What an anthology! This takes a deep look into voices across the spectrum who all share their experiences being both fat and queer. A collection of short stories and poems, this causes the reader to not only check their own biases and prejudices, but helps to shine a light on aspects that many people would prefer to avoid.

Every piece was nuanced and unique and I found myself getting lost in the prose. We are so quick to read things that don't usually challenge our own ideas which is why this one is pretty important. As with all anthologies, a reader will not connect with every single text included, and that's okay. What is important about this anthology is that each one offers a unique perspective and experience that is just as vital as the others.

I did notice that most of the short stories seemed to end abruptly, with me wishing for there to be more. It almost seemed like they were ended prematurely. I wished that some of them could be developed further or edited differently. I think this would have strengthened the cohesion from piece to piece.

Overall, I thought this was a well-constructed collection that should be added to the queer canon. If one thing is taken away from this, it's that this anthology shows that all voices and experiences are worthy and necessary.

4 stars.

I've yet to read a book by this publisher which didn't ultimately change the way I think about things, and that winning streak hasn't changed with this book. Like most anthologies, there are pieces here which resonated more strongly than others, and the poetry in particular often felt a bit lacking, but the book as a whole was full of incredibly varied perspectives and a bunch of authors I'd like to read more from.

There are ideas in here that I know I still need to wrangle with and unlearn; as an example, there were several issues in here on the 'gainer' kink/fetish, which I have to admit I still don't understand, but then I suppose we should again ask ourselves whether we need to understand something in order to accept it. There were several pieces in here that I admit chafed with things I've thought and believed to be true without questioning them for a long time, based on my own experiences and position of privilege as a thin person, and it often made me uncomfortable to confront my own prejudices. This is by no means a complaint, but rather quite the opposite. It's a book which covers taboos and prejudices that are ingrained even in those of us who generally think of ourselves as being pretty tolerant and accepting, and for that reason it was often a tricky read, but I think that makes it more rewarding. I finished this book several days ago but the points raised are still percolating in my brain. I think I need to reread it a few times and then do some further reading on lots of the points it raised.

All of that is to say that this book worked particularly well, in my opinion, because it confronts topics that are so rarely written about from a firsthand perspective; I've never read essays that aren't essentially tabloid pieces about several of the issues here, and I'm glad to have had my existing biases questioned. I hope a lot of people read it.

Content Warning: eating disorders,abusive relationships and deadnaming.
A decent book full of good stories but also A LOT of typos and dangerous life lessons but most of them end in learning to love their own bodies.

What a delightful collection of ruminations on the complexity of fatness in the queer experience. As is the case with (nearly) every anthology, not everything can be your cup of tea. However, the overall reading experience was superb. There were many moments when an author would describe a childhood experience of secreting a snack or pulling down a shirt and I felt infinitely seen.

While the anthology as a whole is quite the pleasure, I feel there are some tonal shifts that can be a bit jarring for the reader. An editorial voice that provided some framing for each movement might have helped in navigating these many and varied fat-queer voices.

Some stand out offerings (in order of appearance) are as follows: "Faithful Food" by Ruth Gibbs, "The Gender Nonconformity of My Fatness" by Caleb Luna, "A Fat Lot of Good That Did: How an Art Studio Transformed My Eyes" by Jerome Stueart, "F-Words" and "Grown" by Jonathan Hillman, "Seven Unsated Appetites" by Your Fat Friend, "The Haunted House" by Bruce Owen Grimm, and "The Trash Heap Has Spoken" by Carmen Maria Machado.

Would highly recommend for anyone wanting to know more about fatness in queer experiences. Four stars.

Oh, how this made my heart sing! Reading the title, I knew this was a book I was dying to read and I'm so glad I gave in. Being fat and queer myself, most of the representation I see for myself is one or the other and very rarely both major aspects of me at the same time. Reading the stories, essays and poems from people who were the same as me, the same two things I very rarely see together, was so refreshing and I had no choice but to sit there and finish this book in one session. While I couldn't relate to everything and some of the collection didn't quite speak to me, I could also see the importance behind an anthology like this and also the importance of everything included. I adored this.

I really enjoyed this collection of essays and poems, particularly the first piece by Jay Audrey (full disclosure: I'm biased because Jay is a friend, but even if they weren't, that piece is FIRE). I love the honesty and imagery and the incredible intermeshing of food and love and acceptance across a variety of pieces.

“We're here. We're queer. We're fat.”

Fat & Queer: An anthology of Queer and Trans Bodies and Lives. Compiled by Bruce Owens Grimm, Miguel M. Morales and Tiff Joshua TJ Ferntini.

This unique collection of prose and poetry dives into fat and queer identities, giving space to new, raw talented writers of the queer and trans community from around the world. This is a bold, vivid and inspired collection, of a community with stories to tell.
I read this with my fat fingers, on my fat, queer stomach, in my gold sequenced top before posting it to the world. Not wrapped in shame, but in celebration, because of writers like these changing attitudes one word at a time.

