The Transfeminine Review

In case you haven’t been following along on social media (where you can find us on Tumblr, Bluesky, or Twitter), I got completely distracted from my original plan for the week by a flurry of excitement, reading, and research on the subject of Black transfeminine authors lol. Sooo, rather than my original plan, let me present you with a reading guide to the landscape of the contemporary Black transfeminine novel! Obviously my biggest hope is that this guide will help TWOC find #ownvoices fiction that represents their lived experience, but I also want to provide some very necessary documentation toward the broader shape of the sub-industry, and provide some insight as to potential future things to look out for (two of the novelists on this list haven’t been published yet!).

Before we begin, a brief note: racist flunkies sometimes like to toss around the argument that “anyone can get published if they call themselves a Black trans woman” as a part of the greater argument against “woke” in fiction. Obviously this is a dogwhistle, but I also want to point out that this list is a direct repudiation of the idea that Black trans woman have an “easy” time getting published. Case and point: I have exhaustively researched this topic, and this is every Black transfeminine novelist who I have ever found. Let me repeat that. Across the seven decades in which I have found and read novels published by thousands of transfemmes, my research has only twelve of those novelists have been Black, compared to hundreds if not thousands of white writers. Most importantly, whereas white trans publishing has massively boomed since the beginning of the pandemic, with 10-30 new white transfeminine authors getting published each year, black transfeminine publishing is still a trickle where maybe one new author will be published in a given year. What this means is that the percentage of trans novelists who are Black is likely a fraction of 1%.

Given the importance of Black trans women to our collective history and liberation (combined with even a cursory glance at the data on race in the Anglophone world), I don’t think I need to explain to you why that is abominable.

Nevertheless – there is a growing core of Black transfemme authors, and thanks to Survivorship Bias, the vast majority of their work is excellent. Every novelist on this list has fought tooth and claw to earn their bylines, and the results speak for themselves. You can’t go wrong with any of these authors.

So, without further ado, here are twelve Black transfeminine novelists whose work you should read!

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Fig. 1 – Roberta and Ren by Roberta Angela Dee; Sasha by Roberta Angela Dee; The Business of Being a Woman by Roberta Angela Dee

Roberta Angela Dee (1950-2003)

Novels Published: Five (Roberta Dee: TS Girlfriend; Roberta, a Lesbian Transsexual; Roberta & Ren; Sasha; The Business of Being a Woman)

Primary Publisher: Reluctant Press

Other Major Work: B.A. in Journalism; Regular columnist with 1980s and 1990s magazine The Transvestian; Lost erotica; Creator of the WON Women on the Net website (members.aol.com/aawon1); Creator of Roberta Angela Dee’s Haven on tgguide.com.

Major Accomplishments: Dee was one of the most prominent activists responsible for critiquing and dismantling Blanchardianism and the cult of the autogynophile. She was directly responsible for exposing Anne Lawrence, one of Ray Blanchard’s most vocal allies, of performing forced hysterectomies. Roberta Angela Dee pioneered a community for Black trans women in publishing and on the internet, first through her vocal presence in the magazine sphere of the 80s, then with her groundbreaking work creating websites to spread knowledge and community among Black transfemme writers, journalists, and activists. Her work directly inspired Monica Roberts, who would go on to create the Transsistahs-Transbrothas group and later the pioneering website TransGriot, both of which were massively influential forces in Black trans organizing, in her model.

On Her Fiction: I’ve only had the chance to read Sasha, but it totally knocked my socks off and provided the direct inspiration for making this article. Sasha is an epistolary novel that harkens back to the best of early American epistolary literature, drawing a rich and vital portrait of the role of paper mail correspondence in 20th Century transsexual life. While it may be the only book I can recommend to you by fiat, I would highly recommend that you read Sasha, and the rest of Dee’s work for good measure. Her impact on her community has been indelible.

Where to Buy: All of Roberta Angela Dee’s books can be purchased from magsinc.com.

Fun Fact: Roberta Angela Dee was famously born on Halloween.

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Fig. 2 – The Lie by Pamela Hayes; Sex and the Single Transsexual by Pamela Hayes; The Other Woman: A Story about Three Transsexuals by Pamela Hayes

Pamela Hayes (??)

Novels Published: Four (The Lie; Shattered Dreams: An African-American Family Story; Sex and the Single Transsexual; The Other Woman: A Story of Three Transsexuals)

Primary Publisher: Self-Published

Other Major Work: Columnist with TransGriot

Major Accomplishments: Many of these early Black transfeminine novelists arose from the communities and spaces created by Roberta Angela Dee and Monica Roberts, and Hayes was no exception. She was an active part of the community, and contributed her voice to Roberts’ website in addition to her prose.

