Queer Writers Pen Letters to Themselves in 'The Letter Q'

If you could write a letter to your gay teenage self, what would it say?

It is a question many of us have asked ourselves in one form or another, especially those of us whose formative years weren't ideal (and whose were?).

It is also a question posed to a slew of famous queer writers like Amy Bloom, Michael Cunningham, Armistead Maupin, and dozens more for the recently released book, The Letter Q.

Billed as a book of "life-saving letters from a glittering wishlist of top authors," The Letter Q addresses the all-too prevalent issue of suicide and bullying in the gay teen community by asking those who've lived through it to speak to today's youngsters by speaking to themselves as they once were.

At least that's how it is explained by author Sarah Moon in a Q&A she did along with illustrator Jasika Nicole and vampire lit scion Christopher Rice for The Advocate.

"I spend a lot of time with teenagers," she said, "the thing I notice is that they listen when I tell them, 'This is how I learned to do that.'"

It is always fantastic to see people with name recognition pushing an important cause and it was a stroke of genius to have them not only speak to others but to do it while speaking to themselves. We all wish, at least now and then, we could go back in time and live high school over again with the wisdom we now have and this book--short of transporting its contributors back to their awkward years--will help give that wisdom to the next generation of queer kids.
Check out The Advocate interview to read more and the video of many of the writers represented in the books reading their notes below.