Do You Like Romance Stories? - The New York Times
The L.G.B.T.Q. romance genre is booming. How often do you see yourself represented in love stories in books and movies or on TV?
Do you enjoy romance stories, whether in books or movies or on TV? If so, what makes a love story compelling to you? Witty dialogue? Character development? Suspense?
How much do you care about the identities of the protagonists? Do you enjoy romances more when aspects of your own identity — like sexual orientation, race, gender identity or disability — are reflected?
In "'I Just Want Something That's Gay and Happy': L.G.B.T.Q. Romance Is Booming," Elizabeth A. Harris writes:
For years, Lana Popovic Harper wrote novels for a pittance she described as "jars of pennies." So when her new project drew bids from seven publishers, she was thrilled. Stunned, really: The book was a romance about two women. Two women who happen to be witches.
"It was completely surreal to me," Harper said. "People really wanted these queer witches."
L.G.B.T.Q. romance novels have been around for decades, but they have been a quiet presence, almost entirely self-published or put out by small niche presses, and often shelved separately from other romances in bookstores. Now, they are coming from the biggest publishers in the industry. They are prominently displayed at independent bookstores and on the shelves at Walmart, and advertised on New York City subway platforms.
And when Harper's book, "Payback's a Witch," was published last fall by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, it became a best seller.
"L.G.B.T.Q. romance is booming," said Shannon DeVito, director of books at Barnes & Noble.
In many ways, this echoes a broader cultural shift. Gay characters were once confined to niche markets, or to peripheral roles and tragic endings in the mainstream — a tendency that spawned the sardonic catchphrase "bury your gays." No longer. An L.G.B.T.Q. romance novel, in fact, promises two things: It will have L.G.B.T.Q. characters at its center, and the main couple (or thruple!) will have a happy ending.
"People want to see themselves," said Laynie Rose Rizer, the assistant store manager at East City Bookshop in Washington, D.C. "Customers will come in and say, 'I just want something that's gay and happy.' And I'm like, 'I have ten different options for you.'"
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
Do you enjoy romance stories? If so, what are some of your favorites, in any medium? What do you like about them?
If you do not typically enjoy love stories, what genres do you prefer? Why?
Why do you think queer romance books have become so much more prevalent recently? Have you read, watched or listened to one you especially liked?
How often do you see elements of your own identity — like sexuality, gender identity, race, age, disability or anything else — represented in these stories? Do you enjoy plotlines about love and romance more when you can see yourself reflected in them, or does that not matter?
If you could give advice to TV, movie or book writers about how to make romance stories more interesting, realistic or fun, what would you say?
Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
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