On Her Fiction: If you’ve been paying attention to this blog, it’s probably no secret that I absolutely adore Sex and the Single Transsexual, which is probably still my favorite romance novel that I’ve read for this project. The characters are vividly realized and achingly realistic, and the portrayal of blaqueer life in the mid 00s is just so good. What’s interesting about the trio of novels I’ve pictured above is that there’s a progression of their Black transfemme characters from side characters to the center of the story, creating an interesting metatextual reading as Hayes grew more comfortable over the years depicting her own community. Shattered Dreams is her only novel without an e-book, and thus the only one that I haven’t gotten a chance to read yet.

Where to Buy: All of Hayes’ fiction can be purchased on Amazon – no author page, look here and here.

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Fig. 3 – Roderick: the Emancipation of a Young Black Serial Killer by Daneisha Gordon; The Downfall of an Arrogant DL Brotha by Daneisha Gordon

Daneisha Gordon (??-2013)

Novels Published: Two (Roderick: The Emancipation of a Young Black Serial Killer; The Downfall of an Arrogant DL Brotha)

Primary Publisher: Self-Published

Other Major Work: Lost poetry; lost screenplays; lost novels

Major Accomplishments: Gordon had positioned herself for an extremely promising and prolific career, only for heart complications to take her from us far too young. One of the greatest tragedies in trans literature.

On Her Fiction: The Downfall of an Arrogant DL Brotha is one of the most riotously funny books that I have ever read, with a genuinely surprising twist and depth of social insight. Roderick was the beginning of a promising series that, regrettably, we will never get to read book two of.

Where to Buy: Amazon.

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Fig. 4 – No White Picket Fences by Shayla J. Anderson

Shayla J. Anderson (??)

Novels Published: One (No White Picket Fences)

Primary Publisher: Self-Published

Other Major Work: Unknown, but when I tracked down her website, I found it through all sorts of other weird business sites, so,, who knows what’s going on with that.

Major Accomplishments: Unknown.

On Her Fiction: Clearly self-published, and probably one of the weaker novels on the list, but I still enjoyed it and thought that with a good editor, it could be a diamond in the rough.

Where to Buy: Amazon

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Fig. 5 – Yemaya’s Daughters by Dane Figueroa Edidi; Brew by Dane Figueroa Edidi; Wither by Dane Figueroa Edidi

Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi (??-)

Novels Published: Eight (Yemaya’s Daughters, Brew, Keeper, Incarnate, Wither, Bone, Solace, Hierodule), One forthcoming (She of the Fallen Stars)

Primary Publisher: Self-Published

Other Major Work: Lots of poetry (For Black Trans Girls Who Gotta Cuss a Mother Fucker Out When Snatching an Edge Ain’t Enough, Baltimore: A Love Letter), Spiritual work (The Black Trans Prayer Book), Activism, community organizing, speaking, and a bunch of other multi-media artistic output

Major Accomplishments: Two-time Helen Hayes Award Nominee and 2021 winner for Playwriting, Ms. DC Latinx Pride 2018-2019, Winner of the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction, 2015 Emerging Leader Award winner, 2018 GLBT History Project Mujeres en el Movimiento Arts Award winner. For a long time, if you had heard of any black trans novelist, it was probably Lady Dane. She is the most decorated Black transfeminine novelist of all time.

On Her Fiction: By my personal token, Yemaya’s Daughters is the most ambitious novel ever published by a trans woman writer. It’s a vivid sprawling post-modern epic that exists between and beyond linear time, weaving through mythology and modern life with the ease of a dancer. This book is absolutely brilliant and could easily have entire books worth of literary analysis dedicated to it, and the fact that the only extended piece I’ve read truly taking it with the gravitas and seriousness it requires was Jamie Berrout’s piece in Incomplete Essays is an absolute travesty. It’s an absolute magnum opus that needs like, five hundred footnotes. I haven’t gotten a chance to read her other books, but I know that Brew is also great, and one of the best options for TWOC girls looking for Young Adult fiction.

Where to Buy: Edidi’s website has all of her fiction.

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Fig. 6 – The Man on Top of the World by Vanessa Clark

Vanessa Clark (??-)

Novels Published: One (The Man on Top of the World)

Primary Publisher: Bold Stroke Books

Other Major Work: short stories in KINK and Best of Lesbian Erotica 2013 anthologies; Other erotic writings of Oysters&Chocolate.com; Journalistic bylines in Harpers Bazaar, POPSUGAR, Vice, them, Vox, Bitch, and The Brooklyn Rail; Prominent intersex activism.

