Here are some of the things she’s done recently, and where you can find here next!

Kinokuniya presents… Erica Friedman!

Kinokuniya is one of Japan’s premiere bookstore chains, with locations throughout Japan and the United States. We’ve been thrilled to see Erica’s book on the shelves of Kinokuniya stores throughout the country.

Even more excitingly, Kinokuniya NYC invited Erica in for an interview last week. In twenty exciting minutes, the By Your Side author discusses her book, the history of Yuri, current shows to watch, and much more.

Watch it here!

Big name in the Big Apple

Since 2017, Anime NYC has been the Big Apple’s gala anime event. A sister convention to the enormous New York Comic Con, it’s a big deal…and an even bigger deal to be an invited guest!

In addition to signing and selling books the entire Nov. 17-19 weekend (we’re going to need a bigger warehouse…) Erica paneled with Zack Davisson and Abby Denson on the “Writing About Japan” panel, discussing what they, as outsiders, bring to the discussion. As Zack noted, outsiders ask questions no one inside does–one of the aspects that makes By Your Side such a landmark piece.

Next stop: Casa Con!

When the Pandemic hit, in-person conventions all went on hiatus. But con-runners turned lemons into lemonade, and virtual events hit the fandom world by storm. Even now, with the Pandemic largely passed (?) Discord-based conventions are still very popular, providing events for folks who lack the money or mobility to attend farflung cons–or even just for folks who’ve found they prefer the on-line milieu.

Casa Con is a free, three-day, online convention for lovers of anime and cosplay. And now, it’s also a chance to see Erica live. Join her Friday, Dec. 16th, 7 pm Eastern, for Researching BL and Yuri and Their Fandoms, as she and James Welker (editor of Queer Transfigurations: Boys Love Media in Asia) conduct a mutual interview.

Register now!

That’s it for this year. The Journey Press staff are going on hiatus until next year. Stay tuned for more news in 2023!

I’ve known Erica for more than 20 years. We met back when she was at the beginning of her journey to popularize Yuri in America. And what a journey! The half-facetious “Anilesbo-Con” evolved into the tremendously successful first “Yuricon” in 2003, followed by Yuricon in Tokyo in 2005. Erica brought the Yuri genre to English with the specially commissioned “Yuri Monogatari” and English translation of “Rika ‘tte Kanji” and . And then she launched Okazu, her Yuri-themed blog, which has cemented her reputation as this hemisphere’s foremost scholar on the subject.

Last year, Erica casually mentioned that she planned to compile her Okazu essays into what she jokingly called “The Big Book of Yuri”. I tried to keep my voice equally casual when I responded, “Oh? Do you have a publisher?”

Because Erica can write. She’s funny. She’s insightful. And she knows so damned much. It wasn’t even too much of a leap beyond our normal publishing scope–after all, several of the pivotal yuri anime/manga are speculative fiction works (Sailor Moon, Utena, etc.) And, of course, Journey Press is all about the queer.

Thankfully, Erica didn’t miss a beat. She put her baby in our hands, and today we have delivered one of the coolest titles ever to come out of this publishing house. By Your Side is the first of its kind, and it is likely to remain one of the best–accessible, complete, and most of all, fun to read. It’s not just a survey of the genre, but an analysis of all the factors that made it distinct and great. The forces that shaped it, from the lesbian creators looking to find themselves in ink, to the fans who both supplied an audience and a creative drive.

If you have any interest in anime/manga, in LGBTQ+ matters, literary criticism, women’s studies, or if you just want a great book to enjoy, you will love By Your Side. Get it today!

Physical & Digital Editions available now:

Or get it at your favorite local bookshop!