Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix

In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. Queer star-crossed love amid a centuries-old feud takes center stage in this Romeo & Juliet remix that knows sometimes, the best way is to make it gay.

In this queer YA reimagining of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, a teen boy discovers first love amid a bloody, centuries-old feud.Verona, Italy. Romeo dreams of a quiet life. But as the heir to the Montague family, he is expected to give up his 'womanly' artistic pursuits and uphold the family honor - particularly in their blood feud with the Capulets. Worse still, he is expected to marry a girl approved by his parents. But the more Romeo is forced to mingle, the harder it is to keep his secret: He's attracted to other boys. One night, he meets Valentine, the kindest, most beautiful boy he's ever encountered, and is shocked to discover that Valentine is just as enamored with Romeo as Romeo is with him. So begins a tender romance that the boys must hide from their families, each of them longing for a world where they could be together without fear. As the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets escalates out of control, Romeo and Valentine find themselves in danger of losing each other forever - if not by society's scorn, then by the edge of a blade.