Visibility
Today is Trans Visibility Day. Tomorrow1 is the first night of Passover.
Last weekend was No Kings. I have a book coming out in five weeks. My calendar is…full.
And full of mixed feelings. Visibility is great, but the politics of being visible — and having to be visible — are always complicated and are especially complicated for trans people, many of whom want not to be visible2, and of course a person should not need to be visible to be treated like a person.
No Kings was also quite visible. We met friends then lost them almost as soon as we started marching. So. Many. People.

The first anti-Tr*mp march, right after he was inaugurated the first time, was three days before This Is How It Always Is came out. That book, also about trans visibility, was at first met with some vitriol but more love. Then it started to feel dated for a while, in the best possible way. Then I wrote three more books. Now, here on the cusp of Enormous Wings, we’re still marching, still angry, still visible, and This Is How It Always Is — and its outlandish3 premise that trans kids are also kids and also worthy of love and celebration — is timely and edgy yet again. In the worst possible way. That we’re still out here marching and chanting and reading and writing whole-ass books and being visible AF often causes me despair. But the fact that we’ve faced what we’ve faced since January 2017 but keeping showing up in all sorts of ways anyway? I mean, it’s breathtaking.
Enormous Wings is not a political book, but it’s definitely got some political elements because its characters are living in the same maddening world you are, and they’re also, rightly, pissed. Being characters in a novel, however, they have narrative justice at their disposal, and I hope it will be a balm for your soul. I hope it will also be a different way of thinking about some of the same shit. In response to some comers, I’ve been a little apologetic about not excising all the politics from this novel in order to make it more, I don’t know, escapist I guess? But I’m trying not to apologize. It’s not my fault the powers-that-be are assholes. To review from an earlier missive, “we die on the march,” but the only alternative is not to march at all. And that alternative is not presently available to us.

Meantime, if you’re also feeling fierce and unapologetic and want to win a free copy of Enormous Wings, you’ve got eight days left to enter. I don’t think they’re going to send it to you before the book comes out though, so it might be just as fast to preorder it (somewhat less free but does come with my undying gratitude).
And book tour! The best thing about book tour is getting to see all of you in person. The worst thing about book tour is if you don’t come. So please come! Bring your book club. Bring a friend. Bring your grandparents or your grandchildren or your children’s grandparents. I promise to make it worth your while. All that said, book tour plans are still in progress — I’ll know more next time and keep you posted — but here’s for starters:
Cannon Beach, OR | Get Lit at the Beach | Apr 17-19
Seattle | Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park) | Tues. May 5 | 7pm | Launch with local legend Karen Maeda Allman
Poulsbo, WA| Liberty Bay Books | Wed. May 6 | Details soon
Nashville | Parnassus Books | Thurs. May 7 | 6:30pm with (can’t wait to meet her in person finally) Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy)
Plano, TX | Bibliobar | Fri. May 8 | Details soon
Seattle | Central Library | Wed. May 13 | 7pm with the unparalleled Nancy Pearl
Gaithersburg, MD | Gaithersburg Book Festival | Sat. May 16 | Details soon
Richmond, VA | Conversations From a Page | Mon. June 1 | 5-7pm | Details soon
Baltimore | Charm City Books | Thurs. June 4 | 6:30 pm
Brainerd, MN | Wine and Words | July 30 & 31
So I hope to see you very soon. In the meantime, happy Passover, happy Easter, happy Trans Day of Visibility, happy No Kings, happy reading.
Love Laurie
In fact, yesterday and this evening, respectively, by the time you read this.
At least not visibly trans.
Sarcasm, in case that wasn’t clear


So cool that you'll be talking with Anne Bogel! And we'd love to see you in Michigan! Perhaps at Literati or at one of the truly fabulous Ann Arbor District Library branches?!
Thanks for this.