The First Ladle: How Rainbow Soup for the Queer Soul Series Began 🍲🌈

Get more details about the book on our website. Click the image to be redirected to our Rainbow Soup for the Soul Series page.

Sometimes the biggest movements start with the smallest sparks.

Rainbow Soup for the Queer Soul began as a simple poetry collection. It was just words on a page, written with love and honesty from a few friends...something to give back to the community...

But it quickly became something bigger. It wasn’t just a book.... It was the first spark that lit the fire for Lavender Library Press, a home dedicated to queer joy, stories, and creativity.

Growing up, I loved Chicken Soup for the Soul. I would curl up with those stories and feel comforted, inspired, and connected to something larger than myself. My cousins and I would read them at camp, all of us absolutely captivated. At the same time, I was always drawn to reading, writing, and teaching. (I am a teacher by trade, but bookworm and knowledge seeker by heart....and I see firsthand how important it is to give people a place to feel seen, safe, and celebrated.)

And now, it feels like life has come full circle. (Isn't it funny how life works out like that.) That little kid who loved books grew up to curate one. That young reader who found comfort in Chicken Soup for the Soul is now building a queer version of that space, one that says: Our stories matter too. We are normal. We belong.

What started as one poetry collection suddenly became a movement:

🌈 To queerify the world

🌈 To normalize LGBTQ+ people and queerness

🌈 To create a space for the next generation to dream, share, and belong

Rainbow Soup for the Queer Soul is just the beginning. One book turned into a vision for something bigger: an ongoing project to gather and celebrate queer voices in all their beautiful variety.

This blog will be where I share the journey of the Rainbow Soup for the Queer Soul Journey -from the very first poetry collection to the series it’s becoming. Here you’ll find updates on new volumes, sneak peeks at what’s cooking next, and reflections on how this project continues to grow, evolve, and bring more voices to the table.

From one spark, a fire. From one poem, a movement. From one book, a press. And now, from one blog, a home where you can pull up a chair and join the journey. 🥄💜