Steeped in a fabulist version of the American South, The Iridescents highlights how the LGBTQ+ community transforms everyday acts of support and survival into miracles, redefining sainthood and spiritual history through the lens of queer resilience and fierce joy. A trans man visits a donut shop with his ailing dog to pray for advice. Genderqueer lovers search the desert for a ballerina saint. Three-hundred-year-old crustacean oracles predict the future of our oceans. Blending irreverence with reverence, these stories explore the contemporary yearning to find meaning in something larger than ourselves.
Coming January 15, 2026
Pre-order:
Also available at other major book retailers.Book Events:
Fri. Nov. 14, 2025 @ 7pm: Lost in the Letters Festival
Thurs. Dec. 4, 2025 @ 7pm: Writers & Books with Kristina Ten
Thurs. Feb. 19 2026: Bookeater
Wed. Feb. 25 2026 @ 4:30pm: SUNY Geneseo
Praise
“Emrys Donaldson has written the best kind of story collection: strange, funny, surprising, and moving. The Iridescents moves deftly between satirical experimentation and stylized realism, creating a broad, compelling portrait of queer and trans lives. Whether writing about an Oracle floating over ball pits or heckin’ big bois climbing out of the sea, Donaldson maintains a tender admiration for what is most spectacular and spiritual about queer existence. It’s impossible to not be seen by this book.”
—Isle McElroy, author of People Collide
Emrys Donaldson 