Trans 101: trans literature and fiction

Join us for a series of group discussions of a selecton of short stories written by trans authors and contained in The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard.

Across three sessions, the series will cover:

1. Identity and Community
2. Resilience
3. Struggles for Recognition

The series is facilitated by Fr. Bill Carroll and Andrea Knutson.

Each session will be on the first Thurs of May, June, and July, from 6:30-8:30

The first session (May 7th, Identity and Community) will cover:

• Carter Sickels, "Saving"
• Ryka Aoki, "To the New World"
• K. Tait Jarboe's "Greenhorn"

The second session (June 4th, Resilience) will cover:

• Casey Plett, "Other Women"
• MJ Kaufman, "A Short History of My Genders"
• Elliott DeLine, "Dean and Teddy"

The third session (July 2, Struggles for Recognition) will cover:

• A. Raymond Johnson, "Tammy Faye"
• R. Drew, "The Cafe"
• Calvin Gimpelevich, "Runaways"
  

Andrea Knutson (she/her) is an Associate Professor of English and the Environmental Humanities at Oakland University, where she teaches courses in American literature, specializing in the colonial period. She also teaches courses for the Women and Gender Studies Program and recently developed Oakland University’s first permanent course on trans studies, “Trans Identities in Literature.” Her research surrounding legacies of settler colonialism is a constant reminder of the need to dismantle them. Surrounded by a community of trans students, collaborators, friends, and family, Knutson is committed to being the best ally she can be by learning from this community and contributing her support.

Since December 1, 2025, the Rev. Dr. Bill Carroll has served as one of the clergy at Christ Church Cranbrook. He has a long, consistent history of allyship and advocacy work within and beyond the Episcopal Church on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community, growing out of personal and pastoral relationships, including his own family. He chaired the Bishop's committee on same-sex blessings in the Diocese of Oklahoma and traveled the state to consult with Episcopalians with a variety of experiences and perspectives. He represented that diocese as a deputy to the 2018 General Convention, where he was the Bishop's primary liaison to all committees taking up issues of human sexuality, as well as gender identity and expression. He has served in different ministries with beloved lay and clergy colleagues who identify as transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer. His doctoral dissertation focused on how the biblical text points beyond itself to voices from outside the text and argued that Christian theological discourse, properly understood, is therefore committed to learning from all sorts and conditions of people, especially those who are oppressed and marginalized.

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Host or Publisher Christ Church Cranbrook: https://christchurchcranbrook.org/church-at-home/