We often focus on biographies and autobiographies that serve as reports on trans life. Just as trans lives are not straightforward, however, the stories of trans people don’t always come in the form of objective nonfiction–particularly not trans writing.
“Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution” by Earthworm. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In New York Times article “The Coming of Age of Transgender Literature,” journalist Peter Haldeman profiles this way of writing as “worldbuilding by poetry” while rooted in “kitchen sink realism.” Trans writing flirts with the creativity trans people depend on in deciding how to present themselves and the danger that makes this conscious–and often secretive–creativity integral. Trans storytelling that embraces the enchanting but limited living trans people do is both inspired and inspirational.
The best way to read trans literature is through trans literary magazines. Most trans literary magazines are hidden from mainstream view while being available online for free. Below, four such magazines are linked and explained.
Butter Press
Butter Press, started in 2018, is a trans- and queer-centered online literary magazine. Defined by its pink palette and suggestive visual art, the online platform accepts submissions of poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art.
To peruse each issue, you just need to click on the issue name (“B1,” “B2,” etc.) and an artist’s or writer’s name to see their contribution. Each issue has upwards of fifteen creators profiled.
Name & None
Name & None describes itself as “a magazine and creative network built on the work of trans/nonbinary creators,” and no better description exists than that. Throughout their first three issues of photography, comics, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, the three editors and guest reader have curated a pastel preview of trans intimacy and ball culture for both online and print audiences.
Their fourth issue, “Black Trans Power,” is scheduled to come out soon.
#EnbyLife
Nonbinary people are accepted by trans magazines but also have a literary journal where they can express themselves: #EnbyLife (pronounced like the letters “n” and “b”).
#EnbyLife began as a ‘zine in 2016 and has turned into a formidable blog publication regularly running nonbinary-specific trans literature. That includes
poetry including text and visual poems, essays, non-fiction, short stories, flash fiction and micro fiction, comics, artwork and illustrations, audio such as slam poems and music, RPGs and text-based games, digital zines, hybrid and experimental pieces.
In addition to the plethora of genres offered on their site, #EnbyLife also is notable for paying its contributors.
beestung magazine
Similar to #EnbyLife, beestung also centers nonbinary creators and is able to pay them for their contributions. This online “micro-magazine” curated and edited by a Nanticoke artist and poet also extends its invitation for poetry,
“Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to RuPaul” by Earthworm. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
fiction, creative nonfiction, and art to Two-Spirit peoples, who traditionally do not fall under the trans umbrella as nonbinary people do.
Through both its burnt sienna and black color scheme and its modus operandi, beestung emulates the bee that inspires its name. The magazine emphasizes stories that look at the structure of nonbinary and Two-Spirit communities and how individuality and solidarity play into these non-cisgender lives.
Again, all of these examples of trans literary magazines are available for free online. If you want to know how to understand trans people, consider these resources that are full of trans people making sense of–and meaning from–themselves in ways that channels their creativity and reveals the ways that they survive and thrive.
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