My journey into the expanse of the lyric essay began when I opened Maggie Nelson’s Bluets. At that time, I had been writing poetry for over ten years, exploring motherhood, mental health, and my Asian American heritage. I saw my work as lyric poetry that drew from the bloodlines of my first love, Sharon Olds, and her transformative poem, “Monarchs.”
Six opinionated writers debate and define the state of L.G.B.T.Q. writing in order to make a list of the most essential works of fiction, poetry and drama right now.