The New Lesbian Pulp

The New Lesbian Pulp

$25.95

Edited by Sarah Fonseca and Octavia Saenz
A collection of reinvented queer pulp fiction by writers like Sarah Schulman and Lorraine Hansberry that’s so edgy it draws blood.

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Paperback Edition
ISBN: 9781558613461
Publication date: 08-12-25

Lesbian pulp fiction thrived in the oppressive 1950s, telling subversive stories of lonely sapphic women who find connection, passion, and revenge. In The New Lesbian Pulp, editors Sarah Fonseca and Octavia Saenz revive the genre for today, layering nuance into classic tropes while dialing up the melodrama, romantic peril, and collateral damage.

In these pages—which pair revived classics from Lorraine Hansberry and Alice Dunbar-Nelson with new stories from writers including Sarah Schulman, Grace Byron, and Shamim Sharif— vigilante lesbians gather roadkill for revenge, a woman and her former high school bully hook up and commit murder, Brooklyn witches cruise kink parties for human sacrifice, and a sinister kidnapping goes horribly wrong (or horribly right).

Here, gathered just for you, are some of the best of today’s lesbian pulp stories. Don’t be afraid. Pick them up.

“Obscenely good.” —The Rumpus

“How badly do we need to escape into worlds of lesbian hijinks, outlaw sex, evil man murder, thievery and subterfuge?? This collection is a gift of angst and longing, of thrill and delight across the ages that comes at exactly the right time.” —Sam Cohen, author of Sarahland

“What do you get when you pair the subversive spirit of vintage lesbian pulp with the in-your-face sass and sexuality of contemporary sapphic stories? You get this thrill-ride of an anthology. Its tangy edges and savory depths are the perfect antidote to the bitter political realities of the present day.” —Susan Stryker, author of Queer Pulp: Perverted Passions from the Golden Age of the Paperback

“The New Lesbian Pulp delights in its benders and its sprees, its littery glittery streets and its sapphic power play, and all of the adjacencies of pleasure and pain that make lesbian pulp so irresistible. Reading this collection was like being witness to the dirtiest, sexiest, grittiest, gayest game of truth or dare, where there are only dares, and no one is remotely afraid to take them. This book is the sauciest kind of treasure trove and we are so lucky to have it.” —Temim Fruchter, author of City of Laughter

“The New Lesbian Pulp is one of the hottest and daring-est anthologies of sapphic stories I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot). These new and vintage tales deliver all the tension, plenty of torment, and a perfect excess of steam and surprise. Did I say hot? I’ll say it again: This book is hot, dangerously hot! When not in use, it should probably be stored in a cool space with the rest of your queer pulp canon.” —Megan Milks, author of Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body

“The New Lesbian Pulp perfectly balances literary and pulpy sensibilities to create an unforgettable collection. At turns wild, tender, shocking, creepy, romantic, sexy, and strange, each story grabbed me by the throat, held me down, and left me wanting more. Long-loved authors and emerging talent both shine in this instant classic." —Jen St. Jude, author of If Tomorrow Doesn't Come

“The New Lesbian Pulp channels the illicit thrill of 1950s dyke-noir. This is a world of deserts and dive bars and back alleys, where women are willing to risk everything for a glance held too long. These stories of danger and defiance hone pulp fiction to its sharpest edge.” —Naomi Kanakia, author of The Default World

“The New Lesbian Pulp brings together such a range of outstanding stories—classic and new, aching and daring, subtle and sensational, and all of them drumming with a shared pulse. Truly a collection for the ages.” —L. T. Thompson, author of Devils Like Us

Featured

Octavia Saenz

Octavia Saenz (she/her) is an editor and cartoonist who creates visual narratives about queer Puerto Rican diaspora. Octavia grew up in Puerto Rico and has a BFA in creative writing and illustration from Ringling College, as well as a Lambda Literary Fellowship. She has worked as a graphic designer, children’s book editor, and independent zine maker. Her short story about a transgender woman redoing a date, “Overnight,” won the Gold Juror’s Prize in Creative Writing for Best of Ringling. She is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Sarah Fonseca

Sarah Fonseca is a self-taught writer from the Georgia foothills living in Brooklyn, New York. Fonseca has held writing fellowships with Film at Lincoln Center, Lambda Literary Foundation, and People for the American Way. In addition to publications in Museum of the Moving Image’s Reverse Shot, Kenyon Review, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, her work has been recognized for its literary merit by Black Warrior Review, Sundress Publications' Best of the Net, and the Association of LGBTQ Journalists.