Interview with Joëlle Retener, Author of “Marley’s Pride”

Can you describe what it felt like to publish your first children’s book?

This entire experience has been surreal. I still have to pinch myself because I simply can’t believe that Marley’s Pride is a real book out in the world making a difference in the lives of children and adults. Every time that I get to share this story with an audience, I am reminded that it is truly an honor to write for children.

Marley’s Pride is a little different from many Pride parade themed children’s books in that it brings attention to the anxiety Marley feels about attending. Then, of course, it focuses on the ways they manage their nerves and the ways they find support from their family and newfound friends. What compelled you to write the story with this framing?

Pride month is such a magical time for the LGTBQIA+ community. Attending my first Pride celebration was like a homecoming for me. However, the reality is, that we rarely talk about the challenges that disabled queer people face when navigating Pride. It can be a huge struggle to balance the desire to be in community while trying to meet our accessibility needs. Through Marley’s Pride I wanted to highlight these difficulties and reinforce the idea that community care means creating inclusive spaces to ensure that all people are welcome at Pride.

You included much of the history of Pride within the story - but it doesn’t feel like a “history” book. How did you find the balance between telling the story of Pride and telling Marley’s story?

When I started writing this story, I knew that I wanted to pay tribute to all the transgender activists of color who laid the foundation for the present day LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement. I also wanted trans identifying readers to have a character that could serve as a possible model. A trans elder who would demonstrate that yes, transgender people of color can not only survive, but thrive. This is how Zaza’s character came to life. By highlighting some of Zaza’s lived experiences and teachings, I was able to weave in historical aspects of Pride into the story while still catering to a young audience. In addition, including kid friendly back-matter allowed us to dive deeper into some of the concepts and historical references described in the story without compromising the readability of the text.

So much of what comes through your book is related to human values like kindness, support, bravery, warmth, and reflection. What do you think is the relationship between these human values and Pride?

As I see it, Pride has always been rooted in these human values. Even as an act of resistance and defiance Pride came from an inherent need to push our society to be more accepting and kinder towards the queer community. Pride month was and continues to be a call to embrace love, warmth, support and kindness, while also serving as a reminder of our shared humanity.

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate Pride - whether or not that includes the parade?

I love celebrating Pride in community. Whether it’s connecting with chosen family, attending a Pride picnic or story time the mere act of being with other queer folks is what brings me joy. There is an ease that comes with being in a safe space surrounded by a myriad of people who embrace you as you are. It’s a powerful experience. I most recently attended a small community event organized by a friend of mine. There was a teen drag performer, crafts, live classical music and I got to read Marley’s Pride. This was by far one of my favorite Pride events to date.