Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales

In March we'll soothe our spirits with Melanie Gillman’s (they/them) Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales, a graphic novel for young adult readers. The stories spotlight LGBTQIA+ characters with an emphasis on women and nonbinary/transgender protagonists (frequently not specified). Instead of tired fantasy tropes, Gillman offers themes such as agency, community, acceptance, romance, and self-reflection, all wrapped up with queerness. The tales still have all the elements of the fantasy genre -- knights, princesses, magical creatures, quests -- with a new, refreshing flavor. Melanie Gillman is a cartoonist and colored pencil artist who specializes in LGBTQ books for kids and teens. They are the creator of the Stonewall Honor Award-winning graphic novel As The Crow Flies (Iron Circus Comics, 2017), as well as Stage Dreams (Lerner/Graphic Universe, 2019). Gillman’s art is soft, rich, and colorful. They convey emotion and detail beautifully. Booklist praises Other Ever Afters as "a work of fresh twists and many queer happily-ever-afters for all lovers of fairy tales." Published in 2022, it is 240 pages long and available in local libraries as well online sources.