Really sad news this autumn, as my friend Jennifer Steil has passed away. We first met in New York at the 2015 Bisexual Book Awards, where my novel The Giddy Death and her novel The Ambassador’s Wife were finalists. As a gangly introvert I’ve never been very comfortable when placed in crowds of strangers, but chatting with Jennifer instantly put me at ease. I also fell in love with her prose, and was delighted when 2020 saw the release of her second novel, Exile Music.
Me and Jennifer in London, 2022
Jennifer was a warm, curious, and kind person who lived an absolutely fascinating life, and of course her adventures made their way into her stories. In her memory, I thoroughly recommend reading The Ambassador’s Wife and Exile Music. She also has a memoir, The Woman Who Fell from the Sky. The world was all the richer for her presence. Her works are a blessing.
You can read more about Jennifer and her books by clicking the link here.
Big Boat – the story of an endless cruise
It feels trite to post about my own works in light of Jennifer’s passing, but my short story ‘Big Boat’ was recently published in Fiction on the Web. It’s a tale that combines trans identity and class division with anti-ageing technology, all against the backdrop of the world’s largest luxury liner.
“Abdur is content with his life serving the world's immortal elite on a never-ending cruise, until he meets the person at the head of the whole operation.”
I’m especially proud of this one, which you can read in its entirety at this link.
Non-binary gaming
I’m also proud of an article that just released in Mothership. I haven’t written much about my gaming life before, but in light of my current gender change I’ve been thinking about all the ways my non-binary nature burst out while I was growing up. Especially when playing video games. Along with books, they were the ultimate escapist outlet, one that allowed me to become a whole other person. It was a dream for a queer enby kid.
“It all started with Street Fighter 2 Turbo on the Super Nintendo…”
This article is a deeply personal one, and it’s apparently resonated with a lot of trans+ readers. Growing up without having words for what you are is an intensely isolating experience, so it means the world to share this with other people. You can read the piece by clicking this link.
Story Hour
Reading live on the Story Hour podcast meant waking up at 3am and being camera-ready by 4 – but it was so incredible worthwhile. I was delighted to read one of my favourite stories, ‘Big Boat’, and can’t thank hosts Daniel Marcus and Laura Blackwell enough for what turned out to be a fantastic (and coffee-fueled) time. It was also wonderful to listen to fellow author Deborah L. Davitt narrate her stories for the show.
There’s more coming, but that’s all from me for now. Do pick up one of Jennifer’s books and allow yourself to get lost in her writing. There’s no better way to remember an author.
- Redfern
