TRANSCENDENT LOVE

Michel Lee Garrett seeks creative non-fiction, short memoir, and personal essays from transgender writers as part of a non-fiction anthology celebrating trans-for-trans (t4t) relationships, to be published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

The book — Transcendent Love: True Stories of Trans-for-Trans Relations — aims to document, celebrate, and elevate t4t love stories that have often gone underrepresented and untold. The final book will target about 55,000 words, include illustrations of the subjects, and capture a diverse range of stories from across the trans experience.

WHAT: Seeking creative non-fiction, short memoir, and personal essays between 3,000 and 6,000 words. Length is somewhat flexible, but longer pieces must justify their length and are less likely to be selected. Pieces must focus on a true personal experience of a t4t relationship. Contributions should not be afraid to explore challenges or systemic oppressions faced by trans people, but the collection ultimately aims to reflect the trans experience as being fundamentally grounded in joy, euphoria, authenticity, and love.

WHO: This call is exclusive to trans authors. “Trans” here is used broadly as “non-cisgender.” Binary trans writers, non-binary writers, genderfluid, genderqueer, demigender, and writers of other identities outside the cisgender binary are all welcome. Both the author and the partner(s) written about should fall somewhere within this trans spectrum. Monogamous or polyamorous relationships welcome. Relationships across the many possible intersections of gender identity and sexual/romantic orientation are welcome, including ace romantic relationships. Authors from various nations, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, and other intersections of identity strongly encouraged. The book aims to represent the beautiful diversity that exists across trans identity and t4t relationships.

WHEN: Submissions should be completed and submitted no later than April 30, 2025. Selected submissions may be subject to request for edits or revision; any requested edits will be made with respect for the author’s voice and vision.

HOW: Submissions should be emailed to michel@leegarrett.net. Use Shunn manuscript formatting. Use the subject line “SUBMISSION — [Title of your piece] — Transcendent Love.”

COMPENSATION: All contributors will receive one free print copy and a small honorarium. The publisher has allotted a pool of £300 to be distributed evenly among selected contributors. Exact honorarium amount dependent on final number of selected contributors. Additional contributor copies will also be discounted by 30%.

ILLUSTRATIONS: Selected contributors will also be given the option to submit a photo of themselves and their partner(s), to be used as the basis for an illustration by artist Casey Hansen Conan to accompany their piece in the book. This is optional if contributors are not comfortable with their likeness appearing in the book. Additionally, if needed for safety or comfort, the artist is willing to accommodate each contributor by altering their likeness (changing hairstyle, height, facial hair, clothing, etc.) OR to illustrate their connection with their partner(s) in alternate way (the backs of their heads together, hands intertwined, legs intertwined, etc.) to help ensure that every contributor who wishes to be illustrated feels safe and comfortable with the final product. Contributors will be able to review illustrations before publication.

PSUDEONYMS: If you are a trans writer who can not safely or comfortably publish under your own name, your submission is still welcome and your story still deserves to be told. Writers are welcome to have their selection published under a pseudonym.

ABOUT THE EDITOR: Michel Lee Garrett (she/her) is a queer and transgender author, editor, and poet. She edited Burning Down The House: Crime Fiction Incited by the Songs of the Talking Heads, a charity anthology to help fight climate change, available from Shotgun Honey. She is also the author of crime fiction collection Born a Ramblin’ Man and Other Stories (forthcoming) and the editor of Transcendent Love: True Stories of Trans-for-Trans Relationships (forthcoming). She has worked as a journalist, the communications director for a U.S. Senate campaign, a news editor for a major research university, the editor of a higher education industry publication with a digital daily circulation of over 160,000 recipients, and as the speechwriter for a university president. She is also a board member with Centre LGBT+, a nonprofit organization based in Centre County, Pennsylvania, USA.

Contact Michel at michel@leegarrett.net with questions related to this project.