June marks Pride Month! To honor this occasion, we showcase the newest fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and comics by 2SLGBTQ+ writers in Canada that you should consider adding to your reading list this year.
**”A Minor Chorus” by Billy Ray Belcourt**
“A Minor Chorus” by Billy Ray Belcourt is a captivating novel that tracks an unnamed narrator who ditches his thesis to return to his hometown, sparking a series of discussions that shed light on contemporary queer and Indigenous experiences. This novel was a finalist on Canada Reads 2026, championed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers.
Billy-Ray Belcourt, a writer and educator from Driftpile Cree Nation in Alberta, achieved acclaim for his poetry collection “This Wound is a World,” which won the 2018 Griffin Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. Belcourt’s “A History of My Brief Body” memoir was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for nonfiction, and he also penned the short story collection “Coexistence.”
**”Motherclown” by Harriet Alida Lye**
In “Motherclown,” Elise makes a life-changing decision to pursue clowning in Paris after her father’s passing. Her mother, Catherine, feeling isolated as a widow and empty-nester in Canada, follows Elise to Paris to rediscover her lost creativity. As they navigate a strained relationship, they are forced to confront past regrets and communicate effectively.
Harriet Alida Lye, a Toronto-based author, is known for works like “Let It Destroy You,” “The Honey Farm,” “Natural Killer,” and “Serge the Snail Without a Shell,” a picture book co-authored with Rosa Rankin-Gee.
**”And Then Again Begin” by H. Nigel Thomas**
Volume 4 of The No Safeguards Quartet, “And Then Again Begin” by H. Nigel Thomas, delves into the lives of two married men in Montreal hiding their relationship from their families in St. Vincent. The novel explores themes of unresolved trauma and former identities in a captivating narrative.
H. Nigel Thomas, a Vincentian Canadian author with 14 books across genres like fiction, poetry, and literary criticism, has received prestigious awards such as the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize and the Jackie Robinson Professional of the Year Award. Thomas resides in Montreal.
**”Heated Rivalry” by Rachel Reid**
“Heated Rivalry,” the second book in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid, narrates the evolving relationship between rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov as they navigate their professional careers and personal romance. The story unfolds as they face the dilemma of choosing between their love for the game and their love for each other.
Rachel Reid, a Nova Scotia-based author renowned for queer hockey romances, is celebrated for works like “Time To Shine” and the Game Changers series, which inspired the TV series “Heated Rivalry.” She was honored with the Changemaker Award for the Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Canada in 2026.