Major Accomplishments: All the aforementioned, plus some early-in-life acclaim through the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards with “several Gold Keys” (as someone who got an honorable mention back in the day, this is very impressive).

On their Fiction: This is the only author on this list with fiction that’s already been published that I haven’t read yet. I’m working on getting my hands on a copy, but unfortunately this book is very out-of-print and not for sale anywhere, so it’s a bit of a challenge (Shoutout to Bogi Takács for bringing her work to my attention in the first place). If you manage to snag a copy, I’ll be super jealous!

Where to Buy: Out of print.

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Fig. 7 – Can You Say My Name Again by Nadia Nova

Nadia Nova (1993-)

Novels Published: One (Can You Say My Name Again), plus five visual novels (Doomsday Dreamgirl, Demon Dash, Hopeless Junction, Malcatras’ Maiden, Divine Despair Deviance)

Primary Publisher: Trans Woman Writer’s Collective, Self-Published

Other Major Work: A variety of video games and comics

Major Accomplishments: Malcatras’ Maiden is available on Steam; a couple of prominent bundles on itch.io

On her Fiction: Nova’s novella Can You Say My Name Again is an excellent early example of the genre I like to call “T-Lit,” after Chick Lit, of fluffy Transition Fantasy stories (often called eggfic) which resist many of the more traditional characteristics of TG/TF (Transgender/Transformation) literature. In T-Lit, the focus of the story is often less on the physical details of transition (breast forms, clothes, voice training, shaving, etc) and more on the emotional experience of being a trans girl (euphoria, anxiety, etc.), often with a comfort food or syrupy bent. Another writer from around the same time in a similar vein is Alex Zandra von Chestein. Nova is primarily known for her game design work, but her writing ought to be recognized as well.

Where to Buy: itch.io.

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Fig. 8 – LOTE by Shola von Reinhold

Shola von Reinhold (??-)

Novels Published: One (LOTE)

Primary Publisher: Jacaranda Books, Metonymy Press

Other Major Work: Not much yet.

Major Accomplishments: 2021 Republic of Consciousness Prize winner, 2021 James Tait Black Memorial Prize winner

On her Fiction: Shola von Reinhold is a Novelist in the most traditional sense: she came out of nowhere, dropped a completely dazzling work with complex technical prose and dense literary allusion, then swanned back off into her private life, leaving little detail not concerning her book on the internet. And yknow what, we love that for her. LOTE wasn’t my personal favorite book, but at least ten different transfemme have told me that they swear up and down by this one, and it’s rivaling Edidi’s prose for the most literary black transfeminine fiction, so definitely worth a read.

Where to Buy: Amazon.

Fun Fact: The only birth year I could source for von Reinhold was 1892, so… do with that what you will. Maybe she’s a vampire. I wouldn’t rule it out.

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Fig. 9 – The Longest Summer by Alexandrine Ogundimu; Desperate by Alexandrine Ogundimu; Zeke by Alexandrine Ogundiumu

Alexandrine Ogundimu (1989-)

Novels Published: Four (The Longest Summer, Desperate, Agitation, Zeke), plus one collection with novellas included (Cross Radical)

Primary Publisher: Clash Books, Feral Dove Books, Amphetamine Sulphate

Other Major Work: A number of short stories, including in the anthology Human Rights; a substantive body of essays and media criticism

Major Accomplishments: LitReactor described her work as “prolific” in 2022, and with her debut novel now out in the world, she’s well-positioned to actualize that.

On her Fiction: I just reacted to The Longest Summer on social media and had an Experience while doing so, which I’ll record here for posterity:

I did not just see an ad on Sunday afternoon football saying “Kamala works for they/them, not for you” while flashing images of incarcerated black trans women. I fucking hate it here.

It’s not surprising, it’s not novel, it just fills me with such dull rage and sadness.

I’m reading The Longest Summer by Alexandrine Ogundimu, a Nigerian-American trans woman, right now and it’s a relentlessly bleak and miserable read. All of the blaqueer characters are mired in hopeless poverty and making awful decisions in a rotting city in Indiana, and I was getting ready to be like, yeah it’s well written but it’s such a depressing novel and I don’t like it. And then national television pulls this flagrant bullshit right to my goddamn face. And it’s like, I get it now. It’s not about being nihilistic, it’s accurately capturing moments like this in their frequency and banality.

