As a fat and queer person, this book was, just, a lot. A lot of crying but a lot of smiling, too. Because I saw myself there.
It's composed of several stories, essays and poems, all deeply personal and full of feelings, about being queer and being fat at the same time, in all it's diversity, in a world where both things are frowned upon.
And it hit me right into the core.
I always felt so detached from my body. Like, there was me, smart, pretty, shy me, and there was my body, fat and unlovable. It's been a long process to stop separating myself in two. A lot of therapy, too. But when I finally accepted and started to love myself as I am, was when I stopped denying my bisexuality. My queerness empowered me in an unexpected way, and my body, my fat body, stopped being a problem and became part of who I am.
I can't separate these two parts of my identity. Which is, actually, the message of this book. That being fat and being queer, for some of us, are really connected in our identity.
I wasn't expecting to feel so seen, to be able to finally put into words some of my feelings.
More than a review, this is a big, fat, queer THANK YOU.

This anthology was an absolute treat to read. It brought a fresh perspective on Queerness and on being fat. It was nuanced, carefully curated, and most importantly, it was so incredibly well written through and through. This is an absolute must read, whether you're fat or not, or queer or not. Specifically for me, the essay 'A Fat Lot of Good That Did: How an Art Studio Transformed My Eyes' by Jerome Stueart was a hard-hitting experience to read. It deals with not acknowledging, or not knowing, what you actually look like, and as a trans person, this really hit home. While I am not fat, and cannot relate to the experience of being fat, I am Queer, and reading about queerness and gender in this way was very affirming for me. The aspect that dealt with fatness simply gave me a perspective that is not my own, but one that I enjoyed and learned from immensely.

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

This anthology contains some beautiful stories and poems, but what I appreciate most about it is how it offered me a perspective on the intersectionality that fat & queer individuals may experience.
Some parts were very relatable to me, whereas other parts were absolutely new to me and challenged my own internalised fatphobia.

The editors offered an interesting perspective into the process of compiling this anthology and into what gets left out. I appreciated this. Because it is a selection I would ask readers to engage with the subject further and not treat this as the only instance where they engage with the topics that are introduced.

While I highly recommend this anthology, I do think it should come with a few content-warnings such as:
Strong language, instances of homophobia, transphobia and fatphobia, eating disorders, drug and substance abuse, sexual assaults, self-harm

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>

This anthology provided me with a deeper understanding of the intersectionality between being fat and queer which, I feel, is often overlooked. I really enjoyed being able to learn from different voices and perspectives and while i did prefer some sections to others, overall I had a very positive reading experience with this. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking to further their knowledge of the queer community and how that interacts with being a fat person.

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.