Q&A with Lindz Amer

 

Photo by Ella Pennington

 

Lindz Amer is the author of the new children's picture book Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They!. They also have written the book Rainbow Parenting, and they host the Rainbow Parenting podcast.

Q: What inspired you to write Hooray for She, He, Ze, and They!?

 

A: I dedicated the book to my childhood self! Writing this book was really healing for me in that way. So much of what I create as a queer and trans person making work for kids and families is what I wish I'd had when I was a kid.

 

I hope they can have access to the language and information they need to be their fullest most authentic selves. 

 

Q: What do you think Kip Alizadeh’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: Oh my gosh, Kip's illustrations take the book to a whole new level! I'm obsessed with the art.

 

They came up with the brilliant idea to illustrate versions of us, creating a direct line of communication between the trans creators of the book and its young readers. Which is something I'm super excited about!

 

Their textures and use of color really bring the visual imagery to life in a way I couldn't even imagine when I was writing the manuscript. 

 

Q: How would you define “gender euphoria,” a term you talk about in the book's author's note?

 

A: It's that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you can express your fullest, truest, most awesome self to the world! Sometimes that's through our words, our clothes, what we like to do. It's joy first and foremost!

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the story?

 

A: I hope they start to engage in a pronoun practice! The book ends with a question, "What are your pronouns today?" I hope that the book leaves young readers with the ability to answer that question whenever they like!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A:I'm one of those people who always has a million irons in the fire. Right now, I'm really concentrating on my webseries Queer Kid Stuff and the educational advocacy work I do around it.

 

We're gearing up for a big campaign to bring the series back as a fully-fledged preschool show so lots to come on that front over the next few months! Folks can visit queerkidstuff.com to learn more about that and follow us on socials for updates!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I'm just really excited for this book to be out in the world! It's a perfect companion to my book for grown ups, Rainbow Parenting: Your Guide to Raising Queer Kids and Their Allies, and is something I've wanted to make happen for a long time.

 

After a very long process, I'm so glad it's finally going to be on bookshelves!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb