Roxane Gay Reading Order

20 books (2010–2020)

This anthology series edited by Roxane Gay comprises 19 books published between 2010 and 2020, now complete. The collection spans literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and short stories across diverse themes, including works like Girl Crush, The New Black, and Zombies: More Recent Dead. Read these anthologies in publication order, beginning with Girl Crush, to experience the full range of contemporary writing curated throughout the decade.

Start with Girl Crush, the first of 19 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Girl Crush 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Sententia #1 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Re:Telling 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Best Sex Writing 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Million Writers Award 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Best American Short Stories 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	24 Bar Blues 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Get Out of My Crotch 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Goodbye to All That 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	New Stories from the Midwest: 2012 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Best American Mystery Stories 2014 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The New Black 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Zombies: More Recent Dead 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Winesburg, Indiana 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Her Own Accord 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	McSweeney's #49 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Tales of Two Americas 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Take Us to a Better Place 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Best of Brevity 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2011–2023)

Roxane Gay's Collections series spans over a decade with three books published between 2011 and 2023, likely representing a complete set. These interconnected literary works blend fiction and non-fiction elements and should be read in publication order, beginning with Ayiti, followed by Difficult Women, and concluding with Opinions. The series explores themes central to Gay's broader literary project through varied narrative approaches and thematic concerns.

Start with Ayiti and read in order.

#	Title
1	Ayiti 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Difficult Women 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Opinions 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2017–2020)

Roxane Gay's complete graphic novel series consists of three books published between 2017 and 2020. Read these works in publication order, beginning with Black Panther: World of Wakanda, followed by The Banks and concluding with The Sacrifice of Darkness. The series blends Gay's literary and nonfiction sensibilities across distinct graphic narratives.

Start with Black Panther: World of Wakanda and read in order.

#	Title
1	Black Panther: World of Wakanda 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Banks 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Sacrifice of Darkness 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

8 books (2014–2025)

Roxane Gay's nonfiction series comprises eight books published between 2014 and 2025, with the collection still ongoing. These works should be read in publication order, beginning with Bad Feminist and progressing through titles including Hunger, Not That Bad, How to Be Heard, and Writing Into the Wound, along with collaborative volumes like Do The Work and Love Letter to a Garden. The series spans essays, memoirs, and explorations of feminism, trauma, and personal narrative across a decade of Gay's prolific writing career.

Start with Bad Feminist, the first of 8 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	Bad Feminist 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Urgent, Unheard Stories 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Hunger 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Not That Bad 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	How to Be Heard 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Writing Into the Wound: Understanding Trauma, Truth, and Language 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Do The Work(With: MeganPillow) 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Love Letter to a Garden(With: Deborah S Millman) 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (2020–2020)

Out Of Line is a complete literary fiction series edited by Roxane Gay, consisting of seven books published in 2020. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Bear Witness by Mary Gaitskill and concluding with This Telling by Cheryl Strayed. Each entry features work by different authors, including Emma Donoghue, Kate Atkinson, Caroline Kepnes, Lisa Ko, and Cheryl Strayed alongside original contributions to the collection.

Start with Bear Witness(By: Mary Gaitskill), the first of 7 books in the Out Of Line series.

1 book (2014–2014)

#	Title
1	An Untamed State 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible