Works by
Kittredge Cherry
(Writer)

Fiction

• At the Cross (2008)
  Picking up where Jesus in Love, Jesus In Love: At the Cross continues the story of Jesus' erotic, mystical adventures in first-century Palestine, this time all the way to his untimely death, his miraculous resurrection, and beyond. Jesus has today's queer sensibilities and psychological sophistication as he lives out his mythic story.
   

• Jesus in Love (2006) -- Nomination 2006 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Awards; Nominated 2006 Lambda Literary Gay Men's Debut Fiction Awards; Nominated 2006 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Awards
  What if Jesus knew how it feels to be queer? Surprising answers come in Jesus in Love, a novel that re-imagines Christ's legendary life as an erotic, mystical adventure in first-century Palestine. Jesus has today's queer sensibilities and psychological sophistication as he lives out his mythic story. Readers can relate to the struggles he faces: He feels like his real self is both male and female. He falls in love with people of both sexes. Society doesn't understand him. Jesus, the narrator, speaks in an engaging, up-to-date tone as he reveals his intimate relationships with John the beloved disciple (a gay man mourning his lover's death), Mary Magdalene (a highly intelligent survivor of sexual abuse) and the multi-gendered Holy Spirit. The novel shows how Jesus grows over a one-year period-from his decision to get baptized until the day he sends his friends away to teach others. Ultimately he leads disciples of both sexes to a place where sexuality and spirituality are one. Jesus in Love frees the reader to imagine and experience Christ in new ways.

Non-fiction

• Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More (2007) -- Nominated 2007 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Arts and Culture and LGBT Nonfiction
  Art that Dares to show Jesus as gay or female has been censored or destroyed. Now for the first time these beautiful, liberating, sometimes shocking images are gathered for all to see. Packed with full-page color illustrations, this eye-opening collection features a diverse group of eleven contemporary artists who work both inside and outside the church. They present the gay Jesus, the woman Christ, and other cutting-edge Christian images. Their art respects the teachings of Jesus and frees the minds of viewers to see in new ways. Here the artists tell the stories behind their art. A lively introduction puts the images into political and historical context, exploring issues of blasphemy and artistic freedom.

• Hide and Speak: How to Free Ourselves from Our Secrets (1991, 2006)
  Coming out is easier with this step-by-step guide. Here is practical help with the coming-out process for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people-and anyone else with a story to tell. Find positive ways to: Come out to yourself . Create a circle of supporters . Deal with family . Choose whether to stay "in the closet" at school or work . Live proud, free and balanced-no matter what happens. Hide and Speak guides readers on a journey that can change their lives.

• Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women (1987)
  Womansword is an insightful look at Japanese words concerning women and what they reveal about the status of women in modern Japan. In a collection of short, lively essays, author Kittredge Cherry considers the connotations, usage, and context of several hundred common words and phrases
  related to female identity, girlhood, marriage, mothering, working, sex, and aging. These Japanese words offer a new perspective on issues that are central to the lives of women everywhere.
  
  We learn, for instance, that an "intruder wife" is one who snags a husband by cooking for him every night, cleaning up for him, and generally coddling him till he realizes he can't live without her (but who lets him do the actual proposing); that Barbie didn't sell well in Japan till she was
  transformed into a cuter, shorter, less glamorous, younger version; that families with no sons to carry on the family name sometimes "adopt" one by marrying their daughter to a man who agrees to take their name, join their household, and generally adapt to their ways; that "honorable bag" (ofukuro)
  is an affectionate term a son may use to refer informally to his mother; and that people do not usually greet close relatives - even after a long separation - with a hug, but with a bow.
  
  Womansword is a thought-provoking book that paints a vivid picture of contemporary Japanese women, in all their layered and often contradictory roles.

See also:

• Equal Rites: Lesbian and Gay Worship, Ceremonies, and Celebrations (1995) with Kittredge Cherry and Zalmon O. Sherwood, eds.
  This much-needed collection of worship services, ceremonies, and celebrations is attuned to the unique needs of sexual minoritites. The rites, written primarily by lesbians and gay men, include liturgies of spiritual beginnings, healing, blessings, holy communion, and pride and enpowerment. Also included are funeral and memorial services, seasonal and holiday rites, and covenant rites for couples. More than a collection, Equal Rites is also a reference book for creating unique and meaningful worship services that address significant aspects of lesbian and gay spirituality.