We Have Always Been Here; We Always Will Be, a guest post by Kate Fussner

Growing up, I loved fairy tales and Greek myths. I loved stories that had long-lived past their original tellers, tales that had morphed over the course of centuries. And I didn’t discriminate on the versions I loved! Was I an avid watcher of the tv show, Wishbone? Absolutely. Did I enjoy Disney versions of the stories? Of course. And I loved even more learning that the original versions had been sadder and more intense. Because whatever version of the story I read, I always had the sense that there were certain themes and lessons about being human that lasted, no matter the generation. Yet, in all of these stories, there were also missing pieces.

As a young queer person, I was keenly aware of how LGBTQIA+ characters never appeared in these stories. I was a voracious reader, devouring any and all books I could get my hands on. I loved finding pieces of myself in the stories, but I never found my queer identity reflected. Left to think that those parts must be wrong or hidden, I tried to focus on the parts of myself I could find in the stories. In the back of my mind, though, I wondered when queer kids like me would get to be the heroes of retellings, and if our love was as deserving of epic and timeless adventures, or happily ever afters.

When I sat down to write THE SONG OF US, I knew only this: I wanted to write a version of “Orpheus and Eurydice” that would honor the original themes of trust and love, but would help more young people find themselves in the story. I wanted my young, queer, fat self to know that someone like me could be a hero of a love story. I wanted young queer readers today to see that their stories, too, should get to endure for generations. More than anything, I wanted all young readers to know that there are many different ways to experience queerness.

Throughout THE SONG OF US, there are several LGBTQIA+ characters. Olivia and Eden, my Orpheus and Eurydice, experience their queer identities in different ways. Olivia’s safe home life allows her to live openly, while Eden’s homophobic father does not. Olivia feels happy and grounded in her queer identity; may young people find themselves in safe homes where they can joyfully grow into themselves. Like many young people who are still figuring themselves out, Eden has questions about who she is. May young people know that their questions are valid, and that they do not need to figure everything out right away. Some secondary characters are also queer. Olivia’s best friend Lexi is trans, and while her trans identity is not the focus of the story, it was important to me that readers know that confident, content trans young people exist. May they live their lives fully and find community in others, always. The principal of the school is also a queer woman, living out and proud because that is what I hope for young people: may they grow into fully-realized, proud adults. At a time when books by and about LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC folks are challenged and banned, it’s hard and also more important than ever that young people find, as Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop coined, the windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors that they need to know that they have a right to read and a right to tell stories of their own, too.

While THE SONG OF US is not a strict retelling of “Orpheus and Eurydice,” it is meant to bring new characters into the conversations that this story has sparked for centuries. I am not the first, nor will I be the last, author to bring LGBTQIA+ folks into classical stories. What I hope that young people will find in this story is a reminder that no matter where we are in our journeys into coming into ourselves, we are here, we have always been here, and we deserve to continue to be here.

Meet the author

Kate Fussner (she/her) is a novelist, teacher, and accidental poet living in Massachusetts with her wife and dramatic dog. When not reading or writing, Kate can be found spending time with her family, baking, or singing her favorite musicals. Kate believes in the power of a good laugh and a good cry, and hopes her stories will provide readers with both. Learn more at www.katefussner.com or find Kate on instagram @kafussner.

About The Song of Us

This stunning debut and wholly original queer middle grade novel-in-verse retelling of “Orpheus and Eurydice” adds a new chorus to the songs of great love, perfect for fans of Other Words for Home and Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World.

Love at first sight isn’t a myth. For seventh graders Olivia and Eden, it’s fate. Olivia is a capital-P Poet, and Eden thinks she wants to be a musician one day, but for now she’s just the new girl. And then Eden shows up to Poetry Club and everything changes.

Eden isn’t out, and she has rules for dating Olivia: don’t call. Don’t tell her friends. And don’t let anyone know they’re together.

But when jealousy creeps in, it’s Olivia’s words that push Eden away. While Eden sets out to find herself, Olivia begins a journey to bring Eden back—using poetry. Both Olivia and Eden will learn just how powerful their words can be to bring them together . . . or tear them apart forever.

ISBN-13: 9780063256941
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 05/30/2023
Age Range: 10 – 13 Years

Filed under: Guest Post