🍉Yaffa 🍉

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Be Cute. Stay Dangerous. Training Program

@yaffasutopia.bsky.social who wrote Whispers Beneath the Orange Grove is putting on a 12 week intensive training to support folx who are looking/working towards collective liberation
I signed up! And you should too! givebutter.com/Haz17J

These are gorgeous!

From left to right, top to bottom: Yaffa As author of Blood Orange, Christian Cooper, Author of Better Living Through Birding, Lamya H Author of Hijab Butch Blues, and Kodo Nishimura author of "This monk Wears Heels" All four portraits use vibrant colors from the Pride Flag,

For this #pride month 🏳️‍🌈, I'm drawing portraits of authors who have helped me significantly on my journey of self-exploration. I am still exploring my queerness, and I love it.

From left to right, top to bottom:
Yaffa As (@yaffasutopia.bsky.social), Christian Cooper, Lamya H. Kodo Nishimura.

A Portrait photo of the author of Blood Orange, Yaffa As

The book cover of Blood Orange

I wanted to start off #pride by sharing an important book:

Blood Orange by Yaffa As has poems of grief, identity, genocide, colonialism, and hope from the lenses of a queer Palestinian Muslim. Me and friends have described it as a must read for all. 🇵🇸

#freepalestine

Page one of prideopoly recs. Gay + Romance- Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Gay + BIPOC MC or Author- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Bi + Bi flag colors - You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson. Bi + Disability Rep - The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson. Bi + Fantasy - Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.

Page two of prideopoly recs. Lesbian + slow burn - Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake. Memoir - Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. Lesbian + Graphic Novel - The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag. Lesbian + Mental Illness/Therapy Rep - Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. Trans + poetry - Blood Orange by Yaffa As. Trans + trans rights - compound fracture by Andrew Joseph White. Trans + Queer Joy - Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender.

Page 3 of prideopoly recs. NB + Indie published - Even if we Break by Marieke Nijkamp. NB+Nonfiction - The Natural Mother of the Child by Krys Malcolm Belc. NB+ Horror/Sci-fi - Corrupted Vessels by Briar Ripley Page. NB+ Under 250 pages - Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker. Pan + Animals/Creatures - The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec. Pan + backlist - Space Opera by Catherynne M Valente. Pan + Pan rep - The Invisible Life of Addie Larue - V. E. Schwab.

Page 4 of prideopoly recs. LGBTQ+ +identity not already a prompt (polyamorous) - Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. LGBTQ+ + indigiqueer - Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead. Asexual + asexual rep - loveless by Alice Oseman. asexual + friend rec - a lady’s guide to petticoats and piracy by mackenzi lee. asexuak + friends to lovers - don’t let the forest in by c g drews.

for my first social post of @becklovesbooks.bsky.social ‘s #prideopoly challenge, here are some of my prompt recs! these are all expert-mode friendly as far as I know. happy reading ✨🏳️‍🌈📖

An illustrated orange tree tendrils around the Al-Aqsa mosque under a starry night sky.

Finished Sage yesterday, and will finish this over the weekend. Both are by Yaffa As.

No pride in genocide is written in large bold lettering. A white fan tailed pigeon perched atop the word Pride, which is coloured in the rainbow pride flag colours.

‘Find the things you can take off our plates so we don’t have to think about it’ - @yaffasutopia.bsky.social

Pride + Palestinian Poetry! Come celebrate the release of @yaffasutopia.bsky.social's new book, Sage, with an evening dedicated to Palestinian liberation - Thursday, June 12 at 6 PM. Event is free, but please donate at givebutter.com/iPxsAf to support Palestinians living through an ongoing genocide!

Prideopoly board, monopoly board with lots of of pride flags

Trans queer joy - Rainbow Islands by Devin Harnois Trans rights - Chef’s Kiss by T.J. Alexander Trans poetry - Blood Orange by Mx Yaffa Non-binary (indie published) - A Heart to Hold by Sula Sullivan Non-binary sci fi - Hammajang Luck by Makama Yamamoto Non-binary under 250 pages - The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

Asexual rep - The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz Asexual friends to Lovers - Must Love Cake by Azalea Crowley (novelette) Pansexual with creatures - Deal with the Devil by Bex Deveau (spicy poly monster romance) Pansexual rep - In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland Lesbian mental illness rep - A Little Luck by J.A. Collignon (anxiety) Lesbian graphic novel - On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden Lesbian slow burn - The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

Bi fantasy - The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi Bi disability rep - Godkiller by Hannah Kaner Book in bi colours - Deceived by the Gargoyles by Lillian Lark (bi poly monster romance) Gay BIPOC MC/author - The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta Gay romance - Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee Identity not a prompt - In the Care of Magic by Robin Jo Margaret (aro allo, spicy) Initiation by Alethea Faust (intersex SC, spicy) Indigiqueer rep - Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger (asexual Lipan Apache MC)

Pride month is almost here!

