Being Alive Book Club 📚✨🏳️⚧️
The Being Alive Book Club is an invitation to read and discuss books by trans authors. We meet monthly on Zoom, frequently with the authors. This is not Trans 101—it’s an investment in community, conversation, and craft.
We read across genres and perspectives; sometimes the books are brand new, sometimes we pull from the library stacks.
What we’re reading in 2026…
January: Before We Were Trans with Kit Heyam
February: Nevada with Imogen Binnie
March: Pretty with KB Brookins
April: Night Night Fawn with Jordy Rosenberg
May: When the Harvest Comes with Denne Michele Norris
June: Woodworking with Emily St. James
🗓️ Upcoming Events
THE Imogen Binnie joins us to talk about her ground breaking novel, Nevada.
Wed Feb 25th • 8p ET 5p PT
📝 BABC Recaps
⁉️ Answers to Questions
How can I participate in the Being Alive Book Club?
BABC is designed to be inclusive and flexible, with multiple ways to participate. Do what feels right for you month-by-month. Some suggested paths in:
Learn and read in community:
Read the Being Alive newsletter for thoughts, reflections, and additional context about the books and authors.
Read the book at your own pace in whatever format works best for you (print, ebook, audiobook, etc.)
Discuss the book via Substack chat:
Share your thoughts and engage with other readers’ perspectives in discussion threads.
You can access the monthly chat threads via Substack app or website. Tip: add “/chat” to the end of any Substack URL and you’ll get there: kylerw.substack.com/chat
Talk directly with the author/s (and each other) live on Zoom:
Whenever possible, authors join us for a monthly Zoom call. Join to hear authors read their work and answer questions live.
You don’t need to have finished (or even started) the book to attend—just bring an open, curious heart
When and where does the book club meet?
Every month we gather on Zoom to discuss the book, most often on a Monday or Wednesday at 8p ET / 5p PT.
When an author is not available, we are sometimes joined by a guest who has a perspective on the book’s themes.
How are books selected?
Kyle Ranson-Walsh picks them. (That’s me!) I read A LOT of trans books and keep an eye on what is newly published.
Have a book you think we should read? Send me a message.
Does it cost money to join?
The Being Alive Book Club is, and will always remain, free and open to all.
Also—running a book club costs money. Every author or guest receives an honorarium for their time. And there are additional software, materials, and shipping costs.
If you are able to financially support, here are two ways:
You can become a paid subscriber to Being Alive on Substack. This will also unlock full access to the publication’s archives.
You can contribute directly to the Book Club via Stripe.
Bonus! A free way to support BABC is to recommend to a friend or share our events on your socials.
Where should I get the book selection?
I recommend buying the book from your local independent bookstore. If you want to buy online and support the Being Alive Book Club, any of the links embedded in these posts will kick back a small commission via our BABC account on Bookshop.org
OR
Request the title from your library. (This is also a great way to support buying queer books and sharing with broader community.) Tip: Use WorldCat to search titles across library collections. e.g. see which libraries near you have A World Worth Saving (Lukoff, Kyle).
Can I watch a book club recording at a different time?
Sessions are often recorded for archival purposes which allows me to write edited interviews for later publication. There are no plans to publicly release the recordings.
I have other questions, how can I get in touch?
Send a DM via Substack.
Happy reading!