Success Story with Kimm Topping

When I first started telling people I wanted to write a book, I didn’t have much to show for it beyond excitement. Between 2017 and 2019, I was floundering. I knew I wanted to create something for young adults that combined my personal experiences as a queer kid with stories of LGBTQIA+ activism, but the publishing industry felt like a gatekept mystery. The turning point came in early 2019 during a graduate school scholarship interview. The interviewers asked what steps I’d taken toward writing my book—and I had no real answer. That moment was my wake-up call: I needed to take my dream seriously. I went home, registered for a memoir writing class with E.B. Bartels at GrubStreet, and committed to learning what it truly meant to write a book.

Taking that class in the summer of 2019 was transformative. For the first time, I was surrounded by people who were actively writing and sharing their work, which gave me both inspiration and accountability. I started drafting what would eventually become Generation Queer, my young adult nonfiction book about LGBTQIA+ youth activists.

I’ve always cared deeply about the importance of centering youth voices and telling their stories authentically. That’s what I brought to the project—and the technical skills came with patience, practice, and trusted advice. I drew on nearly a decade of experience as a youth worker and policy advocate, crafting a narrative that not only highlights these activists but celebrates them. Working with my agent and publisher over the past five years has been an incredible journey of growth and collaboration.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the value of persistence and humility. The publishing industry was a mystery to me at the start, and I spent countless hours Googling terms, asking my agent questions, and seeking advice from fellow authors. I’ve also come to deeply appreciate the editing process—every revision brought new clarity and depth to my work. Writing this book taught me that stories are layered and need time to develop. Patience and community support have been essential to my development as a writer. Calling on friends, writing accountability partners, and writing centers has been crucial.

Generation Queer is more than a book to me; it’s a message of compassion to past, present, and future LGBTQIA+ youth. These young activists are doing extraordinary work, and their stories deserve to be seen, heard, and celebrated. As I prepare for the book’s launch, my biggest hope is that it reaches as many queer and trans youth as possible. I want them to feel connected to their history, inspired by the activists featured, and empowered to create change in their own communities. This project has been a labor of love, and I’m beyond thrilled to share it with the world.

Pre-order your copy of Generation Queer here.

Kimm Topping, Ed.M. (they/them), is an author and educator passionate about LGBTQIA+ history and youth leadership. Their debut book, Generation Queer (Tu Books, 2024), highlights the stories of LGBTQIA+ youth activists. As the founder of Lavender Education and a lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Kimm works to create inclusive spaces where queer and trans youth can thrive.