The Mythic Power of Your Queer Story
J.M. Tolcher’s “Poof, ” and how your story can be a roadmap and lifesaver for others trying to survive in a dangerously homophobic world
I have, countless times, turned to queer memoir for inspiration and a roadmap to navigate my own journey. From Timothy Conigrave’s Holding the Man to JVN’s Over the Top, queer memoir has helped me reclaim my own self-love and courage. There are countless other examples by lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender writers.
Beyond reading the lives of others, I have written my own stories for Prism & Pen and other publications as a way of tapping the deep well of pain and struggle to transmute it into my own empowerment. This is the power of queer writing — telling your story can change your own life and that of others.
Queer fiction and film has an important place too, but there’s something viscerally more powerful in reading memoir. There’s a realness that can’t be escaped; a truth that penetrates the heart.
J.M. Tolcher’s “Poof”
I recently came across J.M. Tolcher’s debut memoir, Poof. I devoured it in 24 hours, and his story hasn’t left me since. Tolcher has not only delivered a powerful memoir, but also provided inspiration for how to go about…
