By Laura Spencer Editor-in-Chief
A transgender author and activist will visit Hood College on Oct. 9 to discuss the issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community. Meredith Russo’s talk “Building a Revolution Through Dreams: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Representation,” will be presented at Hood College at 7 p.m. in the Hodson Auditorium in Rosenstock Hall. Russo’s debut novel was released in 2016, titled “If I Was Your Girl.” Russo received multiple awards, including the Stonewall Book Award in the young adult category. The Stonewall Book Award recognizes exceptional merit relating to the LGBT experience. Russo was additionally honored with the Walter Dean Myers Diversity award and the Lambda Literacy Award. The Lambda Literacy Award is presented to people who have created work that explore LGBT themes. Russo is native to Chattanooga, Tennessee and earned degrees from the University of Tennessee in creative writing and women’s studies. Russo is popular on social media, with thousands of followers. She discusses topics such as gender, politics, and writing using social media platforms. Russo joined a livestream chat with the Washington Post, where she said she just wants a book where good things happen to a transgender person. Russo discusses ideas involving not fitting in. “I think a big part of it is finding your tribe, which is a lot easier now than it used to be.,” said Russo in the Washington Post livestream chat. Russo is currently a contributor for the New York Times, Radical Hope, Meet Cute, and (Don’t) Call Me Crazy. Russo’s second novel, titled “Birthday,” is scheduled to be released in May 2019. Russo is noted for being one of only a few transgender women speaking about contemporary transgender issues and creating transgender art. Transgender issues can include bullying, assaults, health care needs, and lack of visibility in certain communities among many others. For more information about Russo’s talk at Hood College, please contact Aaron Angello at angello@hood.edu.
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