The Light Looks Like Me
The Light Looks Like Me
By the young writers of Shout Mouse Press
“…a balm for loneliness and validation amid an increasingly hostile political climate for LGBTQ+ Americans…” —Booklife
“Powerful, affirming, and important reading for young people and the adults in their lives.”—Kirkus Reviews
Amidst an increasingly fraught regime where assaults on queer and trans rights are leveraged for conservative political clout, the voices of queer youth are more important than ever. In this anthology, 28 DC-area writers aged 13-24 share their thoughts, feelings and vulnerability through poems, stories, comics, and art exploring love in all its forms. Running the gamut from self-love, to romance, and the love they show to their family, friends, and community, their work will resonate with readers of all ages. With authors representing varied sexualities and gender identities, as well as diverse ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds, this tender anthology offers hope and validation to queer young people and cultivates greater understanding in supportive allies. Foreword by award-winning YA author Malinda Lo.
This project was created in partnership with The DC Center for the LGBT Community, Sasha Bruce Youthwork, SMYAL, and Split This Rock.
ISBN: 9781950807833
Age: 12+
Page Count: 192
Published: 2025
“In a time when heartlessness, greed, and hate are not just rampant, but elected, these words are lanterns and fireworks in the dark.”
—Danez Smith
“A celebration of marginalized youth voices that refuse to be unheard or forgotten.”
—Roya Marsh
“In a time when heartlessness, greed, and hate are not just rampant, but elected, these words are lanterns and fireworks in the dark. May reading this anthology not only wrap you in the sanctuary of queer love, but may it be a reminder of exactly what is at stake. Love will always defeat evil; these pieces are testimonies and psalms of that truth.”
—Danez Smith, author of Homie
“This unflinching anthology pulls the truths about queerness, love, and the indelible power of healing. Every piece brings us a step closer to an all encompassing definition of love as an act of resistance. These young writers refuse to stay quiet in the face of silencing and censorship. The Light Looks Like Me is the soundtrack of resilience and an anthem for survival.”
—Roya Marsh, author of dayliGht and savings time
“My closeted-gay inner child found healing here. The Light Looks Like Me is a masterful anthology of lyrical language about love in all its infinite forms. These brilliant and brave youth voices are a salve for any person in search of poetic stories that will inspire hope, joy, grace, and freedom. It is truly a bright and sparkling literary gem.”
—Tony Keith Jr., author of Knucklehead and How the Boogeyman Became a Poet
“The Light Looks Like Me is meaningful, moving, and often surprising as it explores different experiences of queer love.”
—IndieReader
“Within these pages are voices and worlds that bristle with honey and remind us that beauty, like love, is everywhere and undeniable. I'm so grateful for how many of these voices have come together, they are an abundance that rivals the sky herself.”
—Julian Randall, author of Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa
Meet the Authors
Young people from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum came together to explore what love looks like to them, in all its iterations. This anthology was dreamed as a response to book bans nationwide targeting literature featuring LGBTQIA+ characters and themes, and the related silencing of these voices and conversations. With the help of local queer teaching artists, young writers and artists responded to that call through poetry, prose, comics, art, and more. Their work shows us the love that they find everywhere: in their friends and family, their communities, and bubbling through their brilliant selves. Learn more.
