Bell

Sylvia and Ash are two trans women lovers living together on the Lower East Side. Between evenings in the Village and mornings at the local cafe, life is peaceful enough. But when a woman from Sylvia's past enters her life again, their relationship is thrown into turmoil. Faced with her girlfriend's concern, Sylvia is left to deal with a world of fear, control, and lust in New York's trans community.

Dealing with themes of sexual and emotional abuse, Bell is the first in a series of short stories from Ana Valens about the lives and struggles of trans women living across North America. It was originally written for the Topside Press Workshop and later rewritten for digital publication. A print chapbook is planned for 2017.

Writing by Ana Valens
Illustrations by Callie G.

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Ana Valens is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in The Toast, Bitch Media, Truthout, ZEAL, and Kill Screen. She is currently working on a visual novel, BitterSweets, about emotional trauma after a sudden life change.

Callie G. is an illustrator based in the USA. The artist behind Postcard Paradise, her work has also been featured in tablet games, guitar FX pedals, and shadow puppetry.

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This work of literature deals with emotional abuse and sexual assault. It also features sexual experiences in the trans community in explicit detail. It is therefore tagged with the 18+ rating.