Hello!
How was I going to reshape my life into something new after this fundamental part of me had been buried?
Today we meet Casey Holland and we’re talking about the queer book that saved her life: Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett. And Kristen joins us for the conversation!
Casey Holland is one of the owners of Wayfaring Booksellers, a queer bookstore in Lansing, MI. She’s worked in bookstores for the last six years and is a lover of all things spooky and weird. When she’s not slinging books, you can find her spending time with her cat, Nemo, whose hobbies include hunting Casey for sport and being a general menace to society.
Kristen Arnett is the queer Floridian author of With Teeth: A Novel (Riverhead Books, 2021) which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction and the New York Times bestselling debut novel Mostly Dead Things (Tin House, 2019) which was also a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in fiction. She just published her newest novel, STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE, about a lesbian birthday party clown (March 2025). She has a Masters in Library and Information Science from Florida State University and lives in Orlando, Florida.
Mostly Dead Things asks: what does it take to come back to life? For Jessa-Lynn Morton, the question is not an abstract one. In the wake of her father’s suicide, Jessa has stepped up to manage his failing taxidermy business while the rest of the Morton family crumbles.
Special Limited Series
This episode is part of a special limited series of episodes featuring only guests who are owners or staff at LGBTQ bookstores. Airing April-June 2025, these episodes will feature six bookstores across the United States and United Kingdom.
Today’s guest owns Wayfaring Booksellers, a queer/women-owned bookstore in Lansing, MI. Their mission is to celebrate and amplify queer books and stories while uplifting the LGBTQIA+ community. Visit them at 1023 S. Washington Avenue inside the REO Town Marketplace and at wayfaringbooksellers.com. Bluesky: @wayfaringbooks.bsky.social
Buy Kristen’s books at Wayfaring Booksellers
Use this link: https://www.wayfaringbooksellers.com/s/search?q=Kristen%20Arnett
Connect with Casey and Kristen
website: wayfaringbooksellers.com
bluesky: @caseyholland.bsky.social
website: kristenarnettwriter.com
bluesky: @kristenarnett.bsky.social
instagram: @kristen__arnett
Our Bookshop
Visit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbook
Buy your own copy of Mostly Dead Things: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781947793835
Buy Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780593719770
Become an Associate Producer!
Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbook
Credits
Host/Founder: John Parker (learn more about my name change)
Executive Producer: Jim Pounds
Associate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean Smith
Patreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.
Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy Erickson
Quatrefoil Library
Quatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can’t buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1
