ray stoeve (they/them)
@raystoeve.bsky.social
writer of YA and more. they/them.
🌈WORST-CASE SCENARIO out 1.20.26!
🌈BETWEEN PERFECT AND REAL, ARDEN GREY, and THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY out now!
linktr.ee/rayrowanjames
🌈WORST-CASE SCENARIO out 1.20.26!
🌈BETWEEN PERFECT AND REAL, ARDEN GREY, and THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY out now!
linktr.ee/rayrowanjames
Pinned
🏳️⚧️ COVER REVEAL!! 🏳️🌈 WORST-CASE SCENARIO drops on January 20, 2026! Featuring a T4T type A vs class clown romance; a nonbinary MC w/ self-diagnosed anxiety (but it’s actually OCD); should social justice be serious or fun?; & what do you do when your recovering alcoholic dad reappears in your life? 🧵
Reposted by ray stoeve (they/them)
Gonna go even further: don't refer to it as "consuming media" when doing this. You aren't a consumer - it's not a product. You read books. You look at art. You watch movies and/or videos. Be careful about word choice.
Reject "consume" and REJECT "CONTENT."
IT IS ART.
YOU ARE ENGAGING WITH ART.
Reject "consume" and REJECT "CONTENT."
IT IS ART.
YOU ARE ENGAGING WITH ART.
I'm being so real right now, learn how to engage in media as art and not a reflection of your own real life morals. consume things that make you uncomfortable and understand why it makes you uncomfortable. Don't just base yours and others morals standings on the media you consume.
September 22, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Gonna go even further: don't refer to it as "consuming media" when doing this. You aren't a consumer - it's not a product. You read books. You look at art. You watch movies and/or videos. Be careful about word choice.
Reject "consume" and REJECT "CONTENT."
IT IS ART.
YOU ARE ENGAGING WITH ART.
Reject "consume" and REJECT "CONTENT."
IT IS ART.
YOU ARE ENGAGING WITH ART.
🩷💜💙 I’m doing a #BiWeek giveaway in honor of Talia, a bi autistic trans girl and bestie to Hayley in my YA romcom THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY! One winner gets a signed personalized HC copy of TSLS.
TO ENTER:
Subscribe to my newsletter!
US only, open til 11:59pm 9/23. More deets on my IG 👀
TO ENTER:
Subscribe to my newsletter!
US only, open til 11:59pm 9/23. More deets on my IG 👀
Ray Stoeve’s Newsletter
YA author Ray Stoeve shares monthly spotlights of trans YA & MG books, updates on their own books and writer life, culture recommendations and advocacy opportunities.
mailchi.mp
September 22, 2025 at 10:08 PM
🩷💜💙 I’m doing a #BiWeek giveaway in honor of Talia, a bi autistic trans girl and bestie to Hayley in my YA romcom THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY! One winner gets a signed personalized HC copy of TSLS.
TO ENTER:
Subscribe to my newsletter!
US only, open til 11:59pm 9/23. More deets on my IG 👀
TO ENTER:
Subscribe to my newsletter!
US only, open til 11:59pm 9/23. More deets on my IG 👀
The “first trans YA” I talked abt last time actually WASN’T the first! How do we decide who is “first” in trans YA, anyway? Today I’m talking abt those elusive milestones, how we decide what qualifies, and what we learn when we ask that question.
August 29, 2025 at 9:28 PM
The “first trans YA” I talked abt last time actually WASN’T the first! How do we decide who is “first” in trans YA, anyway? Today I’m talking abt those elusive milestones, how we decide what qualifies, and what we learn when we ask that question.
I finished Expedition 33 two days ago and I’m still thinking about that final choice. Absolutely brilliant writing and follow through on a theme until the very end. I’ve been learning a lot about what makes a meaningful choice in a video game and that one was a perfect example.
August 17, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I finished Expedition 33 two days ago and I’m still thinking about that final choice. Absolutely brilliant writing and follow through on a theme until the very end. I’ve been learning a lot about what makes a meaningful choice in a video game and that one was a perfect example.
AGENTS YOU BETTER BE LINING UP TO REP THIS!!!!!!!
August 15, 2025 at 11:38 PM
AGENTS YOU BETTER BE LINING UP TO REP THIS!!!!!!!
