Gay Ass Families
02/13/24 • 40 min
In this episode, AGG and Sergio discuss Sonora’s love for Ballet Folklórico, fan fiction, their mixed feelings with Catholicism, the fear of being a queer youth and experiencing homelessness, the possibility of a follow-up book, struggling in school, and the need for community.
About the Author: @sonora.reyes
Sonora Reyes is a queer second-generation Mexican American who attended a Catholic high school. They write fiction full of queer and Latinx characters in a variety of genres. Sonora is also the creator and host of #QPOCChat, a monthly community-building Twitter chat for queer writers of color. They currently live in Arizona, in a multi-generational family home with a small pack of dogs who run the place.
About the Book: The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School
Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she's gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way.
After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don't fall in love. Granted, she's never been great at any of those things, but that's a problem for Future Yami.
The thing is, it's hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. So cute. Either way, Yami isn't going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she'll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do?
Author Recommended Playlist:
Hozier - Take Me To Church
Hayley Kiyoko - Sleepover
Lauren Aquilina - Sinners
Connect with Los Bookis!
@Los.Bookis.Podcast
@adriangaston.garcia
@que_viva_sergio_lopez
In this episode, AGG and Sergio discuss Sonora’s love for Ballet Folklórico, fan fiction, their mixed feelings with Catholicism, the fear of being a queer youth and experiencing homelessness, the possibility of a follow-up book, struggling in school, and the need for community.
About the Author: @sonora.reyes
Sonora Reyes is a queer second-generation Mexican American who attended a Catholic high school. They write fiction full of queer and Latinx characters in a variety of genres. Sonora is also the creator and host of #QPOCChat, a monthly community-building Twitter chat for queer writers of color. They currently live in Arizona, in a multi-generational family home with a small pack of dogs who run the place.
About the Book: The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School
Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she's gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way.
After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don't fall in love. Granted, she's never been great at any of those things, but that's a problem for Future Yami.
The thing is, it's hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. So cute. Either way, Yami isn't going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she'll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do?
Author Recommended Playlist:
Hozier - Take Me To Church
Hayley Kiyoko - Sleepover
Lauren Aquilina - Sinners
Connect with Los Bookis!
@Los.Bookis.Podcast
@adriangaston.garcia
@que_viva_sergio_lopez
Previous Episode
Gay Ass Voices
Fresh off winning the National Book Award for Fiction, AGG and Sergio engage in an insightful conversation with Justin Torres. Together they explore the boldness of Jan Gay, the absurdity of the Puerto Rican Syndrome, the march towards death, their gay ass voices, the magic of Disco, and their mutual love for Justin’s debut masterpiece - “We The Animals.”
About the author:
Justin Torres is the author of We the Animals, which won the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, and was translated into fifteen languages, and was adapted into a feature film. His short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Granta, Tin House, and The Washington Post. He lives in Los Angeles and is an associate professor of English at UCLA. In November 2023, Justin Torres won the National Book Award for Fiction for his novel, “Blackouts.”
Connect with Justin at https://justin-torres.com/ or follow him on Instagram at @justin_torres_books.
Author Recommended Playlist:
The Rolling Stones - Paint it Black
La Lupe
Connect with us at @Los.Bookis.Podcast
@adriangaston.garcia
@que_viva_sergio_lopez
Next Episode
An Extraordinary Life | Jaquira Díaz, Ordinary Girls
In this episode, AGG and Sergio engage in a conversation with Jaquira Díaz delving into topics such as monsters, how the world sees women’s bodies, how your friends become your family, rebelling against authority, reconciling with family, being sluts for books and how to live now.
About the Author: @jaquiradiaz
Jaquira Díaz was born in Puerto Rico. Her work has been published in the New York Times Style Magazine, the Guardian, Longreads, Conde Nast Traveler, and included in The Best American Essay of 2016. She is the recipient of a Whiting Award, two Pushcart Prizes, an Elizabeth George Foundation grant, and fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Kenyon Review, and the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing. She splits her time between Montreal and Miami Beach with her partner, the writer Lars Horn.
About the Book:
While growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, Jaquira Díaz found herself caught between extremes. As her family split apart and her mother battled schizophrenia, she was supported by the love of her friends. As she longed for a family and home, her life was upended by violence. As she celebrated her Puerto Rican culture, she couldn’t find support for her developing sexual identity. Díaz writes with raw and refreshing honesty, triumphantly mapping a way out of despair toward love and hope to become her version of the girl she always wanted to be.
Author Recommended Playlist:
Missy Elliot - Work It
La Lupe - La Tirana
Hector Lavoe - Un Amor de la Calle
Connect with Los Bookis!
@Los.Bookis.Podcast
@adriangaston.garcia
@que_viva_sergio_lopez
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