{"id":12089,"date":"2021-02-02T09:36:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T16:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com\/people\/?p=12089"},"modified":"2021-02-02T09:38:18","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T16:38:18","slug":"trendsetter-to-know-jason-june-the-genderqueer-writing-mermaid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arizonafoothillsmagazine.com\/people\/authors\/trendsetter-to-know-jason-june-the-genderqueer-writing-mermaid","title":{"rendered":"Trendsetter to Know: Jason June the GenderQueer Writing Mermaid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Name:<\/strong> Jason June<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter: www.twitter.com\/heyjasonjune<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook: <\/strong>I just deleted Facebook and I’ve never felt freer! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram: www.instagram.com\/heyjasonjune<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website: www.heyjasonjune.com<\/a> <\/strong>or you can sign up for my newsletter where I’m way more verbose and give thoughts on writing, books, and Laura Dern at heyjasonjune.substack.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Age: <\/strong>33, but I was born with the heart of Angela Lansbury circa Murder She Wrote <\/em>so I feel more like I’m in my sixties and meant to live in a quaint little town clacking away at a typewriter.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Title: <\/strong>Genderqueer Writer Mermaid<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Married\/Single: <\/strong>Married! And this year marks 10 years that I’ve been with my hubby, 4 of which we’ve been married. Shoutout to Supreme Court Justices Kennedy, Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan for making that possible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kids: <\/strong>No children for me. I love kids so much\u2014I mean, I write for them and hope to spark their imagination and humor and heart\u2014but I don’t think I have the gumption required to be a parent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City you live in: <\/strong>Austin, Texas, although I’ve been indoors all year so I’ve forgotten what this place looks like!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical day in my life includes\u2026 <\/strong>way too many callback quotes to Real Housewives<\/em>. But whatever, I own it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was born\u2026 <\/strong>on a rainy Thursday night while my mom watched Cheers<\/em>. I’m convinced my love of laughter was also born that night thanks to the laugh track playing along to Shelley Long and Ted Danson and my mom’s Lamaze breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite thing about Arizona\u2026 <\/strong>is that my parents just moved there and now it’s a whole new state I get to explore!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m listening to\u2026 <\/strong>BLACKPINK! I absolutely fell in love with K-pop this year and this foursome just exudes power and talent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My family\u2026 <\/strong>is so prone to impromptu singing that I often wonder if we’re living in an episode of The Partridge Family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be\u2026 t<\/strong>he Jennifers: Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jennifer Lopez. I mean, just think of all the stories these five would have about being powerhouse women in Hollywood. They also make up my ideal book club members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing I cannot live without\u2026 <\/strong>is my Pomeranian, Pom Brokaw!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was younger, I wanted to be\u2026 <\/strong>a mermaid. It’s (more than) half the reason I’ve grown my hair out and live on a lake and own a mermaid fin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m inspired by\u2026 <\/strong>queer kids who need to see themselves in books. When I was young, the options for reading stories by and\/or about queer writers were unacceptably limited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I feel so lucky and honored to be a part of this generation of LGBTQIA+ writers creating books about our experiences so that queer kids know they are loved and seen and celebrated. I really hope readers feel that joy in JAY’S GAY AGENDA, my young adult debut publishing in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one person who motivates me is\u2026 <\/strong>my Grandma Joan. She passed just after I got my first book deal, but she always knew I was going to be a writer. We’d go and visit her over the summers in Billings, Montana when I was a kid, and as soon as we’d arrive she’d point me toward the typewriter she’d set up with a huge stack of paper and say, “Get to writing, John Grisham.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went more the Judy Blume route, but I know she’s cheering me on, wherever she is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I could change anything in the world, it would be\u2026 <\/strong>our society’s limited understanding of gender. We’re getting better where there is more conversation about how so many of us live outside or in-between the gender binary, but we still have a long way to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m a femme genderqueer person, and I’m always happy to explain my gender expression to people who are truly coming from a place of love and wanting to understand, but also the amount of times I get told I’m going into the wrong bathroom is exhausting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n