Lisa Tatonetti, associate professor of English and American ethnic studies, finds herself in the middle of an explosion of the little-known literary genre, two-spirit literature.

Tatonetti has co-edited one two-spirit novel, "Sovereign Erotics," scheduled for release in the spring of 2011.

The term two-spirit was coined in the ‘90s and refers to those of Native American cultures who identify themselves as gay. The genre itself was introduced in the ‘70s.

"It's cool to see how far we've come and that there's been progress," Tatonetti said. "The project is to bring these (two-spirit) voices back to visibility."

"Sovereign Erotics" provides readers with a large range of two-spirit literature, provided both by Native American writers who are already established as well as those who are new to the field.

"The range of ‘Sovereign Erotics' is really amazing," she said. "There's poetry, fiction, memoir and essay. It's all about being Native American and being gay."

Tatonetti said that within the past five years there has been an explosion of two-spirit representation on both a literary and scholarly scale.

"I feel like when the first two-spirit book came out in the ‘80s, there was not very much scholarship on it, if at all," Tatonetti said. "Now people are going to read ‘Sovereign Erotics' and other two-spirit literature for pleasure and do research. That didn't necessarily happen before. There's an instant audience and scholarship now."

Tatonetti said two-spirit studies have a complicated tradition, one that is not homophobic. Many native cultures have third-gender/homosexual traditions, but anthropologists usually do not publish that information. It has been suppressed for years.

Tatonetti's contributions to "Sovereign Erotics" promise to add to the already flourishing genre of two-spirit literature, and she has not stopped there. She is currently working on her own novel, "Queering American Literature: The Rise of Contemporary Two-Spirit Texts and Criticism," which should be complete in about a year.

"This book maps out queer-native literature from the 1970s on," Tatonetti said. "It's a chronological look at how it all started, the issues the natives faced within their own cultures and outside of it. It all leads up to this explosion going on now and how the genre is flowering. I mean, there are gay natives writing fantasy. It's just a really exciting time to be involved."

K-State's faculty have shown support for Tatonetti's work.

"Dr. Tatonetti's work on native two-spirit traditions is incredibly important for both scholarship and social justice," said Michele Janette, associate professor of English and director of the Women's Studies Program. "We live in a time where the policing of gender and sexuality is increasingly rigid. Dr. Tatonetti's work helps us imagine a more generous, flexible, compassionate future by understanding how complex humans actually are."

Ultimately, Tatonetti's goal is to broaden the horizons of her readers to this genre of two-spirit literature.

"I hope people can open up their minds to it," Tatonetti said. "It's incredible to be working with these amazing people who are doing such great things in the field."

K-State students are already interested in what Tatonetti's work has to offer.

Lleran Johnson, senior in marketing, said how much this literature means to him and to society as a whole.

"Individuals who were identified as two-spirit were celebrated and embraced," Johnson said. "There was no discrimination in Native American society against those who were two-spirit. The value of this literature is great because it can teach us not only about a culture, but on how we can view relationships today, more so with LGBT concerns."

Johnson said he likes that this literature sheds light on so many issues, such as discrimination and acceptance, and would be interested in learning more about this topic.

Other opinions include those like Ashley Shenefelt's, senior in animal sciences and industry.

"This type of literature is exactly what society needs. Sexuality is emphasized too much and people have become too narrow minded about it. Not leaving room for difference is frankly harsh and leaves a lot of people confused and in the dark about themselves and where they belong," Shenefelt said. "I personally think it's great that a genre like this is out there. Sex is not something that defines a person, so why make a big deal out of something that's been around forever? I think it would be an interesting read because of the culture."