The new podcast This Queer Book Saved My Life will be conducting an interview LIVE with a guest at LUSH Lounge and Theatre in NE Minneapolis at 990 NE Central Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55413

The format of this standout interview podcast is that a guest, in this case Out Front Policy and Organizing Director James Darville will discuss The Evening Crowd at Kirmser’s. The title is a non-fiction book about the first bar that drew an LGBTQI crowd in the 1940s!

Host JP Der Boghossian will also introduce a representative from Quatrefoil Library, a promotional sponsor. The event begins at 6 PM with introductions followed by the interview and then a Q & A. You can also click here to RSVP to the event on Facebook.

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Host J.P. Der Boghossian conceived of the podcast in response to the emotional drain from his work in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion field. He identifies as queer and uses he/they pronouns.

“It’s too much. We have ‘Don’t say Gay’ laws and no holds barred political attacks on the trans community. “What better way to support each other in these draining environments than by sharing the queer books that saved our lives?

Der Boghossian calls himself an unrepentant promoter of queer authors. In 2020, he launched the Queer Armenian Library – the world’s first library devoted to books and media about Queer Armenians. As a queer Armenian. Armenian himself, he spent years searching for books, films, and TV made by and/or about queer Armenian lives.

“What I learned with creating the Queer Armenian Library is that it is a general rule of queer life that we need to go out and find our people and find our stories. We start our lives in isolation surrounded by stories that are not about or for us,” said Der Boghossian. “With the library, I wanted to make it easier for Queer Armenians to find each other.”

Every episode of This Queer Book Saved My Life! features an interview with a different guest sharing their personal stories, what was happening in their life prior to getting the book, what came up for them while reading it, and what changed in their life afterwards.

In addition to hearing a guest’s personal story, This Queer Book Saved My Life! invites the author to join the conversation. The result is the completion of a circle that is emotionally powerful.

“It is very moving for authors to hear first-hand how their book impacted our episode’s guest,” said Der Boghossian. “And for the guest, they meet the person who had a monumental impact on their life.” In some instances, the author is deceased or unavailable, but even then, the conversation provides a new perspective on their book’s legacy.

The first episodes feature an alluring array of authors: National Book Award finalist Carmen Maria Machado, Theodor Suess Giesel winner David LaRochelle, Jeanne Cordova Prize winner Nancy Agabian, and Minnesota-based author and publisher William Burleson. Guests come to the show from a variety of career fields: philanthropy, healthcare, academia, data technology, and retirees.