Queer Lit Readathon Round 6 TBR

Queer Lit Readathon Round 6 is November 29th to December 5th 2020.

[IMAGE: Queer Lit Readathon Challenges for Round Six. Source]

Normally, if there's a bingo board, I want to go for blackout. I even made a plan for round six that required at least five hours of reading a day and titles of gloomier genres. So I tossed out that plan. 

Just because I have an impulse to blackout the bingo board, doesn't mean I have to follow it. 

Instead, I came up with a 3 goal challenge centered around personal reading goals and dusting off my digital shelves. It even had a semi-reasonable rate of sampling two titles or collections a day. 

Aaaaaand then I decided to simplify to one priority goal. Because I could use more calm and simplicity in my life. 

Goal: Allo Aro Reads

A poem, flash fiction, or web comic chapter a day - or more 💛💚

Reason 1: Balance

My Free Online Aspec Fiction, Poetry, etc is not balanced. I suspect there are fewer aro and specifically alloaro narratives in existance (compared to ace narratives), and that they are harder to find. But this imbalance is also because I started with ace-centric collections and then burned out. 

[IMAGE: November 2020 screen capture from "Free Online Aspec Fiction, Poetry, etc." Inclusion Statement. 87 asexual, 53 aromantic, 08 allosexual, 27 alloromantic, 20 demi/gray.]

On the Mistakes Page I made plans to balance the collection and on Is the Mistakes Page a Mistake? I admit I haven't been motivated to read lately. But now here's Queer Lit Readathon supplying some community enthusiasm to tap into. 

Reason 2: Curiosity

What recurring experiences do allo aro narratives include? Will some allo aro narratives have a different perspective on aromanticism compared to aroace narratives? Will allo aro narratives tend to be more specific in their descriptions of sexual attraction than allo allo narratives?

Reason 3: Research

For me, writing for self-expression means my aroace protagonist exists in a world filled with an aspec cast. Diversity isn't only about realism and inclusion. It's woven into how my protagonist understands and communicates their identity.*

The demisexual homoromantic ex-best-friend-with-amnesia, the allo aro secret agent who'd break all the rules to protect the protagonist as long as it doesn't compromise global security, and the I-don't-do-identity-labels teaching assistant are each a unique opportunity for conversations and realizations and connections. 

Seeing aroace and alloace characters live their lives and be complicated and find happiness was so important to me. I want to do that for more aspec identities than my own. 

Last but not least, a world with vibrant aspec characters makes me happy. 

How does all that relate to research?

I believe including marginalized often-stereotyped identities ethically (whether I've lived them or not) requires research (for a start). I don't know what I don't know. If I want my awesome secret agent and other allo aro characters to be positive representations, my next step is to read #ownvoices allo aro narratives.

*the same is true for how I express being white, chronically ill, traumatized, etc. and the similar and different identities and experiences of the characters my protagonist interacts with.