If you like interactive fiction I just published this short piece based on the fetch (no relation to Mean Girls), a figure in Irish folklore, with a trans spin on it. I’ve been getting into video game writing & narrative design and this is the first attempt I’m sharing. I’m quite proud of it!
The Fetch Speaks by western hemlock
Your friend has something to tell you.
westernhemlock.itch.io
August 15, 2025 at 11:35 PM
If you like interactive fiction I just published this short piece based on the fetch (no relation to Mean Girls), a figure in Irish folklore, with a trans spin on it. I’ve been getting into video game writing & narrative design and this is the first attempt I’m sharing. I’m quite proud of it!
Reposted by ray stoeve (they/them)
For the entire time of knowing who he is, I have thought Gavin Newsom was gay, and I just learned he isn’t.
Was it just me?? Is this some kind of Mandela effect?? I stg I remember reading that he was gay years and years ago and that was why he started marrying people before it was legal.
Was it just me?? Is this some kind of Mandela effect?? I stg I remember reading that he was gay years and years ago and that was why he started marrying people before it was legal.
August 8, 2025 at 10:02 PM
For the entire time of knowing who he is, I have thought Gavin Newsom was gay, and I just learned he isn’t.
Was it just me?? Is this some kind of Mandela effect?? I stg I remember reading that he was gay years and years ago and that was why he started marrying people before it was legal.
Was it just me?? Is this some kind of Mandela effect?? I stg I remember reading that he was gay years and years ago and that was why he started marrying people before it was legal.
So uhhhhh who else went from a BG3 obsession to a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 obsession bc this game is GORGEOUS
August 3, 2025 at 12:44 AM
So uhhhhh who else went from a BG3 obsession to a Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 obsession bc this game is GORGEOUS
Chappell Roan was definitely listening to a lot of Cocteau Twins while she was writing and recording “The Subway” and I’m LOVING it
August 2, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Chappell Roan was definitely listening to a lot of Cocteau Twins while she was writing and recording “The Subway” and I’m LOVING it
If you want a crash course on the history of trans YA and middle grade books, I’m posting my newsletter archive one essay at a time on my blog starting TODAY with the first (or is it…?) trans YA book and what it says about where trans representation started!
Who Wrote The First Trans YA Novel?
According to my research, the first YA novel ever traditionally published about a trans character by a trans author came out only 12 years ago, in 2012. That book is BEING EMILY, by Rachel Gold, pu…
raystoeve.com
August 2, 2025 at 2:49 AM
If you want a crash course on the history of trans YA and middle grade books, I’m posting my newsletter archive one essay at a time on my blog starting TODAY with the first (or is it…?) trans YA book and what it says about where trans representation started!
And it’s never surprising to me when it’s the white cis gay men who do this. They consistently throw others under the bus to preserve their rights (to assimilate).
buttigieg is (and at least on the national stage *consistently* has been) a Corporate Gay
and queers know that Corporate Gays will sell out the community to get ahead
and queers know that Corporate Gays will sell out the community to get ahead
July 30, 2025 at 8:46 PM
And it’s never surprising to me when it’s the white cis gay men who do this. They consistently throw others under the bus to preserve their rights (to assimilate).
LET’S GO LESBIANS you have until tomorrow 7/31 to bid on my latest super-gay YA novel AND help Queer Liberation Network fund their programs for queer and trans financial empowerment in Texas and beyond!
Calling all sapphic YA romcom lovers! You can now bid on a signed & personalized copy of THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY! Hayley and Talia are BFFs who team up on a very neurodivergent Plan™️ to find their first girlfriends…but is love actually right in front of them??
www.32auctions.com/organization...
www.32auctions.com/organization...
July 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM
LET’S GO LESBIANS you have until tomorrow 7/31 to bid on my latest super-gay YA novel AND help Queer Liberation Network fund their programs for queer and trans financial empowerment in Texas and beyond!
Tomorrow 7/31 is your LAST DAY to shoot your shot for an author visit from me AND help Queer Liberation Network fund their programs for queer and trans financial empowerment in Texas and beyond!
Hey high school teachers and librarians!! I am auctioning off an author visit from me ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! In-person for Seattle-Tacoma; virtually elsewhere.
Proceeds benefit Queer Liberation Network’s programs! 💜
www.32auctions.com/organization...
Proceeds benefit Queer Liberation Network’s programs! 💜
www.32auctions.com/organization...
July 30, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Tomorrow 7/31 is your LAST DAY to shoot your shot for an author visit from me AND help Queer Liberation Network fund their programs for queer and trans financial empowerment in Texas and beyond!
