"There is a shadow of a boy walking within me. His spirit is lightning fire. He will not be shackled. At birth, I was labeled a girl. My name is Jazz. Like the music, I am nature's improvisation."
When he is forced to leave his suburban home at age seventeen, Jazz - a transgender F2M - moves into the heart of Toronto's LGBTQ community in hopes of finding the help he needs to begin his transition. A true hero's journey, this narrative features a cast of colourful characters, including Martine, a dope-smoking drag queen; Kimmie, a hairdresser with a heart of gold; Sister Mary Francis, a sharp-talking ex-nun, and his counselor; Kendall, who must face his own demons in order to support Jazz in his journey. With comedy and pathos, Jazz wrestles with the realities of the courage it takes to be transgendered in today's society.

Elizabeth Copeland is a writer, performing artist and arts educator. She writes poetry, short stories, articles and plays. Her work has appeared in Forge Journal, Aquill Relle, The Lorelei Signal and Bread ‘n Molasses. She lives in Atlantic Canada with her composer husband. Together they run KPH Productions, a theatre school dedicated to enriching the cultural life of their community. JAZZ is her first novella.

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