BookLife Critic’s Review: 10/10

A quarterfinalist for The 2024 BookLife Prize, A Family, Maybe scored 10/10 on this Publishers Weekly-sponsored competition. The Critic’s Report left me deeply humbled. I am sharing it here with the award organizers’ permission.

This book is a profound study on the meaning of family—both biological and found—that will stun readers in its authenticity and emotion. Igoudin’s inclusion of adoption’s legal side adds complexity to an already intricately woven memoir.

Igoudin writes with a delicate touch, relaying even the most painful moments with grace and respect for all involved. The prose brilliantly captures contrasting moods and emotions, wrapping this warm message of family love in a realistic, often-heartbreaking rendering of how adoption impacts not just the children, but their biological family, adoptive family, and the professionals assisting in the process.

Igoudin hits every beat in this lovely narrative, bringing vivid life to his adopted daughters, his partner, and the support team who helped them persevere through a years-long battle to create a stable family.

The complete review is posted on the BookLife website.

Recalling the 1st generation of out LGBTQ families on a queer podcast

A historical memoir set in a particular time and place, A Family, Maybe documents the rise of the first wave of out gay families and the struggle for the equal rights of the LGBTQ community in the 2000s, something we were very much involved in at that time.

I was thrilled to speak with Angelica Thompson, Ph.D., about our journey and struggles on her weekly A Queer Understanding podcast – “a space for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to talk about how we’re breaking glass ceilings and making an impact on society.”

Season 7 Episode 5: DESCRIPTION

When Dr. Lane Igoudin and his husband Jonathan decided to become parents in early 2000s California, they stepped into a world of uncertainty and prejudice that would challenge them to their core. Dr. Igoudin’s memoir, A Family, Maybe: Two Dads, Two Babies, and the Court Cases That Brought Us Together, chronicles how this interracial gay couple navigated the labyrinthine foster care system during pre-equality times, fighting to create a family against daunting odds.

Listen here or click on https://dub.sh/aqueeru .

Signing and reading at AWP 25

2 signings at the bookfair, a joint reading at CSU Los Angeles, panels, receptions, networking – AWP 2025 in Los Angeles was a three-day creative whirlwind.

Signing…
… signing some more…
… and more
At the Pen Parentis reception
With my Pen Parentis group
At the book launch of Tobey Kaplan, a celebrated Bay Area poet and friend
My bookfair loot: 3 books of poetry, a gay dramedy, a travel / grief memoir, a rediscovered classic by Djuna Barnes, and history of house music (I saw Frankie Knuckles DJ , twice!).

On Famous Interviews (Neon Jazz)

“Foster Adoption & Fatherhood” was the theme of my talk with Joe Dimino on his Famous Interviews podcast series, a companion to his Neon Jazz radio show.

From the episode description:

🎤 Tune in to https://dub.sh/neonjazz for an inspiring discussion on family, love, and the power of perseverance.

Welcome to a new edition of the Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino series. In this episode, we speak with author, professor, and adoptive dad Lane Igoudin, whose book, A Family, Maybe, chronicles his emotional journey through foster adoption to fatherhood.
A respected voice on adoption, parenting, and LGBTQ families, Lane has contributed to Adoption.com, Forward, Jewish Journal, LGBTQ Nation, and Parabola, and has shared his insights on NBC’s Daytime show. His book has received endorsements from U.S. Congressman Alan Lowenthal and other esteemed professionals, making it a must-read for anyone interested in family, resilience, and the foster care system.
In this interview, he shares his personal and professional insights on the challenges and joys of adoption, parenting, and advocacy.
📌 YouTube: https://dub.sh/neonjazz
📌 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2hZZ4uPIK8RTIn4cuMSBuw

“Claim your space!” interview on WV Uncommonplace

“A Black man and a White man with two Hispanic kids walking around – we were like a walking spotlight. Heads would turn. People would ask all kinds of crazy questions. Some people would give you attitude. And I would say: take it in stride and claim your space! That’s we’ve always done.”

It’s an excerpt from my interview on WV Uncommonplace, a popular podcast hosted by JR Sparrow.

Lane Igoudin, Ph.D., stops by WV Uncommonplace Interviews and Sessions to share his incredible journey through foster adoption, LGBTQ advocacy, and the process of publishing his memoir A Family, Maybe. 📖✨
From navigating the complexities of the foster care system to breaking barriers for LGBTQ families, Lane’s story is one of resilience, love, and transformation.

This is an episode you don’t want to miss!
🎧 48 minutes.
Available now on Spotify, Apple podcasts, and YouTube!


Radio interview with Peter Anthony Holder

This week’s episode of the radio/podcast show “The Stuph File” with my 11-minute interview is airing on 10 stations in the U.S., Canada, and even New Zealand! It’s probably one of the most dense and dynamic interviews I’ve ever given – thanks, in large part, to the host. Peter Anthony Holder is a broadcast veteran of over 40 years, including a 20-year run as the host of a late night Montreal radio show and a former television news anchor/reporter. The link takes you directly to the interview. Audio only.

“Decolonizing College Composition Classrooms…”

…finally arrived! Slated for publication in 2023, the book experienced some publishing / delivery delays. And now I am delighted to hold a copy of the Routledge volume on sociolinguistics of education, containing my chapter ““¡La Lucha Sigue! Decolonizing College Composition Classrooms in Latinx California.”

Don’t be surprised that my chapter starts in Spanish. The volume editors required all contributors to write their chapter introductions in Spanish or Portuguese, given that its subject is sociolinguistic studies of education in Latin America, which, of course, includes Los Angeles. I learned Spanish in my adult years, and was lucky to have my Spanish draft edited by a couple of Spanish-speaking amig@s. (And not to worry: an English translation follows).

The book chapter presents the study I conducted at my college (LACC) of teaching English in Latinx-majority courses. It shares a variety of pedagogical approaches used by our faculty to teach (non-ESL) English composition and literary analysis, while honoring and engaging our students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds. My study offers a complex perspective on language policies in education in California.

For more of my academic studies and publications in language teaching and sociolinguistics, please visit the teaching and research section of this website.