The late writer bell hooks defined queer as "not about who you're having sex with ... but as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it."As LGBTQ+ rights have expanded, so too has the canon of queer literature. According to industry tracker NPD Bookscan, LGBTQ+ fiction book sales sold almost 5 million copies last year, doubling sales between 2020 and 2021.For this installment of our "Writers' Room" series, we talk to authors about using writing as an outlet to express themselves and explore their sexuality and gender identity.Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.