The Dyke and the Dybbuk by Ellen Galford (my review) – out of print but award winning and easy to find through interlibrary loan, this one’s a madcap comedy about a Jewish lesbian in the UK who, thanks to an old family curse, gets possessed by a demon (also a lesbian.) Since she’s already pretty avant-garde in her behavior, the demon decides she can’t make her act more zany, so instead she gives her a walloping crush on, of all people, an Orthodox woman.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness is a gentle, affectionate parody of paranormal YA and the main character’s best friend is Jewish, gay, and a cat god. (My review)
To Summon Nightmares by JK Pendragon (my review) stars a bi, Jewish trans guy living in Ireland who must confront his new (cis) boyfriend’s demon-summoning past.
“Three Partitions” by Bogi Takács – nonbinary sci-fi set in an Orthodox space colony, by a nonbinary author. Somewhat of a deconstruction of gendering in Orthodox communities by exploring how a nonbinary alien species fits into that gendered space. Short and online free.
“Seven Commentaries on an Imperfect Land” by Ruthanna Emrys – positions the Jewish diaspora as a portal fantasy. Includes f/f and solidarity with Muslims. Short and online free.
Riley Marigold and the Winged Lizards of Tel Aviv by Kayla Bashe @kayla-bird – f/f YA about kids trying to save genetically engineered lizard-dragons an animal shelter says it can’t afford to keep any longer Short and online free, including in audio.
Hearts Alight by Elliot Cooper is m/m Chanukah romance novella. What do you do when you find out the sexy older man you’ve been crushing on is actually a golem? Written by a trans guy and has a trans guy supporting character, too.
Maybe some day we’ll get “Medic to the Hivemind” back once @kayla-bird finds a new publisher for it – that one has a Jewish lesbian astronaut who falls for the mysterious woman who talks her through trauma over the radio. I’ll be sure to let everyone know!
Speaking for Ourselves: Short Stories by Jewish Lesbians has one speculative piece:
“The Woman who Lied” by Jano, which is adorably wtf. Two Jewish women are in bed when one, doing that thing I’m sure we’ve all done at some point, reacts positively to being touched in a way that actually just leaves her neutral, because she wants the other woman to feel good. Her lie causes her boobs to temporarily turn into bagels and challah because a dybbuk has a very strange sense of humor. Everything works out in the end so it’s basically a happy little fable about being sexually honest.
Incidentally there is an important Jewish side character in The Mystic Marriage by Heather Rose Jones, which is about 19th century lesbians creating magic rocks, but as far as we know she herself is straight.
In case this post gets reblogged beyond people who have heard of me, here’s the link to my books, fluffy Jewish high fantasy with a mostly LGBTQA+ cast.
When I run into more, I’ll reblog this post again and add things.
french recipes: if you’re not making this in paris then what’s the point. fuck you
italian recipes: use the left leg meat of a pig from one of three farms in this specific area of tuscany, or from this day my grandmother will begin manifesting physically in your house
american recipes: buy these three cans of stuff and put them in a pan congrats you cooked
chinese recipes, as handed down from mother to child: season it with a pinch of this and some of that. you want to know the exact amount? feel it in your heart. ask the stars. yell into the void.
English recipes: boil and salt it. Okay that’s it enjoy
Greek recipes: You followed all the right steps but this isn’t quite right. I don’t know what to tell you.
Australia recipes: chuck it on the barbie
Latinx recipes: you will never make it better than your abuela, face the facts
Armenian recipes: spend eight days laboring over the stove. the food will be flavorful with the sacrifice of your sanity. no one will appreciate it.
Canadian recipes: It either needs more bacon, more maple syrup, more gravy, or an unholy combination of the three
Polish recipes: you have to toUCH THE DOUGH, FEEL THE PIEROGI IN YOUR HEART, TOUCH IT. LICK IT. SMELL IT.
Every time I see this post, I learn more about how different countries’ cuisines AND neuroses.
Indian recipes: there are 500 cuisines and that means 500 versions of this dish that has 500 spices so gl
ashki jewish recipes: no, no. no. more onion.
Hawi’ian recipes: nothing is ever writen down. if you didn’t start learning to make it when you were 8 you never will. WHAY DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T JUST PICK SOME OUTSIDE? eh, just go pick it from your neighbor’s yard.
