Twin Cities podcast "This Queer Book Saved My Life" reaching people worldwide
ST. ANTHONY, Minn. -- A Twin Cities man is climbing the podcast charts and is making his voice be heard around the world.
"I like to joke I came out of the womb holding a book," J.P. Der Boghossian said.
Der Boghossian loves to read, and always has. He says literature has been pivotal in his journey in life.
"I grew up queer and Armenian and I did not meet someone who identifies as such until my mid-30s. So for a long time I felt like I was by myself, like I was this fanciful unicorn that existed in the world by myself," he said. "'So books have been a really big part of understanding who I am, how do I live in this world, how do I find joy in this world, how do I find resilience? So books have been very important in my life."
And last year, he decided to take his love to a whole new level. He co-founded a podcast called "This Queer Book Saved My Life!"
"I thought it would be great to have the guest there talking about the queer book that saved their life, have the author about what it took to get that book into the world, and what it took for them to write the story," Der Boghossian said.
Greg Louganis was one of their first guests. Ever since then it's truly taken off, climbing to 38 on Apple's chart for book-related podcasts.
"We have been in the top 50 of those for the U.S., Canada, Australia, Luxembourg, France, Armenia, a number of countries," Der Boghossian said.
Guests have explained how books from LGBTQ+ perspectives have helped listeners change their thoughts about self-harm, have helped them escape abuse, and have helped them truly feel seen and heard.
"That is the main thing folks say when they first come on the podcast, they saw themselves. They didn't have the words for something, but suddenly the words are there on the page and they understand something about themselves," Der Boghossian said.
His podcasts also run on Twin Cities radio on AM 950 KTNF every Sunday evening from 6 to 7 p.m.