Ogundimu’s fiction is blunt, dark, and unrelenting. It is also oh-so-pressing in our current political climate. Essential reading.

Where to Buy: Some are on Amazon. There’s not an obvious place to buy her novellas, I found this British bookstore that carries two of the three. You might have to dig.

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Fig. 10 – The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenjé

Kuchenga Shenjé (1985-)

Novels Published: One (The Library Thief)

Primary Publisher: Hanover Square Press

Other Major Work: Essays and stories have appeared in a wide range of anthologies, including This is How We Come Back Stronger, Afro Trans, Who’s Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Color, Loud Black Girls, “I will not be erased,” It’s Okay to Not Feel Blue and Other Lies, and To My Trans Sisters; Journalism and documentary work with Stylist, Vogue, and Netflix

Major Accomplishments: Shortlisted for the 2024 McDermid Debut prize in Crime Fiction

On her Fiction: Kuchenga Shenjé may be the most recent debut novelist on this list, but she’s come out of the gate swinging for the fences! The Library Thief is a stunning piece of historical fiction that situates silenced undercurrents of racism, colonialism, and imperialism with the literary form of its Victorian time, radically destabilizing and dislocating British class dynamics and painting a vivid picture of British queer life at the end of the 19th Century. I had an absolute blast reading this book, and I’d be willing to bet that you will too. Shenjé is undeniably one of the most exciting new voices to have broken out into the transfeminine sphere in 2024, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Where to Buy: Amazon

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I wanted to section off the last two authors on this list because neither of them have published their debut novel yet, and I don’t want people to go searching for work that’s not yet available for sale. But I’ve made this list with an eye not just to the past but also the future of black transfeminine publishing, and I think it’s important to highlight who’s on the up-and-up for 2025 and beyond!

So, without further ado…

Fig. 11 – When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris

Denne Michele Norris (1986-)

Novels Published: One forthcoming (When the Harvest Comes)

Primary Publisher: Random House

Other Major Work: Years of editing and organizing for trans voices in publishing; editorial work at Electric Literature, The Rumpus, and Apogee Journal; Short story bylines in McSweeney’s, American Short Fiction, ZORA, Everyday People: The Color of Life, and Forward: 21st Century Flash Fiction; co-hosts the Food 4 Thot podcast

Major Accomplishments: First black trans Editor-in-Chief of a major publication (Electric Literature); 2022 Whiting Literary Magazine Prize winner; two-time Pushcart Prize nominee; 2018 Best Small Fictions Prize finalist

On her Fiction: Yeah, this one is gonna hit like an absolute truck when it releases on April 15th, 2025. Denne Michele Norris is one of the most prominent TWOC in the publishing industry, and I am indescribably excited to read this book when it releases next year. I had the pleasure of meeting Denne a few weeks ago, and her warm presence and creative work within the novel sphere is such a boon to the whole community. Very much looking forward to this one.

Where to Buy: You can preorder on Amazon.

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And last but not least, this final author might not have a book deal yet, but between her education, her accolades, and her in-progress novel, she seems very poised to emerge onto the scene in 2026 or beyond… She’s only a few years older to me, so it’s exciting to see the first glimmers of a Gen-Z writing cohort emerging on the horizon! As a twenty-two year old, I’m all here for it.

Fig. 12 – One Good Argument for Youth Prison Abolition by Taiwana Shambley

Taiwana Shambley (1999-)

Novels Published: One forthcoming (I Can Be Free Yesterday)

Primary Publisher: On the market

Other Major Work: Another manuscript of poetry and short fiction on the market (Welcome to Maryland Avenue and Other Angry Black Girl Stories); 2023 zine One Good Argument for Youth Prison Abolition; bylines in Public Philosophy Journal and Minnesota Women’s Press; Poetry with Academy of American Poets and Black in the Middle: An Anthology of the Black Midwest; a variety of abolitionist and writing teaching credentials

Major Accomplishments: She may be early in her career, but her resume is already incredibly impresssive.

On her Fiction: I’m very much looking forward to it. Editors and publishers, I know some of you are reading this blog… Her agent is Riley Jay Davis at Red Sofa Literary, drop them a line: Riley@Redsofaliterary.com.

Where to Buy: Nowhere yet, but she does have a newsletter.

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I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that more than eleven Black transfemmes have published novels over the last several decades. Unfortunately, I’ve about reached the end of my ability to dredge them up off the internet, which is why I’m gonna throw this to all of you.

