Follow us:
DR. BICKMORE'S YA WEDNESDAY
  • Weekly Posts
  • WEEKEND PICKS 2023
  • Monday Motivators 2023
  • Weekend Picks 2021
  • Contributors
  • Bickmore's Posts
  • Lesley Roessing's Posts
  • Weekend Picks 2020
  • Weekend Picks 2019
  • Weekend Picks old
  • 2021 UNLV online Summit
  • UNLV online Summit 2020
  • 2019 Summit on Teaching YA
  • 2018 Summit
  • Contact
  • About
  • WEEKEND PICKS 2023

Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday has a new Feature-- A YouTube Channel

Don't worry, it is easy to find.  Just go to YouTube and search for Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday.

Check Out the YouTube Channel

Space: A New(ish) Queer Frontier by Rob Bittner

3/31/2021

4 Comments

 
Rob and I know each other causally because we have overlapping interests and friends. We often get the chance to exchange a few words at the ALAN Workshop if we don't run into each other at NCTE (Oh, those were the days, my friends.) I have always enjoyed his thoughtful comments on the state of YA literature. He is also clear minded about when the field is being inclusive enough and when it isn't. Last year (April of 2020) I invited Rob to take the month and select the Weekend Picks. He did a wonderful job and introduced me and others to several books that we might not have otherwise picked up.  This week Rob has a full post and once again he has done a topnotch job and provides some suggests that we should all be looking into--that is if you haven't already.

You can find Rob's previous Weekend Picks at this link. Just scroll down to April and you will find them.

Space: A New(ish) Queer Frontier
Gays in Space in YAL
Rob Bittner

​I really enjoy science fiction stories, particularly those set in space. Give me Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien—what I love is the possibility of looking beyond our earth-bound limitations and exploring whole new worlds. I’ve been watching these stories set in space since I was a little kid. But when I came out as gay and started thinking about LGBTQ+ representation in the media I consumed, I began to notice the absence of gay characters more and more. I couldn’t believe that in entire solar systems—entire galaxies!—there were no people like me to be found. So many people on starships and space quests and other planets, and no gay people anywhere. I felt alone and othered and as though someone like me wouldn’t exist in the future. People were trying to populate other planets or colonize space, and I guess gay people were unnecessary. It was incredibly disheartening. It was as if the vacuum of space somehow degayified people! (though that would have been very unfortunate for Sally Ride and her partner if that were true.)
 
But I digress. I’m here to talk about books, and ones that, like newer franchises such as Star Trek: Discovery, Killjoys, and The Expanse, acknowledge gender and sexual diversity elsewhere in the galaxy (and not just through a 0.5 second on-screen kiss between secondary characters. *cough* Star Wars *cough*).

Gays in Space in Young Adult Literature

Looking back at the history of LGBTQ+ young adult literature, it is clear that there has been a strong focus for many decades on realism. More recently, LGBTQ+ history has become the focus of a number of YA authors (just look at Like a Love Story by Abdi Nezemian, among other recent works.) And while LGBTQ+ YA has diversified into fantasy, mystery, horror, and many other genres over the years, one area where queer and trans characters don’t have a long history is in the realm of sci-fi, or more specifically, in space. So, I would like to highlight some books that feature LGBTQ+ characters in space or in relation to space travel. While the majority do feature male gay or bi characters, I have done my best to find and include representation beyond gay male individuals.
 
I also believe these texts offer teaching possibilities, and in particular, they offer the possibility to give young readers hope for a queer future—a future where LGBTQ+ people can thrive not only on earth and in reality, but in dreams and utopias. Jose Esteban Muñoz, in Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity, looks at the future through the concept of a “concrete utopia,” or a future that is “relational to historically situated struggles” (p. 3). He notes that “Utopia is not prescriptive; it renders potential blueprints of a world not quite here, a horizon of possibility, not a fixed schema” (p. 97). So while these YA texts are not necessarily setting up realistic futures, they do allow educators and youth readers to see potential in what the future can hold for LGBTQ+ people, including themselves, whether on earth, or out among the stars.
 