I’ve collaborated with @becklovesbooks.bsky.social to provide book recs for her Prideopoly challenge which you can check out here: prideopoly.carrd.co
My recs are in the images below 👇

Let me know what you’re planning to read for Pride!
📚💙 📚🏳️‍🌈 📚🏳️‍⚧️

A photo of a tablet device showing one of the first pages of Whispers Beneath the Orange Grove by the author Yaffa, on which it says: To the people whose lives require trigger warnings. May we be the trigger for the revolution.

#NowReading Whispers Beneath the Orange Grove by Yaffa #TransRightsReadathon 🌳

Book cover for Blood Orange, by Yaffa

current read: Blood Orange by Yaffa 💙📚

Interview with Yaffa affa (pronouns: they/she) is an autistic, queer, trans, Muslim, and multiply displaced Indigenous Palestinian. They are, among other things, a public speaker, published author, poet, stand-up comic, a...

NOW in #TheMagazine, a powerful interview on art, displacement & liberation with @yaffasutopia.bsky.social: crushingcolonialism.org/interview-with-yaffa/

🎟️They'll perform in this weekend's #DBIWP25 event, FREE & ACCESSIBLE—get your tickets on our website

🌎 Livestream available on our YT & FB pgs

The graphic is laid out in three columns. On the far left column on the top, is a picture of the book "This Arab is Queer." Underneath is a yellow box with the author of the book and the description of the book. In the middle column, there is a picture of the book "Blood Orange." Underneath is a yellow box with the author's name and description of the book. The far right column has the word "READ" in vertical, yellow letters.

Read from Arab authors and books that center Arab perspective and identity

Two books to have on your list are "This Arab is Queer," Edited by Elias Jahshan and "Blood Orange", by Yaffa.

The TBR Tower. The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang. Beyond The Queer Sci Fi and Fantasy Comics anthology edited by sfe monster. The Devourers by Indra Das. The Bachelor's Valet by Arden Powell. Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen. Astrophobia curated by Vesper Doom.

The TBR Tower. Let the Mountains Be My Grave by Francesca Tacchi. Spectred Isle by KJ Charles. Dragonfall by L.R. Lam. Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender. Earth Flown by Frances Wren. The Ojja Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio and Jenn St-Once.

The TBR Tower. The Specimen's Apology by George Abraham, art by Lela Abdelrazaq. The Forest Demands its Due by Kosoko Jackson. My Name is Magic by Xan Van Rooyen. Confetti Realms by Nadia Shammas. A Wolf Steps in Blood by Tamara Jeree. The Old Goat and the Alien by Veo Corva.

The TBR Tower. Queer as Folklore by Sacha Coward. Another Appalachia Coming up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place by Neema Avashia. Blood Orange by Yaffa. The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. Road to Ruin by Hana Lee. The Chromatic Fantasy by Ha.

(2/3)

A graphic with a background is made up of a diagonal oriented 6-stripe rainbow. In the middle is a white white grid outline with a column on the left that has the release date in black over a yellow rectangle and book covers in three rows of 4 book covers each. Each spot has a book cover.

Caught by Cupid by Claerie Kavanaugh
Sage by Yaffa
Sweet Mother, I Cannot Weave by T.D. Cloud (Itch.io Exclusive)

16
The Divide That Binds Us by Michelle J

20
Everyone Sux But You by K. Wroten
Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness & Julie Murphy

Books include: Blood Orange by Yaffa As, The Moon That Turns You Back by Hala Allan, Honeybee by Naomi Shihab Nye, All Water Has Perfect Memory by Nada Samih-Rotondo, American Refuge by Diya Abdo, Him Me Muhammad Ali by Randa Jarrar, and They Called Me A Lioness by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takuri

Books include: From Where We Are by Nicole Zelniker, The Free People's Village by Sim Kern, This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron Aceves, and Angela Davis: An Autobiography

"May we all one day break free from our oppression and imprisonment. Until then, the struggle continues." – Ahed Tamimi

Today is the anniversary of the Nakba. For my small contribution, on the first slide are books by Palestinian authors. On the second, books by anti-zionist allies, including mine.

"Forcing the movement to adapt to our individual desires alone is also fueled by our egos. At the end of the day, as much as we all matter, the movement and the larger community always matter more and are the priority." (Whisper Beneath the Orange Grove by Yaffa)

I love this! Looking forward to hearing how it goes!

