Transposes

The cover of Transposes

Upon opening the cover of Dylan “NDR” Edwards’s Transposes, one is met with a dictionary definition of the verb that gives the book its title. This would appear to set an academic tone, or one of dry exposition, but jumping to conclusions is the worst thing one can do about this book and its subject. Instead, this definition establishes the tone of variety: of meaning, of form, and of expression. The six different possible interpretations of the word transpose correspond nicely to the six stories presented in this slim volume. Any lingering sense of trepidation one might have from anticipating dusty explanations is completely upended by the playful and frank introduction by the author.

This introduction makes several important points, the most important of which are about what Mr. Edwards is not providing: a definitive guide to “the QFTM experience” and responses to the obtrusive and rude questions too many people feel entitled to ask (playfully and somewhat accurately represented as a cauldron of howling monkeys running amok in a theater). Instead, Mr. Edwards intends to present stories of individuals who were gracious enough to share their experiences with him.

If Transposes were simply short biographical tales, it would accomplish the goals set for it and be worthwhile; what makes it great is how it experiments with form and content within these parameters. From slice-of-life vignettes to full biographies, Mr. Edwards experiments with how to tell us about his subjects, and whether to have them tell us themselves or through framing devices or narration. This helps to highlight how these are individuals with their own unique stories about whom we are reading.

Nevertheless, there is a universal appeal at work, which is part of what makes each story and the work as a whole so effective. As Alison Bechdel writes in her foreword, “Transposes will teach you something about what it means to have a body and to feel desire. About what it means, in short, to be human.” This is a definition that anyone should be able to support.

Transposes was published by Northwest Press in 2012. In 2013, it was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Best Transgender Nonfiction. More recently, it made Comicosity’s Top 100 LGBTA comics list. It is available for purchase through Amazon, comiXology, iTunes, and the publisher’s website.