Dispatch from the American Library Association Conference

In June, I participated in a marathon of queer book hunting. Let me tell you about it.

You may not know this, but librarians have an association, called the American Library Association. It’s a way for us to share information and learn together.

I was able to attend part of the ALA Annual Conference this year, which ran from June 25-29, 2026. On Sunday and Monday I trolled the exhibit floor, where publishers and organizations gather to share information with each other, including the latest releases. 

When I tell you this exhibit floor is HUGE, I mean huge. Rows and rows of booths with authors, artists, publishers, organizations, library school representatives, vendors…. It just keeps going. 

Of course, I was on the hunt for the queer books. 

One of the things I love about this conference is the books I find there are not always new. Sometimes publishers will bring a book that has been out for a few years that I hadn’t read yet, or heard about. It’s a chance for me to hear publishers get excited about their own work, and surface titles I might otherwise have missed. 

Authors also come to do signings and talks, which gives librarians a chance to hear about their work directly from the source.

I wanted to use this column to tell you about a few publishers I am really excited about, who are doing important work publishing LGBTQ+ books. 

One great panel I went to on the exhibit floor, called “LGBTQ+ and Us: Queer Titles from Independent Publishers” gathered many of these cool people into one room to talk about independent publishing and the successes so far.

Without further ado, here are three publishers you should know about: 

Silver Sprocket

Silver Sprocket is based in San Francisco, CA, and is focused on comic books, graphic novels, zines, and related arts. It’s probably not surprising to learn that many of the works they publish are queer and/or written by queer people.

One of the things I like about them is that work published through them stays 100 percent artist-owned, which is very cool. 

I learned about Silver Sprocket through coming across one of their beautiful wonderful trans graphic novels, The Chromatic Fantasy, by H.A. It’s about a trans man, Jules, who makes a deal with the devil to escape his life as a nun. He settles in for a life of crime and meets his lover Casper, another trans man. Sounds gay, doesn’t it… :) 

This book has the most lovely medieval stained-glass portrait drawing style. The colors are so rich and beautiful and I love all of the adventures these two go on through the book. 

Another book I wanted to highlight is the Abortion Pill Zine, a short zine created by Isabella Rotman and Marnie Galloway, that explains using the pills mifepristone and misoprostol for abortion. This is information for normal people – not scientists – and it’s delivered with care. The authors make sure that you feel supported and respected in whatever decision you make. We need more zines like this one!

One of Silver Sprocket’s newer releases is Demon Faggots Issue 1, out June 30. Though I haven’t read my way through this yet I’ve seen some of the art and what can I even say? It’s awesome. 

Description from the publisher:

 “Welcome to the the raucous, raunchy, relatable first chapter of Demon Faggots, following the misadventures of a demon named Fred, his best friend Jonathan, and his overly sexual flatmate, Butt Daemon.

Fred is heartbroken and recently graduated from art school. Butt Daemon is a horny critique of bad gays, our worst instincts on a high fibre diet. Insatiable, flamboyant, hairy.

Demon Faggots Issue 1 is the perfect mini-comic amuse-bouche to prepare your palate for 2027's, deluxe hardcover release of Demon Faggots XL.”

LittlePuss Press

Y’all, LittlePuss Press is doing incredible work. Walking up to their table I was sweating trying to keep my cool, etc. etc. 

LittlePuss Press is a feminist press run by trans women. Their tag line is simple, yet effective: “We believe in printing on paper, intensive editing, and throwing lots of parties.” It sums up their general vibe.

Somehow the people who run LittlePuss Press have other jobs at the same time. I actually do not know how that’s possible. But I digress. 

You may have heard about LittlePuss’s book that’s getting some buzz, Plastic, Prism, Void: Part One by Violet Allen. 

This part of the book description is captivating: “Combining Sailor Moon, Sex and the City, and House of Leaves, this riotous enemies-to-lovers romantasy roars off the page in the genre-exploding, galaxy-spanning, quick-quipping retro nostalgia futuristic thrill ride of a lifetime. Give in, succumb (you know you want to) to the unstoppable world of Plastic, Prism, Void.”

If you want to get ahead of the curve and pre-order one of their releases, can I suggest Shut Up, I Love You, I'll Call You Tomorrow by Sloane Murphy? The book will be released on Nov. 10, 2026. I do have an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this one, so I can vouch that it is SO GOOD. 

It’s a series of interconnected stories of a set of trans women living in Chicago. I love their messy lives, the way they care for each other, but in really imperfect ways. 

I love that they get to be real people with real personalities, and that the book isn’t focused on trans women coming out! No shade to stories that focus on that, but we have plenty of them. This book offers something different. And that something different is gritty, and funny, and heartbreaking and beautiful.

Red Hen Press

Okay last one: Red Hen Press, which was founded in San Fernando Valley to support overlooked authors. They are actually more than 30 years old, which is exciting for an independent publisher. Their mission is: “to publish works of literary excellence, to foster diversity, and to promote literacy in our local schools.” Hell yeah. 

They also host an award for queer literature called the Quill Prose Award.

I have a few books to mention by them: 

Nine Grudges: The Spiteful Origins of the Happiest Dyke on Earth by Molly McCloy is next on my TBR. It’s available for pre-order, and comes out on September 8, 2026. A memoir, which sounds at turns exciting and emotionally devastating, involves Molly confronting her abusive father.

The next book I have to mention is another memoir, but it’s so good that I didn’t want to leave it out. Dreams in Which I'm Almost Human by Hannah Soyer is so creative and emotional. 

I found myself highlighting so many quotes from this book to reflect on later, and I read many of the quotes out loud to my partner. 

This book is genre defying, so do not expect it to be a typical linear memoir. I loved that aspect, and it felt fresh to me, as someone who reads a lot of memoirs. 

Soyer talks about her experiences with such raw emotion and vulnerability that this book surfaced some big feelings in me by reading it. 

For people who feel frustrated by ableism, especially around the COVID-19 pandemic, reading this book pulls those deep, hurt feelings up from the depths of your heart and brings them into the light. I highly recommend this book.

So if you are looking for your next queer read, I recommend these three publishers! You won’t regret supporting an indie press! And you can do that through checking them out at the library, purchasing the book, telling your friends and reviewing them online. It all helps.

Disclaimer: The links in this story go to my affiliate shop at Bookshop.org. I own a pop-up 2SLGBTQIA+ focused store in C-U called Carnation Bookhouse. There’s no pressure to buy these books from me. Get them at the library for free if buying books is not in your means!