Small writers
Photo: Luke Lung
By Mie Hald
When I debuted in 2016, I had no idea how difficult the life of a writer is to navigate. It’s important to help each other, and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to present some of the smaller Danish queer writers I think you should know about!
In order to narrow down and focus the list, I set some requirements: it had to be authors who were LGBTI+, had published at least one independent work under their own name/pseudonym, were published on the Danish market, and who had not been awarded much time in the media.
Being published in a collection of short stories also makes you a writer, and I recommend that all readers interested in books take a look at the publisher Klippe’s: Kunsten at Være Dig Selv, a queer anthology of queer authors. For new recommendations, you can also find the editors’ own favorites here in the magazine, or you can stop by Buens Bogcafé the next time you go to Northern Jutland!
Aaiún Nin (They/Them)
Latest release: På Min Huds Sorthed (not yet translated to English)
Aaiún writes because there is a serious lack of black, queer voices in literature. They would like to contribute to the nuances of the various stories and help the field grow. Aaiún says: “I write for Black people.”
Instagram: @aaiun_nin
Salina Schjødt Larsen (she/her)
Newest releases: Jagten på De Sidste Ønsker series, Unge Helte series (not translated to English)
Salina is a queer woman in her 30s who primarily writes in the fantastic genre aimed at children and young adults. Light reading is her favorite because she loves the challenge of writing big stories with small words! Representation is not a theme, but an understated importance.
YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter: @Skrivekrampe
Simon Zanders (he/him)
Newest release: Sortørnens Øje (not translated to English)
Simon grew up with a love for fantasy. Magical worlds were a free space, though none of the characters looked like him. It was only when he started writing himself that he realized the possibilities for self-reflection. Now he primarily writes fantasy with a queer angle, although it is not necessarily a theme in the books.
Instagram: @Simonzanders
Website: simonzander.dk
Ivy-Oak Bech Charlton (they/them)
Newest publication: Bål for Begyndere in the anthology Kunsten At Være Sig Selv (not translated to English)
Ivy-Oak writes mostly fantasy and variations of sci-fi, but realism also sneaks in. They write the texts they would have liked as a child and young person, but also have their eyes on adult readers. For them, it is important to create a diverse and nuanced gallery of people, and as part of their activism, trans and gender-diverse characters are always part of their fictional universe.
Instagram: @TankerOmKon
Website: www.ivy-oak.biz
Luna Harley (she/her)
Latest release: Bare Alice (not translated to English)
Luna is 34 years old and lives with her wife, Julie, and their cat, Ozzy. Since she got her first diary as a 10-year-old, she has had a need to write everything down, and today it is primarily YA realism that is in focus. The L in LGBTI+ is always part of her stories, but the action is not centered around sexuality.
Instagram, TikTok: @Lunaharleyauthor
Gry Stokkendahl Dalgas (she/her)
Latest Release: At performe transkønnet vrede (not translated to English)
Gry writes works of fiction that are often different kinds of genre hybrids. Especially the changeable and rule-breaking interests her a lot – all her writing is political, and with her books, she wants to reach out to the reader: “To me, touching someone equals activism.”
Website: www.grystokkendahldalgas.com
Alexandra Vinther (she/her)
Newest release: Ellen Knivsbærer – Den Skibbrudne (not translated to English)
Alexandra has a fondness for the fantastic genre, although she likes to mix it with history, and she has published two short stories before her first novel. The introverted artist felt like she was different throughout her life, but in the fall of 2019, at the age of 39, she realized that she is asexual and aromantic.
Instagram: @authoralexandravinther
Facebook: Author Alexandra Vinter
