Work samples
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The Aspens Quaked Their Whispers in the WindOnly after I transition to male can I grasp my decades-long queer denial. https://portlandreview.org/the-aspens-quaked-their-whispers-in-the-wind/
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Relinquishing the Baggage from my First MarriagePushcart Prize-nominated essay in Open Secrets magazine https://opensecretsmagazine.com/p/purging-belongings-ex-husband-boxes-storage
Photo by Michal Balog on Unsplash
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Confessions of a ToddlerThis essay highlights my toddlerhood in a letter to my mother—the type of letter one never sends—written in a voice that captures both the innocence of kid logic and the wisdom of hindsight. It recounts my earliest childhood memories, when I knew I was a boy. Because no one believed me, I donned my “girl disguise.” The ruse proved effective; even I failed to understand my constant discomfort and the underlying sense of wrongness I dragged with me for the next thirty-five years.
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The Shape of Me
Live storytelling at Story District's OUT/Spoken show at the Howard Theater, May 2025
About Will
Will Cole's memoir and personal essays have been published in The Portland Review, The Science Writer, Welter, Jarnal, Open Secrets, Baltimore Fishbowl, and Another Jane Pratt Thing. He is a queer, transgender man, “seahorse dad” to an adult son, and professor. In 2026, he earned an MA in Writing Nonfiction at Johns Hopkins University and attended the Yale Writers' Workshop. His essay "Baggage Claim” was nominated for a 2026 Pushcart Prize. He writes a newsletter, Your Trans… more
You Trans Cousin: Science, Stories, and the Joy of Becoming
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Your Trans Cousin -
Tips & Scripts for Science-based AdvocacyA series of infographics and essays to equip allies with tools and skills to discuss evidence-based facts about trans issues with others.