If you know any Black transfeminine novelist who wasn’t listed here (or if you are one), please don’t hesitate to email me or share their work in the comments! I want to read it, and I know a lot of other people do too. Self-published, underground, obscure, not in English, only read by your mom and your cat – we still want to hear about it! Over the last few months, crowdsourcing has been such a vital way to discover new fiction, and my hope is that as more people discover this post, we can really begin to develop a rigorous list here.

Similarly, if you’re a Black transfemme who’s had a completed manuscript for years and has been struggling to get your work published, sound off in the comments too! We want to hear about your struggles and triumphs within the industry.

I hope you found a new favorite author today :)))

Cheers, Beth

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UPDATE 10/10/24 – I was absolutely delighted last night to learn that there’s two more published authors and another upcoming author who I had overlooked during my survey! Thank you so so much to Sarah (littlebookterror) and Ann LeBlanc for bringing them to my attention. Remember that if I’ve overlooked anyone here, I’m more than happy to add them to the list.

Also, a brief note: as with everything on this site, the name of the game here is self-identification. I know there are some writers who may fall into this broad category who’ve chosen for various reasons to keep their racial identity private, and it’s my intention to respect that. Also, just having a broad ‘TWOC’ on their profile could mean anything, we’re aiming for specificity on lists like these, cause that’s a specificity that TWOC very rarely get when they’re lumped together on lists of “books by trans women of color,” which inevitably fail to highlight any actual underground or neglected fiction in favor of tokenizing the few TWOC who’ve managed to break out into commercial success. Also also, if it seems like an author doesn’t want to be on a list like this, I’m not gonna put them on it either unless they tell me otherwise.

Emmy Morgan (1976-)

Novels Published: Two (The Ice Princess, The Family Portraits)

Primary Publisher: Self-Published

Other Major Work: Wrote, produced, and acted in the Forever and a Day and Everyday Women audio dramas, plus additional acting credits for Heritage; also works on The Spilled Tea podcast; wrote a film called Kitty; has a substantial TikTok following at @msemmymorgan.

Major Accomplishments: A long and successful career in the podcasting sphere

On her Writing: The Ice Princess is a two-book literary contemporary series that follows the life of Desiré, a Black trans girl who gets adopted into a White family at a young age. Morgan writes that she was “frustrated with the lack of transgender love stories in the world so decided to write one of her own.” I haven’t read either of these books yet, but I’ll update this section when I do!

Where to Buy: Amazon.

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Brynn Renée AKA Jack Harbon (??-)

Novels Published: Eighteen [Author Counts Twenty-Four] (Meet Cute Club, To The Hilt, Daddy, Kitten, Worship, Safe With Daddy, Sold to Daddy, The Babysitter, The Intern, The Brother, , Parker, His Beauty, Sunny Days, The Goode Girl, Crimes of Passion, Unwrap Me, Teacher’s Pet, The Billings Maid)

Major Publisher: Audible Originals, Self-Published

Other Major Work: I mean damn, twenty-four novels seems like a lot to me.

Major Accomplishments: In an earlier version of this article, I stated that Dane Figueroa Edidi was the most prolific Black transfeminine author. That was incorrect. Jack Harbon is, by a lot, the most prolific author on this list.

On her Fiction: Brynn Renée writes a little bit of everything! Romance, thrillers, horror, erotica, you name it, she’s probably done it. They’ve got a couple of big series and some stand-alone books, and are also a prolific penname user, so you might find their work under multiple handles. I’ll be checking her work out soon, and you should too!

Where to Buy: Amazon

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T.T. Madden (??-)

Novels Published: Three forthcoming (The Familialists, The Cosmic Color, Coffin Corner)

Primary Publisher: Neon Hemlock, Off Limits Press

Other Major Work: Short story and poetry bylines in Embodied Exegesis, Dead Skunk, Bag of Bones, Alternating Current, and Lamplight Magazine; showrunner with Hunt a Killer, a murder mystery company

Major Accomplishments: They’ve got a busy release schedule coming up!

On their Fiction: Obviously I haven’t read it yet, but I’m very intrigued about the “social horror” focus of The Familiarists, which will release on 10/19/24. You can preorder it on Amazon right now! Madden seems to specialize in cosmic sci-fi and horror and adjacent genres so I’m quite excited to see what they’ve got coming up.

Where to Buy: You can preorder The Familiarists here.

I’ll continue to update this section as we connect with more black transfemme authors, so definitely stay posted for more!

Beth ❤

LAST WEDNESDAY: #5 – An Overview of Major Trans-Forward Publishers

NEXT WEDNESDAY: #7 – 12 Spooky Books by Transfemmes to Read This Halloween