Penguin Random House launches Pride initiative in book-banned markets
In honor of Pride month, Penguin Random House, led by its LGBTQ+ Network, partnered with queer creatives to create its first-ever zine, Pride in Your Words.
From June 6, billboards illustrated by lettering artist Kyle Letendre will bring some of the most powerful words from queer literature to life, in select cities including key book-banned markets.
The American book publisher, which is also one of the largest general-interest paperback publishers in the world, aims to educate, open minds, inspire conversation, and move us toward a better future.
Pride in Your Words builds upon PRH and its LGBTQ+ Network’s storytelling tradition set forth in 2019 with Under One Roof, 2020 with Passport to Pride, and 2021 with In Your Words with the goal of continuing to create meaningful and lasting connections with readers and celebrating books, authors, and storytellers during Pride and throughout the year.
This year’s zine (the limited edition print version of 1,000 zines sold out almost immediately) opens with an introduction from the LGBTQ+ Network and highlights authors and books published in 2022, with passages and interviews from Vagabonds/Eloghosa Osunde, All the Flowers Kneeling/Paul Tran, Acts of Service/Lillian Fishman, and I’m Not Broken/Jesse Leon, as well as coloring pages from Color Me Queer by Anshika Khullar.
Also featured is a 2022 Pride reading list, an illustrated guide to making your own zine, and four original illustrations from lettering artist Kyle Letendre.
And to uplift LGBTQ+ youth and encourage them to write their own stories, PRH will donate 15% of PRH.com net proceeds in June 2022 to these organizations (up to $30K): LGBTQ Saves, and the Zebra Coalition.
