Alaina’s super-adorable picture caught my eye in the summer issue of Boston Spirit, with her sweet smile and marvelous style. Turns out this nonbinary femme is super-accomplished as a journalist, an editor, communications manager, writing coach and more. In the Boston Spirit interview, she was asked, “How does being part of LGBTQ communities impact what you do?” to which she answered:
It impacts everything I do. Throughout my life, I’ve gone from being ashamed and afraid to being openly queer to completely celebrating my queer identity. I’ve written extensively about LGBTQ+ communities and identity, and I put a lot of effort into making sure the work we do at WNDG (We Need Diverse Books) is LGBTQ-inclusive, from suggesting we change the language “preferred pronouns” to “pronouns” to making LGBTQ+ book recommendation lists for our followers. Being LGBTQ+ affects everything I do, in work and life, even when I’m not conscious of it. (Boston Spirit, Jul/Aug 2020).
Deep gratitude, Alaina, for your celebration of your own and others’ beautiful queerness, and for all the generous, hard, inspiring, loving work you do for our community and beyond. Check out her website here:
Every Friday, I showcase a queer femme goddess. I want to feature you! Write to me at thetotalfemme@gmail.com and let me shine a spotlight on your beautiful, unique, femme story! If you’ve written a femme story or poem or song, oh, please let me post it! Sometimes I talk about books, too…
New Femme Friday feature starting spring 2020: Queer Femmes Respond. Are you reading more poetry? Are you navigating various technologies in order to see your folx and not be so isolated? Are you still going out to work? Are you able to get out for walks? Who’s home with you? We queer femmes are meeting these unsettling times with queer femme panache, and I want to hear about it! Along the lines of the Corona Letters over at the Sewanee Review, please send in what you’re doing, how you’re staying centered and sane! Write me at thetotalfemme@gmail.com with questions or ideas or a full-on post (with bio, if possible)!
At the Total Femme, my intention is to post three times a week: Meditations for Queer Femmes on Monday, Pingy-Dingy Wednesday on Wednesday and Femme Friday on Friday. Rather than play catch-up in a stressful fashion on those weeks when life prevents posting, I have decided to just move gaily forward: if I miss a Monday, the next post will be on Wednesday, and so on. Thank you, little bottle of antibiotics for inspiring me in this! (“…if it’s almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Don’t take a double dose to make up for a missed one.”)
The Total Femme 