Can’t believe I have people in my mentions actually arguing that cuts to science funding are the same as dropping bombs on kids

You know how one is reversible and the other is not? That’s how the fuck they are different you dipshits

Having seen Sinners *four* times now, I had some thoughts about books and a movie people should engage with after seeing the movie:
www.instagram.com/p/DJXcWmBSE9...

* * *Ward Toward - Cindy Juyoung Ok * Outline - Rachel Cusk * Israel’s Dead Soul - Steven Salaita * Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom - Steven Salaita * From the Wreck - Jane Rawson * First Name Second Name - Steve MinOn * The Lyric Essay as Resistance: Truth from the Margins ed. Zoë Bossiere & Erica Trabold * *Inter/Nationalism: Decolonizing Native America and Palestine - Steven Salaita * The nearness of others: searching for tact and contact in the age of HIV - David Caron * Ritual: A Collection of Muslim Australian Poetry ed. Sara M Saleh & Zainab Syed with Manal Younus * Inara: Light of Utopia ed. Mx. Yaffa AS * *The Drop Off - David Stavanger * *Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution - Yasmin El-Rifae * Unruly Visions: The Aesthetic Practices of Queer Diaspora - Gayatri Gopinath * *We Do Not Part - Han Kang * Fragile Creatures - Khin Myint * Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence - Judith Butler * *The Nightmare Sequence - Omar Sakr & Safdar Ahmed * Quarterlife - Devika Rege * *Argento Series - Kevin Killian * The White Cockatoo Flowers - Ouyang Yu * Theophanies - Sarah Ghazal Ali

* * *Ward Toward - Cindy Juyoung Ok * Outline - Rachel Cusk * Israel’s Dead Soul - Steven Salaita * Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom - Steven Salaita * From the Wreck - Jane Rawson * First Name Second Name - Steve MinOn * The Lyric Essay as Resistance: Truth from the Margins ed. Zoë Bossiere & Erica Trabold * *Inter/Nationalism: Decolonizing Native America and Palestine - Steven Salaita * The nearness of others: searching for tact and contact in the age of HIV - David Caron * Ritual: A Collection of Muslim Australian Poetry ed. Sara M Saleh & Zainab Syed with Manal Younus * Inara: Light of Utopia ed. Mx. Yaffa AS * *The Drop Off - David Stavanger * *Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution - Yasmin El-Rifae * Unruly Visions: The Aesthetic Practices of Queer Diaspora - Gayatri Gopinath * *We Do Not Part - Han Kang * Fragile Creatures - Khin Myint * Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence - Judith Butler * *The Nightmare Sequence - Omar Sakr & Safdar Ahmed * Quarterlife - Devika Rege * *Argento Series - Kevin Killian * The White Cockatoo Flowers - Ouyang Yu * Theophanies - Sarah Ghazal Ali

April reads

Sage|Paperback Sage is a poetry collection that acknowledges all transphobia is systemic but the pain of everyday interpersonal violence is still felt in our bones. A collection that highlights challenges and joy wi...

This poetry collection is about Yaffa's experience as a trans Palestinian person and it has so many powerfully put lines in it. It's out next month. Highly recommend! #BookSky
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sage-yaffa...

Whispers Beneath the Orange Grove|Paperback Whispers Beneath the Orange Grove is an essay collection where Yaffa blends personal narratives with strategies to build a liberated world grounded in mutual aid, community care, and collectivism. Roo...

This essay collection is so handy for this particular political moment and helping us maintain perspective on the bigger picture about what liberation is and who we want to be. #BookSky

www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-b...

Whispers Beneath the Orange Grove by Yaffa and SAGE by Yaffa, Author of Blood Orange

I come before you
as someone who
has not been permitted
to be
-- Yaffa

Spent sometime this weekend with these two beautiful books by Yaffa, a trans Palestinian poet, essayist, & activist.

I highly recommend both. #BookSky #PoetrySky
You can find them on Instagram: www.instagram.com/yaffasutopia/

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a cover collage of the books I read in April 2025 generated by Storygraph. The books are, from left to right: Fall Into You by Georgina Kiersten; Cupid Calling by Viano Oniomoh; Splinter by Jasper Hyde; Cry, Voidbringer by Elaine Ho (which I read as an e-arc); the simplified Chinese translation of A Long Afternoon by Hamanaka Aki; Blood Orange by Mx. Yaffa; A History of My Brief Body by Billy-Ray Belcourt.

april wrap thank you storygraph

Love the endless forgiveness some of yall have!

RIP to the person who called for a ceasefire and called trans people
“worst danger and ugliest ideology of our time”

May your peace be the peace you and the institution you stood by gifted the rest of us (hell).

Send atonement funds @mxyaffa vnmo

Blood Orange by Yaffa As

#poetry #transpoetry

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