Also Hawaiian recipes: Cousin Boy shot the feral boar that fucked up his taro patch, the luau is Tuesday. Go pick opihi.
Mary Shelley, HG Wells, people meeting at hotels Rudyard Kipling, people singing ditties at the bar Gilbert, Sullivan, rounds of Young Man Mulligan Poul and Karen Anderson, songs in Key of R
Martha Keller, Tolkein, songs of worlds as yet unseen TH White’s Arthurians, Frederick Pohl’s Futurians Tom Lehrer, Mondegreens, Slan Shacks, fanzines Music circles, Reprints, Jacobs has a misprint!
We shouted “MacIntyre!” It’s our cry of battle for the Old Dun Cattle We shouted “MacIntyre!” And we haven’t parted since the circle started
Amazing Stories Annuals, Pelz’s Filksong Manuals Dr. Demento tunes, Callahan’s Crosstime Saloons Hope Eyrie, Leslie Fish, bounced potatoes off the dish Robert Aspirin, Gwen Zak, Dawson’s Christian, Captain Jack
Off Centaur, Teri Lee, making love in zero-G Filthy Pierre, Longcor, black market Tullamore Juanita Coulson, Red Lions, badges marked with Dandelions Dorsai have a Fan Club! Jello in the bathtub!
Don’t set the cat on fire It will only fight it if you try to light it Don’t set the cat on fire And we haven’t parted since the circle started
Peter Beagle, Consonance, chili cursed with sentience HOPSFA, NESFA, ConChord, and the Pegasus Award PFNEN, Ose, Amway, Talk Like a Pirate Day Dandelion Digitals, Julia Ecklar and the gulls
Bob Laurent, Asimov, Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff Rocky Horror Muppet Shows, Frank Hayes feeling indisposed Bill Sutton DIY, Marischiello goodbye Challenger! Final tour! What else must we all endure?
We saw the sky on fire While the world was staring, we were Jordin Karing We saw the sky on fire And we haven’t parted since the circle started
Kathy Mar, Next Gen, Tullamore is back again Steve Macdonald, Elfquest, Interfilk funds a guest Tom Smith, 307 Ale, Lee Gold, Heather Dale Phoenyx, Keepers of the Flame, Filkontario’s Hall of Fame
Echo’s Children, Bab-5, need a fool to feed the drive Hamlet done by John Woo, Marilisa Valtazanou GaFilk, Urban Tapestry, lives rich in fantasy Airwalls down at Orycon! Firebells at Baycon!
We didn’t start a fire We were all but deafened, and began Kanefin’ We didn’t start a fire And we haven’t parted since the circle started
Blake Hodgetts, Proteins, Vixy, Tony, Thirteen Stone Dragons, Moxie, Zander, Heather into Alexander Bill and Gretchen, dead mouse, alligators in the house ConFlikt, Judi Filksign, Tragedy at East Hill Mine
Mary Crowell, Faerieworlds, brony boys and Wicked Girls Britain’s Talis Kimberly, Seanan’s Kellis-Amberlee Doubleclicks! Browncoats! Cats! FuMP! Toy Boat! Release the Cello! Sasquon! Thor! Pass another Tullamore!
We didn’t start the choir It’s been so cathartic for the longest bardic We didn’t start the choir But when our turns have gone, it will still go on and on until the dawn…
If you want to start to comprehend filk, this might not be the easiest place to start just listening. Once you’ve been in filk for 10 or 20 years, this is one of the funniest songs you’ll hear.
If you wanted a list of things to google? This would be a phenomenal treasure hunt.
Some of the things won’t be findable on Google, but if you can find an older filk enthusiast, they’ll tell you all about it. (The Airwalls at Orycon was one of those legendary disasters that ended up sparking the best filk circle I’ve ever been at.)
One of these years, I’m gonna make a fully annotated/hyperlinked version of this post. (It’ll take some doing; I’m old enough to count as an “older filk enthusiast” but a bunch of the references here are before my time.)
I wonder if genius lyrics would let you put it up on their site, that’d make it easy for all filkers to help annotate…
OH HEY I COULD DO THAT
I’d want to get Andrew Ross’s permission first, but then? ahahahahahaha
Kimchi and Justice 