Thanks to Netgallery and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for giving me the chance to read this advance copy in exchange for a review.

*I received an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free anthology*

First of all: this book should have content or trigger warnings. Not only can the eating or diet stuff be immensely triggering, but there are also instances of sexual abuse and other heavy topics.

Having said that, this intersectional take on queerness and fat bodies (and being BIPoC) was needed and is empowering. It shows how harmful diet culture is, how much identity is falsely derived from weight, how much harm people can do, how hard it is to come to terms with one's weight and sexuality.

I didn't like all stories or poems, but some were brilliant and really spoke to me. The variety of topics is immense: from harmful eating habits, disorders, Weight Watchers, harassment, hate, body and sex positivity, dieting, buying clothes, feeling comfortable in one's queer body, or being a gainer. (I personally couldn't relate at all to the last topic, but it belongs in this anthology and it was fascinating to read about it.)

It is striking how one always needs to be less (or told) to be allowed to take up more metaphorical space because taking up actual space is wrong. And what kind of queer body is allowed to look like... Fascinating.


Here's a quote, going back to why this book needs trigger warnings:
"The more I dieted, the more I began to enjoy the sensation of depriving myself. There was a certain masochistic, authoritarian pride in restricting calories."

4 Stars

"We’re here. We’re queer. We’re fat."

I will start by saying that this anthology contains some beautifully written poems and prose by a diverse number of people. Some of the pieces I connected to on a personal level, and others that gave such an insight to the intersectionality of being queer and fat/trans and fat. As someone who identifies as queer and fat it was refreshing to read something positive about queerness/fatness, instead of it being completely negative.

I really enjoyed the reading experience, some of the poems lost me which is why it's only 4 stars and not a full 5, but I highly recommend giving this anthology a read.

As this collection featured the raw and real events from the lives of the contributors, some of the stories in this anthology could be triggering for a lot of people, so I’ve included a list of trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

TW // mention of suicide, self-harm, homophobia, fatphobia, sexual harassment, rape, and eating disorder.

It is so refreshing to read such a diverse title that reflects on the intersections of so many different identities. Equally engaging and informative.

I enjoyed reading this anthology, It was interesting to read about the intersections in the topics in ways that I haven't thought about before. It was a good one to dip in and out of , and I liked that it was a mix of poetry, prose, and traditional essay.

I do think that given the content there should be some content warnings provided; homophobia, fat phobia, eating disorders

As a fat queer woman I’m used to not seeing versions of myself represented apart from as punchlines. In ‘Fat and Queer’ the editors hold a megaphone to the voices of fat queer and trans people of different sizes, races, genders etc., showing that we exist in multitudes, we always have, and we always will.

The collection is well curated and speaks to many different experiences of fatness, some of which I’d never really thought of before. Fat queer people tell their stories of love, sex, trauma and happiness and how they relate to the body, which is centred in cultural imaginings of both identities. To be both fat and queer is complex and frustrating and freeing here, and the authors are not afraid to dive deep, and discuss intimate and formative experiences.

It’s a four not a five for me as, in most anthologies, some pieces spoke less to me than others. I’d recommend this collection to fat queers wishing to feel seen and to LGBT+ people who aren’t fat, as this is an intersection often ignored or not thought of.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We have all heard and read stories about being gay and things that may have to be dealt with. But, I never considered being gay and fat and what may have to be endured. This book gives you a glimpse of being fat and queer. Some will make you laugh,some will make you cry and some will make you angry. But no matter what emotion you may experiece while reading this book, the one thing I wish we all take away from it is this. No one should be treated badly due to their sexual orientation or body size. No matter what the circumstance may be. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review. I highly recommend this read.

This is a stunning anthology filled with so many diverse experiences being fat and queer. So many different writing styles and stories that really shine, even those with writing styles that aren't usually for me still feel incredibly raw and genuine. It is so important for more anthologies like this to get published for more readers to enjoy these stories, especially seeing how these communities often get misrepresented or ignored.

<i><b>"I am neither parody nor ideal.
I am saint and sinner. I exist as a contradiction, I will challenge every petty word and lie you tell to make me smaller in your mind.
Women like me walk with the goddesses."</b></i>

Not all of the stories are tragic or beautiful, often it's a mixture of both. This anthology really succeeds in showcasing the many struggles one faces being both queer and fat while also celebrating the beauty that comes with it. We get stories that are often not seen in popular media, poems and stories about fat queer people having sex, enjoying their bodies and loving their partners, getting superpowers, growing old and loving art, etc etc. So many lovely stories that are deeply personal and often fun to read. I love that even this anthology features various authors with different backgrounds and upbringings, no community is a monolith and this expresses that fully. Also this is my first anthology, what a way to start.

Highly, highly recommend to everyone.

