The Trans Narrative Podcast · Trans Narrative Pod

Kit Caelsto: Fantasy, Faith & Feathermane Soul | Writing, Identity & Storytelling

·1 hr 9 min·5 clips

I spent 40 years thinking I just sucked at being a girl. Then I realized I was trans.

Kit Caelsto is an author, spiritual mentor, and storyteller who joins the hosts of The Trans Narrative Podcast to discuss writing, identity, and healing. Caelsto's work, including the platform Feathermane Soul, focuses on fantasy, queer and disabled representation, and using narrative for personal reclamation. They describe storytelling as an early escape from severe bullying in a small Iowa school, where they skipped gym class to write a novel. Caelsto's early literary influences included horse stories like *Black Beauty*, fantasy novels, and the Harlequin romances their mother read. They built a twenty-year career writing paranormal and erotic romance, including some early gay romances, before shifting focus after their mother's death in 2018. A pivotal moment was when their therapist identified their lifelong writing practice as a form of narrative therapy, which helped them process personal history. Caelsto realized they are trans and neurodivergent in their mid-forties, which provided new language for experiences they had previously internalized as personal failure. They discuss the concept that "nature is a construct," linking it to the understanding that gender and personal narratives are also stories we can reshape. Caelsto now deliberately writes queer and neurodivergent characters, like a trans man protagonist in a free fantasy serial, to create representation they lacked. They critique the "good vibes only" mentality in some spiritual communities, advocating instead for accepting difficult emotions. Caelsto experienced emotional and financial abuse from pagan clergy, which led to a decade-long disconnect from spirituality before their journey of self-discovery. They emphasize *ahimsa*, or nonviolence, in yoga philosophy, applying it as compassion for oneself and others. The conversation explores how marginalized people, especially trans individuals, can feel disconnected from spiritual communities due to dogma and trauma. Caelsto found academic religious studies, which examines belief systems sociologically, more accepting than a psychology program where they faced sanctioned transphobia. They frame spirituality not as dogma but as connecting with oneself and something larger, like feeling awe under the night sky. The tone is a vulnerable, reflective, and conversational dialogue between people sharing similar journeys of identity and healing. Listeners interested in the intersections of creative writing, queer identity, and alternative spirituality will find deep resonance here. Those seeking a fast-paced debate or strictly craft-focused writing advice might find the introspective, personal narrative style less engaging.

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