Calling all sapphic YA romcom lovers! You can now bid on a signed & personalized copy of THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY! Hayley and Talia are BFFs who team up on a very neurodivergent Plan™️ to find their first girlfriends…but is love actually right in front of them??
www.32auctions.com/organization...
www.32auctions.com/organization...
July 26, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Calling all sapphic YA romcom lovers! You can now bid on a signed & personalized copy of THE SUMMER LOVE STRATEGY! Hayley and Talia are BFFs who team up on a very neurodivergent Plan™️ to find their first girlfriends…but is love actually right in front of them??
www.32auctions.com/organization...
www.32auctions.com/organization...
Hey high school teachers and librarians!! I am auctioning off an author visit from me ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! In-person for Seattle-Tacoma; virtually elsewhere.
Proceeds benefit Queer Liberation Network’s programs! 💜
www.32auctions.com/organization...
Proceeds benefit Queer Liberation Network’s programs! 💜
www.32auctions.com/organization...
July 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Hey high school teachers and librarians!! I am auctioning off an author visit from me ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! In-person for Seattle-Tacoma; virtually elsewhere.
Proceeds benefit Queer Liberation Network’s programs! 💜
www.32auctions.com/organization...
Proceeds benefit Queer Liberation Network’s programs! 💜
www.32auctions.com/organization...
Reposted by ray stoeve (they/them)
My friend Garrett & I organized a bookish auction that benefits the LGBTQ charity Queer Liberation Network where we both serve on the board. There are so many great items so please check it out & buy yourself sumn nice for a good cause:
www.32auctions.com/LitforQueerL...
(& please boost!)
www.32auctions.com/LitforQueerL...
(& please boost!)
July 24, 2025 at 3:28 PM
My friend Garrett & I organized a bookish auction that benefits the LGBTQ charity Queer Liberation Network where we both serve on the board. There are so many great items so please check it out & buy yourself sumn nice for a good cause:
www.32auctions.com/LitforQueerL...
(& please boost!)
www.32auctions.com/LitforQueerL...
(& please boost!)
I’m also so glad I’m not 17 anymore!! (With much tenderness and love for that teen!!)
Just finished Between Perfect and Real by @raystoeve.bsky.social and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. The whole story hit so close to home, I was listening to the audiobook, mowing my front lawn, and holding back tears. (I’m so glad I’m not 17 anymore!) Highly recommend!
#booksky #trans
#booksky #trans
July 18, 2025 at 8:32 PM
I’m also so glad I’m not 17 anymore!! (With much tenderness and love for that teen!!)
One of those is my debut, BETWEEN PERFECT AND REAL, about a closeted trans boy cast as Romeo in the school play. The past week, I’ve been researching where my books have been banned or challenged and I’m grateful to reporters like @heykellyjensen.bsky.social who cover the release of lists like this!
Thanks to the lawsuit over book bans by the Department of Defense Education Activity, we now know the nearly 600 books banned in US military schools worldwide.
The list prominently features LGBTQ+ books, books about racism, puberty titles, and comics.
bookriot.com/whats-includ...
The list prominently features LGBTQ+ books, books about racism, puberty titles, and comics.
bookriot.com/whats-includ...
What's Included in the 596 Books Banned by the Department of Defense Education Activity?
Here is the list of nearly 600 books banned by the Department of Defense in military schools across the globe.
bookriot.com
July 18, 2025 at 3:27 PM
One of those is my debut, BETWEEN PERFECT AND REAL, about a closeted trans boy cast as Romeo in the school play. The past week, I’ve been researching where my books have been banned or challenged and I’m grateful to reporters like @heykellyjensen.bsky.social who cover the release of lists like this!
The other day I was typing the one-sentence pitch of Between Perfect and Real for the millionth time and I noticed that autofill was completing the sentence. So that’s a milestone I guess 😂
(The pitch: “Between Perfect and Real is about a closeted trans boy cast as Romeo in the school play.”)
(The pitch: “Between Perfect and Real is about a closeted trans boy cast as Romeo in the school play.”)
July 18, 2025 at 5:11 AM
The other day I was typing the one-sentence pitch of Between Perfect and Real for the millionth time and I noticed that autofill was completing the sentence. So that’s a milestone I guess 😂
(The pitch: “Between Perfect and Real is about a closeted trans boy cast as Romeo in the school play.”)