Some of my favourites (didn't realize how much I love poems):
- Seven Nights of Noodles by Jay Audrey
- Unnamed poem by Ruth Gibbs
- About My Breasts, Since You Asked by Sherre Vernon
- Unnamed poem by Ninamarie Ochoa

tw: homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, eating disorders, drug abuse, sexual assault
(the first three are more common amongst the stories, the other three are mentioned in a few but not explicitly shown)

<i><b>Thank you to netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review</b></i>

I intended to read this bit by bit, absorbing it slowly over some days, but I ended up reading it start to finish, possibly too fast!

I loved the structure, particularly the way that poetry is interspersed with essays and short fiction. I enjoyed contributions from known writers, and wrote down a bunch of names that are new to me too. The diversity of voices is great in terms of race and class as well as gender and sexuality (though I was surprised and disappointed by the lack of disabled voices). I liked how many of the pieces explicitly addressed intersectionality, and how present those values were throughout the book.

I do think content warnings would be valuable, since there are a wide range of heavy topics addressed, and the content is so varied that it can be a bit jarring going straight from one experience into another. That said, the sense of kinship - of 'family business' is really enjoyable. I also appreciated the editors' acknowledgement of all the pieces that didn't make it into the anthology, and the sense of a wider world of fat queer experience/activism beyond these pages.

3.5/5

Thanks to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

I his compilation of short stories was interesting and entertaining. Moderately enjoyable read and insightful.

arc provided by netgalley for an honest review

I think this book did a good job talking about the intersectionality between being both fat and queer as this is something that I hardly see talked about, because as stated in the book— cisgender, heterosexual, and thin is seen as the norm.

Just a bit of warning in advance, this book is filled with multiple topics and can be triggering for people so I would consider taking your time while reading this book.

TW: fatphobia, transphobia, homophobia

People come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. When you are ridiculed, you have to learn how to uplift yourself. It helps to have a tribe that you can confide in and who lifts you up as well. This anthology lifts, some parts may trigger those who struggle with their weight. Keep reading. You will find a tribe within the pages.

This anthology includes many diverse voices that have a wide range experiences being both fat and queer. What was specifically interesting was how being fat connects to queerness and gender and how that impacts the journey that these authors have taken in understanding their own identity.

Some were joyful, some were very hard to read. Mental health is another constant theme amongst these essays and it is easy to understand why. Most of all these stories were powerful and illuminating and very important.

As is often the case with anthologies, I enjoyed some stories more than others however there really is something for everyone in this book and I certainly liked a great deal more than I did not. Therefore I fully recommend.

4.5/5

As someone who has read, discussed, debated intersectionality in terms of homophobia and LGBTQIA+ rights in class or just with friends and family, one thing that always gets left out of the discussion is being fat. I’ve taken English classes and even Women’s and Gender Studies classes where I am the only person discussing fatphobia- I’ve written multiple papers and given just as many presentations- and the amount of stunned faces never surprises me. Being fat, you live with microaggressions people never pick up on. Unlearning fatphobia is almost always put on the fat person- we have to teach skinny people about these microaggressions, how they’re favorite book/movie/tv show/song/person is fatphobic; how small, seemingly innocent things- like the Fat Monica storyline from Friends or lyrics from Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls”- actually leave deep scars that fat people are just expected to deal with. How would you feel if your favorite show or band used a characteristic that you struggled with to make a joke? And millions of people laughed? This is an everyday experience for fat people.

Fat & Queer takes the intersections of fatphobia and queerness along with all the other intersectional identities one person can have- race, mental health, class, even gender- and succinctly and intimately divulges how being fat and queer are more similar than different.

Like many of the authors and poets in this anthology, I have been fat most of my life; I’ve been told that I’d look better if I lost a few pounds, or maybe I should try shape-wear; I worked at Torrid and was still bodyshamed- by a manger no less; I cried when I found a beautiful prom dress that was actually too big. Seeing similar experiences laid out bare and raw makes me ache, makes me feel seen in a way most people don’t understand. So many authors used the term “I take up too much space” and do you know how many times I have had that very same thought? The amount of effort I’ve gone through to shrink down? I wanted to cry at the fact someone else was vocalizing these things; that I wasn’t alone. Not to mention so many similar things bring fat people together, like Hairspray, Shirley Jackson and Carmen Maria Machado (who has an essay in this collection!) and tumblr, all things I’ve loved in my fat life, too.

This anthology should be required reading for everyone, readers and advocates and teachers alike. It’s illuminating and organized in such a way that there’s something for everyone to enjoy: poetry, essays, short stories. Topics range from a little bit of everything fat and queer people have to go through, from judgement to hard won acceptance, relationships with friends and family, and even sex and kinks. It’s also so refreshing because most of these writings are from people who are older- 30s, 40s, and 50s- and are still finding out about themselves, whether it be their sexuality or gender or how to enter into a relationship- for the first time in some cases- as a fat person. It teaches that there’s always room to grow and change, and not one single way to live life.

For fat and queer people, this anthology is a collection of voices and experiences we desperately need more of but for skinny and cis/straight people, it’s a learning experience that is needed to understand their role in the perpetuation of fatphobia.