
“Now is the time to release the burdens you have been carrying.” The holiday season is traditionally one of reunions, homecomings, and family gatherings, but for the LGBTQIA+ community, it can be a time of anxiety and dread—a time we must hide our true selves in order to feel welcome. Too often, the holidays bring about loneliness and pain—a longing to be unequivocally accepted, seen, and loved for who we are. This season, we invite you to be Queer for the New Year! Enter nine fantastical worlds and witness rebirth and release as individuals let go of the past and welcome the new year with open arms and fearless hearts. In the final minutes to midnight, journey with us as we discover that acceptance can be found in the most unlikely of places, pain is not forever, and if nothing feels okay, then it is not the end. Move from the heartaches of old, make a fresh start with hope and renewal in your heart, and join us in being—queer for the new year.
Authors


Dr. Nyri A. Bakkalian is an author, journalist, historian, and accomplished raconteur. She is a staff writer for Unseen Japan, and the author of Grey Dawn: A Tale of Abolition and Union (Balance of Seven Press, 2020) and Confluence: A Person-Shaped Story (Balance of Seven Press, 2022). She hosts the podcast Friday Night History and co-hosts the podcast Cleyera: Conversations on Shinto. The secret to her success is Arabic coffee. She misses Sendai daily. You can support her work by subscribing at patreon.com/riversidewings