Written by Mattie Coll
This collection of vignettes and poems about coming of age in the South speak both to M. J.’s personal experience as a young lesbian and the movements of the latter half of the twentieth century that have shaped America today. A testament to both how far we have come since the fifties yet how far we still need to go in our search for equality for the LGBTQIA+ community, M. J.’s story is both personal and political.
$14.95
Format: Paperback
Pages: 114
ISBN PB: 978-1-962416-47-4
Release date: 03/26/2025
“In Reclaiming Southside, M. J. Coll recollects her life with its challenges and triumphs, starting when she was living in Southside, Richmond. She recalls living in other places, the women who meant a lot to her, and how she came back to Richmond, not really meaning to stay. Southside is south of the James River. At one time, Southside was a separate city—Manchester—and some of that separateness remains. M. J. has that personal feeling of separateness, a combination of many things including growing up working-class, having Latino heritage, and being a tomboy, an intellectual, and a lesbian. She has a lot to add to lesbian history through chronicling what being a lesbian has meant in her own life. Good reading and inspiring.”
—Beth Marschak, founder of Richmond Lesbian-Feminist, lesbian and human rights activist, and coauthor of Lesbian and Gay Richmond
“Reclaiming Southside is a tender and heartfelt coming of age story that takes place through the fifties and sixties in the South, the burgeoning lesbian and feminist movements of the seventies in Iowa City, and the social changes of the eighties, nineties, and beyond. From her ‘southern, Latino midwestern’ perspective, Coll reminds us that life is big enough to hold family pain alongside familial beauty, rejection along with redemption, and big enough, ultimately, to bring us back to the people we always were.”
—Elizabeth Ferris, editor of Unspoken: Writers on Infertility, Miscarriage, and Stillbirth
“In a tapestry woven from short, evocative scenes, Coll takes you on a journey that spans seven decades. Witness the transformation of a young girl’s world as her idyllic summer mornings fishing with her father morph into a reality shadowed by violence. With humor and poignant honesty, she unveils moments of abuse, forgiveness, and the profound impact of powerful women.
“Reclaiming Southside is more than a coming-of-age story. It’s a coming out story too. Coll explores tangled webs of sexuality, self-discovery, and the quiet strength found in facing one’s truth. From encounters with the ethereal to a profound connection with animals, Coll’s life unfolds in a kaleidoscope of experiences.
“Prepare to be captivated by a childhood forever marked by a father’s duality and a mother’s passive, but sometimes cruel, love; the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity; the solace found in unexpected connections, human and animal; and the power of humor to navigate the complexities of life.
“This is a story of resilience, self-acceptance, and the unwavering pursuit of a life reclaimed.”
—Cindy Cunningham, founder of Wellspring Writing Collective and author of Wild Woman: Memoir in Pieces
“From childhood innocence to self-discovery, M. J. Coll’s memoir paints a vivid portrait of a life reclaimed.
“M. J. Coll’s unforgettable memoir unfolds in a kaleidoscope of moments, both grand and intimate. From idyllic fishing trips with her father to the harsh realities of abuse, Coll navigates a life rich with transformation. Spanning seven decades, Reclaiming Southside is a coming-of-age and coming out story told with humor and poignancy.
“Through vivid vignettes, Coll confronts abuse, love, self-discovery, and spiritual awakening. You’ll encounter powerful women, loyal pets, and even a brush with the spirit world. Witness the evolution of a young girl into a woman who understands forgiveness, pain, and the quiet strength found at the heart of resilience.
“From encounters with ghosts, to complex relationships, to the solace found in nature, Reclaiming Southside is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It’s a story about facing the darkness, finding the light within, and ultimately, reclaiming your own life.”
—Cindy Cunningham, founder of Wellspring Writing Collective and author of Wild Woman: Memoir in Pieces
“This book is a gift to our generation. While our paths may have been different, there are stories, thoughts, and feelings that LGBTQ people who grew up in the fifties and sixties will certainly recognize or identify with in this memoir. While reading this, I know people will say to themselves, ‘Yes, that was me, too. I had forgotten, but that was me.’”
—Bill Harrison, cochair of the first Richmond Pride Festival in June 1979
“M. J. is a sensitive, black-eyed girl who escapes her wounded childhood in the capital of the Confederacy but returns to reclaim her home in later life. The charm of her memoir lies in its particulars: brewing Lucienne coffee in a tin pot, sitting cross-legged in the attic with a white candle and a Ouija board, and searching for fishing holes in Pocosham Creek with her grandmother. Reclaiming Southside is a heartfelt and heartwarming rite of passage.”
—Douglas Jones, instructor at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