Without further ado, here we go!
Space Battle Lunchtime (Natalie Riess, 2016)
​
Peony is a baker on earth, who is called upon to be part of the Universe’s hottest reality TV show, Space Battle Lunchtime. She agrees to be a part of the show, but later learns that the show is filmed on location, in a spaceship. As she gets further into the competition, she realizes that her competitors are not beyond bending a few rules to get their way. Throughout the narrative, Peony has to ask herself if she is up to the challenges and the backstabbing. There is also a beautiful queer love story at the center this delicious graphic novel series that will make get readers’ hearts all aflutter. 
Picture
On the Edge of Gone (Corinne Duyvis, 2016)
 
A comet is on its way to earth and Denise and her family are assigned a temporary shelter, but they might not reach the shelter in time. A last-minute change in their journey leads them to a generation ship scheduled to leave earth, but will Denise, who is autistic, be able to prove her worth to the crew? Trans and queer secondary characters show the possibilities of a queer future in space, even if the majority of the narrative is grounded on planet earth.
Picture
The Disasters (M.K. England, 2018)
 
Nasir “Nax” Hall wants to be a space ship pilot. A really good one. But he’d somehow managed to fail his entrance exam, making his dream a lot less plausible than he’d hoped. But then the academy gets attacked and Nax and a group of “intergalactic wash-ups” because the only hope to save the universe from disaster. England’s novel is a delightful mix of science fiction, mystery, and adventure that features a cast of characters representing a number of genders and sexualities, all of which also intersect with race, class, and ability, among other components of identity. A story that goes beyond coming out tropes or struggles for acceptance.
Picture
​Hullmetal Girls (Emily Skrutskie, 2018)
 
Representing ace, trans, and pansexual experiences, this novel follows Aisha Un-Haad as she tries to protect her family and the Fleet (the name given to the collective of starships they all live on.) Meanwhile Key Tanaka, who is from the privileged section of the Fleet, wakes up as a cyborg soldier with little recollection of how she got there. Together, they must unite to stop a potential uprising. 
Picture
​On a Sunbeam (Tillie Walden, 2018)

A hard-to-describe, but absolutely phenomenal graphic novel about a group of teens who make up a reconstruction crew that travels through space to restore crumbling buildings. It may sound strange, but it works so well, and the sexual and gender diversity throughout the cast of characters is a beautiful sight to behold. Mia’s journey is central to the narrative, from falling in love with Grace, another girl at her all-girls boarding school, to losing her, and the ways that this loss affects her relationships with others in the present. This is a sensational and complex graphic novel that fans of sci-fi and fantasy will very much appreciate.
Picture
​The Weight of the Stars (K. Ancrum, 2019)
 
Ryann wants to travel through space but coming from a trailer park means she is unlikely to realize her dream. When she meets Alexandria and the two become more than friends, they spend their days trying to catch radio signals from Alexandria’s mother, who has embarked on a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system. Though not set in space, this narrative touches on intersections of race, class, and sexuality and the power of connection when it comes to a loved one flying off into space to seek possibilities for the future of humanity.
Picture
​The Gravity of Us (Phil Stamper, 2020)
 
This first one is cheating a bit because it doesn’t actually include space travel, but it does take place at NASA. So rather than “gays in space,” Stamper’s novel is more “gays talking about space.” Cal is a social media influencer with a lot of followers, who ends up heading to NASA with his parents, when his father is selected as a pilot for a mission to Mars. But when Cal meets Leon, another “Astrokid,” the two hit it off even as they discover some unfortunate truths about the Mars mission and have to sort out who to tell. A debut well worth exploring!
Picture
A Complicated Love Story Set in Spaceamzn.to/37dhRNs (Shaun David Hutchinson, 2021)
 