(The pitch: “Between Perfect and Real is about a closeted trans boy cast as Romeo in the school play.”)
Hey that’s my book! 🥰
For our patron looking for "Romance with humor, lots of gender diversity, YA-level spice, bonus if neurodivergent" we suggest The Summer Love Strategy by @raystoeve.bsky.social. #AskALibrarian
Summer Love Strategy : a Novel — Multnomah County Library
Summer Love Strategy : a Novel — Stoeve, Ray — Hayley always has a crush. The problem is, her crushes never like her back. After her latest unrequited love-a girl from her basketball team-gets a boyfr...
multcolib.bibliocommons.com
July 18, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Hey that’s my book! 🥰
I wrote for @bookriot.bsky.social abt my database of YA & MG books by trans authors abt trans characters! Some stats:
🏳️⚧️In 2020: 33 novels w/ trans MCs
🏳️⚧️Today: 95!
🏳️⚧️Racial rep remains abt 80% white, 20% POC
🏳️⚧️Gender rep lags too: only 11/95 feature trans femmes
We’re here & we’re not going away!
🏳️⚧️In 2020: 33 novels w/ trans MCs
🏳️⚧️Today: 95!
🏳️⚧️Racial rep remains abt 80% white, 20% POC
🏳️⚧️Gender rep lags too: only 11/95 feature trans femmes
We’re here & we’re not going away!
Trans and Nonbinary Voices are Growing in YA
Author and YA fan Ray Stoeve shares the inspiration behind their project to document and highlight all of the trans and nonbinary books hitting shelves each year for young adult and middle grade reade...
bookriot.com
June 19, 2025 at 4:36 PM
I wrote for @bookriot.bsky.social abt my database of YA & MG books by trans authors abt trans characters! Some stats:
🏳️⚧️In 2020: 33 novels w/ trans MCs
🏳️⚧️Today: 95!
🏳️⚧️Racial rep remains abt 80% white, 20% POC
🏳️⚧️Gender rep lags too: only 11/95 feature trans femmes
We’re here & we’re not going away!
🏳️⚧️In 2020: 33 novels w/ trans MCs
🏳️⚧️Today: 95!
🏳️⚧️Racial rep remains abt 80% white, 20% POC
🏳️⚧️Gender rep lags too: only 11/95 feature trans femmes
We’re here & we’re not going away!
Reposted by ray stoeve (they/them)
Absolutely honored to have @raystoeve.bsky.social write for "What's Up in YA?" this week talking about their incredible young adult and middle grade trans and nonbinary voices masterlist.
Book lovers, librarians, and educators, get to know this resource.
bookriot.com/trans-and-no...
Book lovers, librarians, and educators, get to know this resource.
bookriot.com/trans-and-no...
Trans and Nonbinary Voices are Growing in YA
Author and YA fan Ray Stoeve shares the inspiration behind their project to document and highlight all of the trans and nonbinary books hitting shelves each year for young adult and middle grade reade...
bookriot.com
June 19, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Absolutely honored to have @raystoeve.bsky.social write for "What's Up in YA?" this week talking about their incredible young adult and middle grade trans and nonbinary voices masterlist.
Book lovers, librarians, and educators, get to know this resource.
bookriot.com/trans-and-no...
Book lovers, librarians, and educators, get to know this resource.
bookriot.com/trans-and-no...
The regret that I didn’t go with a pen name has never been stronger
April 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
The regret that I didn’t go with a pen name has never been stronger
Apparently yesterday was Int’l Asexuality Day?? I’ve got a book for that: ARDEN GREY, my YA novel abt a queer girl coping with her dysfunctional parents’ divorce, a rift with her trans boy BFF, & questioning whether she’s ace. Yeah, she’s got a lot going on 😅 She’s my least-read book but I love her!
Arden Grey
Check out Arden Grey - <b>Ray Stoeve</b><b>'s <i>Arden Grey</i></b><b> is</b><b> an insightful, raw YA novel about a young photographer navigating toxic relationships and how they influence her identi...
bookshop.org
April 7, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Apparently yesterday was Int’l Asexuality Day?? I’ve got a book for that: ARDEN GREY, my YA novel abt a queer girl coping with her dysfunctional parents’ divorce, a rift with her trans boy BFF, & questioning whether she’s ace. Yeah, she’s got a lot going on 😅 She’s my least-read book but I love her!