Susan Stryker is a foundational figure in trans studies. When Monsters Speak showcases the development of Stryker’s writing from the 1990s to the present. It combines canonical pieces, such as “My Words to Victor Frankenstein,” with her hard to find earlier work published in zines and newsletters. Brought together, they ground Stryker’s thought in 1990s San Francisco and its innovative queer, trans, and S/M cultures. The volume includes an introduction by editor McKenzie Wark, who highlights Stryker’s connections to developments in queer theory, media studies, and autotheory while foregrounding Stryker’s innovative writing style and scholarly methods. When Monsters Speak is an authoritative and essential collection by one of the most important and influential intellectuals of our time.

“Whenever Susan Stryker speaks, I listen. Stryker’s career is one of those that has altered the way that those of us who came after her think-and live our lives. We are so lucky to now have a collection that allows us to trace her thoughts over her own life.” - Torrey Peters, author of (Detransition, Baby) "Stryker provides a bracing assessment of frictions within the LGBTQ movement, criticizing cis gay and lesbian individuals who seek to secure a place in mainstream society by excluding trans people. . . . The result is a striking introduction to the work of an essential queer thinker." (Publishers Weekly) "In this slim volume, McKenzie Wark has collected some of Susan Stryker’s most prominent pieces, both fiction and nonfiction. Wark provides a robust introduction, setting the stage for this and subsequent generations to fully grasp the importance and context of her work." - Karla Strand (Ms. Magazine) "All roads to trans studies lead back to Susan Stryker and the collection of her writing, When Monsters Speak (edited by McKenzie Wark), is an essential buy. I and many others would not be here without Stryker." - Caden Mark Gardner (The Queer Review)

Susan Stryker is Professor Emerita of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona. She is the author of Transgender History and coeditor of The Transgender Studies Reader.

McKenzie Wark is Professor of Culture and Media at The New School and the author of several books, including Raving and Philosophy for Spiders: On the Low Theory of Kathy Acker, both also published by Duke University Press.