Noa wakes up in space, floating outside a ship called the Qriosity—which, of course, is about the explode—and he has no idea how he got there. Another boy named DJ is also aboard the ship, and he also can’t seem to remember how he arrived. The two boys find a girl named Jenny and together they work to figure out how they got into space, where they are, and how to get back home. Nothing is simple, and as they get closer to one another, Noa and DJ develop a connection deeper than friendship, but can it last? With his signature flair for the bizarre and the outlandish, Hutchinson’s novel is one that will both surprise and delight readers of all ages.
Picture
The Darkness Outside Us (Eliot Schrefer, 2021) [Coming in June]
​
Ambrose and Kodiak find themselves on a ship called the Coordinated Endeavor, on their way to rescue Ambrose’s sister from Titan. But things aren’t adding up. There seems to have been strangers on board at some point, and Kodiak is hiding away in a remote corner of the ship. Not only that, but Ambrose can’t remember getting onto the ship in the first place, and for some reason the ship’s computer is voiced by his mother. The boys need to survive the mission to Titan, but in order to do so, they need to work together, and in doing so they just might end up falling for each other.
Picture
Rob Bittner has a PhD in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (SFU), and is also a graduate of the MA in Children’s Literature program at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. He loves reading a wide range of literature, but particularly stories with diverse and intersectional depictions of gender and sexuality. You can read his work in The ALAN Review, Queer Studies in Media and Popular Culture, Bookbird, and The Journal of LGBT Youth, among other journals. You can find out more about him on his website (docrob.ca) or on Twitter (@r_bittner). ​
Picture
Photo Credit: Sonia Sones
Until next week.
4 Comments
Angel
7/29/2021 03:06:26 pm

How I Got My Husband back... Am so excited to share my testimony of a real spell caster who brought my husband back to me. My husband and I have been married for about 6 years now. We were happily married with two kids, a boy and a girl. 3 months ago, I started to notice some strange behavior from him and a few weeks later I found out that my husband is seeing someone else. He started coming home late from work, he hardly cared about me or the kids anymore, Sometimes he goes out and doesn't even come back home for about 2-3 days. I did all I could to rectify this problem but all to no avail. I became very worried and needed help. As I was browsing through the Internet one day, I came across a website that suggested that Dr. obodubu monday can help solve marital problems, restore broken relationships and so on. So, I felt I should give him a try. I contacted him and told him my problems and he told me what to do and I did it and he did a spell for me. 48 hours later, my husband came to me and apologized for the wrongs he did and promised never to do it again. Ever since then, everything has returned back to normal. My family is living together happily again.. All thanks to Dr. obodubu monday If you have any problem contact him and I guarantee you that he will help you. He will not disappoint you. you can WhatsApp him +2349058774809 or Email him at : :babadoctorobodubuspiritualhome@gmail.com

Reply
Angel
7/29/2021 03:07:07 pm

How I Got My Husband back... Am so excited to share my testimony of a real spell caster who brought my husband back to me. My husband and I have been married for about 6 years now. We were happily married with two kids, a boy and a girl. 3 months ago, I started to notice some strange behavior from him and a few weeks later I found out that my husband is seeing someone else. He started coming home late from work, he hardly cared about me or the kids anymore, Sometimes he goes out and doesn't even come back home for about 2-3 days. I did all I could to rectify this problem but all to no avail. I became very worried and needed help. As I was browsing through the Internet one day, I came across a website that suggested that Dr. obodubu monday can help solve marital problems, restore broken relationships and so on. So, I felt I should give him a try. I contacted him and told him my problems and he told me what to do and I did it and he did a spell for me. 48 hours later, my husband came to me and apologized for the wrongs he did and promised never to do it again. Ever since then, everything has returned back to normal. My family is living together happily again.. All thanks to Dr. obodubu monday If you have any problem contact him and I guarantee you that he will help you. He will not disappoint you. you can WhatsApp him +2349058774809 or Email him at : babadoctorobodubuspiritualhome@gmail.com

