Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester is happy to shine our Friday Spotlight on Sarah Prager, speaker of LGBTQIA history, author of Queer, There, and Everywhere, and developer of the Quist app. We were excited to host Sarah during Pride Month in June, and now we are thrilled to have her return to 65 James Street for Worcester Pride week on Sunday, September 10, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM!
In June, we sold out of Sarah’s books, so we do recommend pre-orders to secure your signed copy!
Thank you so much for joining us, Sarah! Can you please tell us briefly a little about yourself and your writing? How would you like us to introduce you?
I came out as lesbian when I was 14 and being part of the LGBTQ community has been an incredible, happy part of my life. My wife and I became moms this year and birthing both a baby and a book at the same time has been exciting—and the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I write almost exclusively on LGBTQ topics, mostly LGBTQ history. There are so many fascinating and important stories from our queer ancestors that too many people haven’t had the opportunity to learn and it’s my mission to share them in a fun way.
What can readers expect fromQueer, There, and Everywhere?
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World is my new YA book that tells the true stories of 23 of the queer people from the 200s to the 2000s who have inspired me most. They are inventors, activists, politicians, athletes, soldiers—there’s a Mexican nun, a Swedish queen, a Roman emperor, a NYC Franciscan friar, and an American President. My favorite part is how you get to know each person so intimately—who they had a crush on, how they felt about their gender identity, who they slept with, what they wrote in their diaries and letters about their feelings. Each story is only about six pages long so it is a quick read, definitely not an academic history book.
What does your writing space look like? What do you need to have around you while writing or editing?
While I was writing this book, I sat on a futon in my apartment’s kitchen or the couch in the living room – I was pregnant and trying to stay comfy. On days I was feeling well enough, I went to my local library to write. Wherever I was, it was just me, a laptop, and a high stack of books for research.
Writers very often have furry or feathered or otherwise non-human companions to “help” them through their work. Do you? What do you have? How do they “help” (or, “not-help”) with your writing?
Oh, yes! My wife and I have three cats: Nemo, Moo, and Alanna. They all sat on me (helpful) or meowed at me (not helpful) while writing Queer, There, and Everywhere. Actually my wife’s one request was that I make sure I mention them in my book jacket bio – She cared about that much more than how I dedicated the whole book to her!
Where can people find your work? (Besides ABSW ;)–though they should totally check here first!)
ABSW for sure! For extra info about Queer, There, and Everywhere and links to all my online writing, visit www.sarahprager.com.
How can we follow your work, share your awesomeness, or otherwise stalk you in a totally non-creepy way?
Thank you again for being on our blog, Sarah, and we look forward to seeing you at our 65 James Street store on Sunday, September 10, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM!
Annie's Book Stop of Worcester 