesse stresses in their announcement that the most important part of this — particularly if you’re reading via the second and/or third options — is to read diversely across the Black experience and the queer experience. Read more than just books by gay authors or about urban life. If you’re able to read more than one book in this span of time, read as many perspectives as possible — particularly if they are underrepresented perspectives even among the Black community. Watch Jesse’s announcement video and subscribe to their channel to keep up-to-date on Queer Blackathon happenings: And start prepping your TBR! Never done a readathon before? Here are some tips for your first readathon journey.
