Author Angela Yarber On Her New Book And ‘Tiny House Nation’ Home

After selling their home in North Carolina and downsizing to a pop-up trailer, an artist and her husband embark on an 18-month cross-country trip to build an off-grid home in Hawaii with help from Tiny Yarber's brother lost his battle with addiction. There are 15 paintings, portraits of revolutionary women and the idea of The American Dream with them.

Dr. Yarber describes this time in Queering the American Dream. In this Q&A, conducted via email and lightly edited for clarity, the Florida resident shares details about the new book and her family's journey.

What is the title of the book?

I draw on the late bell hooks who claimed that queering is not about who you are having sex with but who you are having sex with.

Some people may object to a white woman writing about the struggles of people of color.

I'm going to shout about them from the rooftops because they've been ignored, excluded, and erased from history books, stained glass, iconography, and other canons of influence. Not in place of people of color telling these stories.

You examine the privileges life has given you in the book. How much was done in real time and how much was done retroactively?

Much was done in real time. My wife and I have a daily dinner conversation about ethics and social theory.

In each chapter, you draw inspiration from the women in your paintings, using their experiences to guide your actions. Was it part of your original idea to structure your book this way?

This happened on its own. Many of the women were at the forefront of my mind in real time, but some came to the surface after my brother died. For example, Audre Lorde and Guanyin.

Who else would you have liked with you?

When creating our home, we wondered what it meant to have a room of one's own in such a small space. Anna Julia Cooper's idea of singing something and the divine spark dwelling within all humanity is very relevant.

Who are the revolutionary women that inspire you and whose messages need to be amplified?

AOC, bell hooks, Glennon Doyle, Christena Cleveland, and my wife, my mother, missing indigenous women, trans women in Texas, gay kids in Florida schools, mothers at the borderlands.

What was the most difficult thing you learned about yourself during the period covered in the book?

In the wake of my brother's death, I've learned that I'm not as resilient as I thought, and that the trauma my brothers and I share has simply manifest very differently in my life.

You built the tiny house in Hawaii as the first step in creating an eco-Intersectional-feminist retreat, but then had to leave after adopting a second child with special medical needs. Is the property being used for its intended purpose or is it being sold? Is there a plan to go back to the house or to Hawaii at some point?

We had to sell the property or we wouldn't be able to afford a home elsewhere. There is a point in Hawaii where my brother's ashes are scattered. Home is in St. Pete now. The dream and vision of the intersectionally ecofeminist retreat center continues in our new home.

Can you tell me a little about your current projects?

There is an art show that is related to the book. Lancaster Priory in England and Kennesaw State University in Atlanta will get it this summer. The pilot retreat called Queering the Dream was hosted by me and there are more to come. I teach a graduate course that uses my book as a template for a future Queering the Dream course for adult learners with the School of Global Citizenry.

There are always more books to read, hoping for a literary agent. There is more to say from the grief goddesses. My time with mental illness may be a book. I have a book I'm working on publishing since so much of my work involves teaching, art, and writing.