Reply
obodubu monday
7/29/2021 03:14:43 pm

Do You Need A Powerful Africa Native Doctor? I Mean A Spiritual Herbalist
With Great Spirit Connected To Ancestors. Call or WhatsApp +2349058774809 Dr Obodubu Monday Is A High Voodoo Priest Master. He is a Spell Caster, Native
Doctor, Spiritual Herbalist, Powerful Sickle cell Healer, Spiritual
Astrologer, Psychic Reader, Multi Guru, Witch Doctor, Priest Of Africa
Money Ritual.
Have You Been To Native Doctor to Native Doctor Without Any Solution To
Your Problems Or Rather Add To it? Have You Been To Place To Place In View
Of A Powerful Native Doctor That Can Solve All Your Predicament, You Must
Understand That There Is A Native Doctor That Supersede All Native Doctor
Among All Native Doctor, If You Are In Search Of A Powerful Native Doctor
With Great Spiritual Powers, Then You Must Be In Search Of A Native Doctor
That Derives Power From The Marine World. That Is The Spirituality Of The
Greatest Africa Native Doctor Obodubu.
Dr Obodubu Is Recognized All Over The World Of Marine Kingdom, As One
Of The Top Fortunate And Most Powerful Native Doctor Of Charms Casts From
The Beginning Of His Ancestors ship Until Now Dr who lives Strong
Among All Other Native Doctors, There Have Never Been Any Form Of
Impossibility Beyond The Control Of Dr Obodubu. It Doesn't Matter The
Distance Of The Person With The Problems Or Situation, All You Have To Do
Is Believe
In The Native Obodubu charms Casts That Works, He Always
Warns Never To Get His Charms Casts If You Do Not Believe Or Unable To
Follow His Instruction.
It Is The Assignment Of The Native Doctor Obodubu To Offer
Services To Those In Need Of Spiritual Assistance Not Minding The Gravity
Of Your Situations Or Distance As Long As Water, Sea, Ocean, Lake, River
Sand etc. Are Near You, Then Your Problems Of Life Would Be Controlled
Under Your Foot.
If You Need Any Spiritual Help On Any of These:
Get Your Lover Back
Fruit Of The Womb
Fibroid
Business Boom
Financial Breakthrough
Get Rich Without Ritual WhatsApp +2349058774809
Do As I Say
Bad Dream
Promise And Fail
Epilepsy
Spiritual Attack
Land/Court Case
Mental Disorder
Political Appointment
Visa Approval
Cancer
Examination Success
Spend And Get Back
Good Luck
Natural Health
Hypertension
Diabesity (Diabetic+Obesity
Stroke
Sickle Cell
Impotency
Win Court Case
Promotion At Work
Commanding Tone
Protection Ring
Marriage Success
Love Ring
Favour Ring
Recover Lost Glory
Spiritual Power For Men Of God
Travel Success Ring
Job Success
Lotto/Pool Win And Many More.
Make Haste To Call or WhatsApp Dr Obodubu Monday +2349058774809. Or Mail Him to
babadoctorobodubuspiritualhome@gmail.com For Spiritual Problem Today And
You Will Surely
Get Solution To All Your Predicament.
Email: babadoctorobodubuspiritualhome@gmail.com

Reply
helen paul
1/10/2023 12:18:26 am


HAPPY TESTIMONY OF HOW I GOT BACK MY HUSBAND THIS 2023...
I seriously cannot hide the joy and happiness I feel inside of me right now, I have been having issues with my relationship for some time now, My husband left me 2 weeks ago after 38 years of marriage. He left for a girl Over 20 years younger than him, life was very hard for me emotionally but I kept praying and believing in god..
I came in contact with this great man of god called DR. BALBOSA and all the problems in my relationship were gone, he casted a natural love spell and he brought back my husband after 24 hours of contacting him...
I will forever be grateful to DR. BALBOSA for his help..
CONTACT HIM BELOW:
WEBSITE: https://balbosasolutionhome.com
WHATSAPP/CALL ☎️☎️☎️ +1(780) 628-5506
GMAIL: balbosasolutionhome@gmail.com
YAHOOMAIL: balbosasolutionhome@yahoo.com

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Dr. Gretchen Rumohr
    Chief Curator
    Gretchen Rumohr is a professor of English and department chair at Aquinas College, where she teaches writing and language arts methods.   She is also a Co-Director of the UNLV Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature. She lives with her four girls and a five-pound Yorkshire Terrier in west Michigan.

    Dr. Steve Bickmore
    ​Creator and Curator

    Dr. Bickmore is a Professor of English Education at UNLV. He is a scholar of Young Adult Literature and past editor of The ALAN Review and a past president of ALAN. He is a available for speaking engagements at schools, conferences, book festivals, and parent organizations. More information can be found on the Contact page and the About page.

    Co-Edited Books

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Chris-lynch

    Blogs to Follow

    Ethical ELA
    nerdybookclub
    NCTE Blog
    yalsa.ala.org/blog/

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly