This has been a hard week. Both the loss of a friend to COVID, and the reminders of how unjust and cruel many of my fellow human beings are to both people of color and transgender folk have been stark this week.

Romance is a place to engender hope and to open hearts. And one thing we can all do as readers is to amplify the voices of POC and transgender authors, by reading and reviewing their work, and by choosing to buy books with POC on the covers. The following is an incomplete list of such authors, (with favorite books noted for some of them, not all with POC main characters). You can also check – the POC Queer Romance Authors Community Page

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• Anastasia Vitski
• A.E.Via
• A.L. Williams
• A.M. Valenza
• Ada Maria Soto (Empty Hearts; Bowerbirds)
• Adriana Herrera (American Dreamer)
• Agay Llanera
• Alessandra Ebulu
• Alyssa Cole
• Amelia Rucker
• Anette King
• Arshad Ahsanuddin (Zenith)
• Atom Yang (Red Envelope)
• Avril Ashton
  
• Barbara Marquez
• Barbie Barbieto
• Brian Barr
• Brien Michaels
• Brigette Bautista
• Brooklyn Wallace
• C.B. Lee (Seven Tears at High Tide)
  
• Celeste Castro
  
• Charles Rice-Gonzalez (Chulito)
• Cherie Noel (Kiss and Tell)
• Christa Tomlinson
• Cole McCade (His Cocky Valet)
  
• Danie Ford
• Ditrie Marie Bowie
• Dylan St. James
  
• Ella Banta
• Emma Peterson
• E.S. Yu
• Fiona Zedde*
• Freddie Milano*
• Gene Gant (The Battle for Jericho)
• Gianni Holmes /Shashane Wallace
• Gioavanna Reaves
• H. Bentham*
• H.Q. Kinglsey / Karma Kingsley
• Hank Cannon
• Harper Miller*
• Hayden Thorne (Rise of Heroes)
• Hudson Lin
• Jacob Z. Flores
• Jack Harbon
• Jacqueline Koyanagi
• Jasmine Hong
• Jayce Ellis
• JD Walker
• Jessamyn St. Claire
• Jude Lucens (Behind These Doors)
• Jude Sierra
• Julian Winters (How to be Remy Cameron)
  
• Karma Kingsley
• KD Williamson
• Kenneth Lyrone Phillips
• Kit Fortier
• Krystal A. Smith
• Lane Swift
• LaQuette
• Larry Benjamin (Unbroken)
• Latoya Hankins
• Layla Dorine (Guitars and Cages)
• Lina Langley
• Londra Laine
• Lotus Oakes
• M. Hollis
• Malinda Lo (Ash)
• Marvin J. Proctor
• Misa Sugiura
• Miski Harris (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell)
• Motzie Dapul
• Mya Lairis
• N.G. Peltier
• Nico Jaye (BTW I Love You)
  
• Nikki Prince
• Nikki Woolfolk
• Pearl Love
• Piper Vaughn (One Small Thing)
• Rayna Vause
• Rebekah Weatherspoon
• Remmy Duchene
• Rheland Richmond
• Riley Hart/Nyrae Dawn (Broken Pieces)
• Robin Covington (His Convenient Husband)
  
• Ruth Diaz
• S.T. Sterlings
• Sara Winters (The Strength of a Man)
• Sasha Devlin
• Serena Victoria Franklin
• Sharita Lira
• Sharon D. Johnson
• Sheree L. Greer
• Sheryn Munir
• Skyler Snow
• Solace Ames
• Sonni De Soto
• Suleikha Snyder
• Talia Hibbert
• Tanai Walker
• Taylor V. Donovan (Disasterology 101)
• Thea De Salle
• Theophilia St. Claire
• Valerie Weekly
• Xen Sanders/Cole McCade
• Xio Axelrod
• Yeyet Soriano
• Yolanda Wallace/Mason Dixon

Out trans authors own-voices: (And check out the Trans Romance Books group on Facebook)

• Jay Northcote (Second Chance)
• E. Davies (Freedom)
• EE Ottoman (The Doctor’s Discretion)
  
• Jordan L Hawk (Infernal Affairs short story in Devil Take Me)
• John Tristan
• Eli Wray
• Matthew J Metzger (Erik the Pink)
• Austin Chant (Peter Darling)
• Aleksandr Voinov (tons of good books, although I’m not sure he has written trans characters)

I know I have missed people so if you have recommendations for either POC or trans authors we should be reading please post them. (Be sure any trans authors are out before posting their names.)

Whether it’s anti-Asian hate, the unjust deaths of young black men, institutional racism, or the way trans people have become the target of right-wing cruelty, our world is a cold place for minority folk of every kind. Our romance books and stories are an escape, but they also can be a tool, a voice, a hope. Make a point of picking up books that tell these stories, from authors who should be heard.

-Kaje Harper

April 2021