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LGBTQ Literature: My Farewell (With Gratitude and Optimism) [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-04-27

Good evening, faithful LGBTQ Literature readers. I’ve been a little nervous to write this diary, because it’s a big step to take, even though it is the right one.

As I’m sure you’ve gathered from the title, I have decided to step away from my editorial duties at this series. Those who have been following along for a while know that I’ve struggled to keep churning out quality content. The truth is that my life path has changed considerably since I first started writing for (and then editing) this series. These past few years have been chaotic and destabilizing—both politically and personally. I wrote about my personal path over the last few years in this diary. That was written before the November election, and I have to admit that I’ve unraveled considerably in the months since (as many of us have). I’m working to pull myself out of this funk or rut or whatever you want to call it. But in the meantime, I have almost no bandwidth. Writing diaries has been difficult because of life circumstances in general, but these days, it’s nearly impossible. At least, it feels that way.

But it goes beyond that. I’ve had a lot of time to ruminate and think about what I want to do with my time with the little energy I have left. And I have to be honest with myself: I am no longer an LGBTQ historian. Maybe in a technical sense, but my professional path has veered into other directions. My job—which is my dream job and what I plan to do until I either retire or get shitcanned for what I teach—is teaching at a community college. I’m not teaching specialized classes, and I don’t have time for (nor do I get paid to do) research. I’ve become much more of a generalist, and less a “historian” and more a teacher of history. And that’s what I enjoy doing. LGBTQ history is certainly part of what I do, but the reality is that I just don’t have the space in my life anymore to delve into LGBTQ historiography, at least not to the extent that I once did. When I started at LGBTQ Literature, I was a grad student specializing in LGBTQ history. Much has changed since then, which is why diaries lately have been so difficult for me to write.

This past month, something snapped inside of me. I finally realized—or, accepted might be the better word to use—that this isn’t the role for me anymore. In truth, I probably should have stepped away months ago. But this series has become my baby. And I want to be clear: I still very much value this series and find it to be of great importance (which is why I’ve tried to keep at it for so long). It’s hard to step away. But sometimes the hard thing is the right thing, and this is without a doubt the right thing for me to do.

This will be my last diary as editor for this series. I’m not shutting the door to writing for the series in the future, but somebody else will have to take the lead. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up writing more because the pressure is off (certainly not promising that, though!). I’m not going to apologize or walk away in shame or something. I’m stepping away with my head held high, and I’m proud of what this series has done over the years. Beyond that, I’m optimistic about the future of this series. I don’t know where it will go exactly, but I’m excited to find out.

I want to thank everybody involved with this series. Thank you to the many writers over the years. Thank you to Brecht for being so kind and encouraging in his role at Readers & Book Lovers. Thank you to Readers & Book Lovers for having a space for this series. But, most of all, thank you to all of you faithful readers who have kept this series afloat for so long. You’ve given me energy, inspiration, and motivation. I know you’ll do the same for whoever steps into this role in my place.

I don’t have any further specifics to share about the future of this series right now, although I think we’re going to be able to find a replacement. The transition period might take some time, so please be patient, but keep an eye out. While we transition to new leadership, I will continue to facilitate the writing of new diaries as long as we have people willing to write. So, if you want to write for any of our 2025 dates, please let me know by sending me a kosmail or commenting below.

Thank you again, and farewell—for now, at least!

READERS & BOOK LOVERS SERIES SCHEDULE

If you’re not already following Readers and Book Lovers, please go to our homepage (link), find the top button in the left margin, and click it to FOLLOW GROUP. Thank You and Welcome, to the most followed group on Daily Kos. Now you’ll get all our R&BLers diaries in your stream.

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