Tag: #paralian

  • The Joy of Making a Difference

    I’ve just returned from an intensive 3 days at our annual CE Pride@BCG conference. It was great to connect with our members and nodes in person again after seeing most only via Zoom throughout the year. It was wonderful to strategize together, collaborate directly in person, learn from each other, and inspire each other.  During…

  • Andreas Vollenweider Concert – Moments of Joy and Peace

    2 days ago, I went to a concert of Andreas Vollenweider & Friends. I’ve loved his music since about 35 years ago when I first heard him playing during the summer festival in cinema Corso. This Swiss, multi-talented musician was quite famous in the 90ies and enchanted many with playing up to 14 instruments on…

  • UNPINKED 2024

    On Friday the 13th, 2024 , I had the pleasure of speaking at the #UNPINKED conference in Berlin on the subject of “Working Around the Globe as a Trans Man – Challenges and Surprises.” A big thank you to the fabulous UHLALA Group for putting together such a diverse and interesting program of presentations and…

  • Warsaw Chopin airport, SWISS, and LOT… an odyssey

    Ok, let me tell you about the Warsaw odyssey I just experienced… I came to Warsaw for a work training. And yesterday, I wanted to fly home. My Swiss flight was supposed to leave at 19:40, but then departure was delayed to 20:40. After we all boarded, a very frustrated captain told us that Warsaw…

  • 30 Years Zurich Pride

    At the Zurich Pride Parade with BCG and GetConnected last Saturday, celebrating humanity, DE&I, and the parade’s 30ieth anniversary. There are not enough words to describe how happy I was. 75’000 people were celebrating the amazing diverse human beings they are this year at our parade. It was my very first time being on a…

  • Let’s Not Forget

    I transitioned 30 years ago. Back then, even in Central Europe, this still meant that your professional life basically came to an end. All of a sudden, no one wanted to employ you anymore. Thus, many transgender individuals often had only one option remaining open to them: prostitution.  I was lucky and this never happened…

  • Living with c-PTSD… my Daily Reality

    It took me a very long time to understand my traumata. It took me even longer to dare to say out loud “I am traumatized.” What I felt and dealt with every day of my life was my normal. I didn’t realize it wasn’t supposed to be like this until I entered my 50ies and…

  • Pushka is Coming Home

    Tomorrow, I’ll drive over to Portugal to pick up this very special old lady 🥰😍🥹 10 years ago, when I adopted her in Malta, I promised her I would never abandon her. But then life had other plans. Thankfully, dearest, sweet, old Pushka, I managed to keep my promise to you after all. It’s been a…

  • A Long and Painful Journey of Growth and Discovery

    I’ve always had to battle challenges and adversity far larger than being transgender. In this blog post, let’s focus on the transgender part of my story… I was born in 1971 and grew up in a time, a conservative geographic region, and surrounded by people who never asked me why I was so unhappy and hid away…

  • The Hazards of Traveling

    Traveling. That magical word. Those moments, surreal almost in their beauty and intensity once we return home and try to hold on to them in our thoughts. And then, of course, while on the road, there is this feeling of being intensely alive. I had missed especially this vividness when finally, after 2 years of…

  • On Stage with Kurt Aeschbacher at Haebse in Basel

    For a second time, I had the pleasure to be invited as a guest to Kurt Aeschbacher’s talk show. This time not on television but life on stage at the Kulturhaus Haebse in Basel. It’s been – once again – a special honor and precious life experience, whilst at the same time also an opportunity…

  • Come see me on stage in Basel on April 16th

    On Sunday, April 16, 2023, come see me on stage in Basel, Switzerland. I will be one of four guests of Swiss talk show legend Kurt Aeschbacher. And he will surely have an amazing conversation with each of us. For 30 years, Kurt Aeschbacher had his own talk show on Swiss TV. Now he is…

  • Traveling Aotearoa and Gazing Within

    Currently, I am traveling in Aotearoa, mesmerizingly beautiful New Zealand. On my own, in a camper van, catching up with friends, and attending a wedding along the way. I love this mix of meeting wonderful humans whilst at the same time being able to enjoy lots of quality alone-time…

  • The Abortion That Never Happened

    With all the discussion about abortions and many people courageously putting themselves out there sharing their personal experiences, I thought I’d share a little tidbit with you as well. A little over 52 years ago my biological mother lived in Stuttgart and had a boyfriend from Italy. She had just moved out at home and…

  • The Amazing Zurich PRIDE Parade

    Yesterday, on June 18th, 2022, the annual Zurich PRIDE parade took place in the center of town. It was the first parade after the pandemic. And it was fabulous in so many ways… let me tell you more… Arriving at the meeting point, I already thought, “Oh, there are way more people here than in the…

  • Defined by Water

    It’s time to stay close to home for a while… simply to be careful with finances… and also because, quite honestly, I just love my rooftop apartment with its little terrace. Even more, I love sitting on said terrace for hours together with my room mates JoJo and Luna, two adorable felines who I can’t…

  • Traveling in Norway for the First Time

    During the last few months, I didn’t get out much except for short walks around the neighbourhood. Work was intense, and the weather was just too grey and wet for me to want to go on big excursions. However, as soon as spring kicked off here and the days got longer, warmer, drier, and sunnier,…

  • When Trail Art Agrees

    Do you have moments when you feel utterly lost? You might even have a roof over your head, great friends, food on the table, and a regular income. But something has shaken your world to the core. And it’s been like a wake-up call. Everything has shifted since then. Your world is in the process…

  • Suspended in Time

    I’m on vacation! 2 1/2 weeks off work. Thankfully, as of this moment it still feels as if I’m suspended in time. I have all the time in the world. In fact, this is my first vacation since beginning of 2019 that is without stress and anxiety. A vacation without existential angst… even though I’m…

  • Sunrise and Sunset

    Another mountain lake and the, in this case, lucky occurrence of being woken up early by a busy road and construction site right next to where I had bunked for the night. Lake Lucerne was majestic just after sunrise. Crisp, cold air which demanded several layers of clothing. But each breath was invigorating. And nature’s…

  • Around Greifensee

    Ridiculously tranquil and idyllic moment during a walk around Greifensee. If you are ever in Kanton Zurich, this is a short hike I can really recommend. All the way around the lake it takes around 5 1/2 hours. Storks and other wildlife are all over the place. I used to come here often during my…

  • Featured in Podcast ‘Mis Coming Out’

    For all Swiss-German and German speakers out there, here a little something to listen to on a relaxed Sunday afternoon: Marco Schaettin recently interviewed me for his fabulous podcast ‘Mis Coming Out’ (my coming out) and I told him about my life story… ☺️  Click here to get to the podcast episode. Further information on…

  • Paralian at Paranoia City

    Since yesterday, my book is available for sale in Paranoia City, a wonderful, little, independent book shop in Zurich. Paralian is officially out of print, so these are the last 6 copies available for now. What better place to sell them at than in my old home which inspired a large part of this book…

  • Focusing On What Is Truly Important

    Last week, I went on a 5-hour hike with a good friend of mine. Switzerland sure has beautiful corners everywhere. We walked from Schoenenberg to Sihlbrugg, along this incredibly tranquil trail. For the longest time, it felt as if we were somewhere far away in the wilderness. We barely met anyone else. Plus, following the…

  • Twirling Mist and a Bright Sunny Day

    While long hikes with a heavy backpack are out of the question at the moment (until I can take care of my hernias), I still enjoy the odd short one. This was a few days ago during a hike along the river Reuss in Kanton Aargau in Switzerland.  An enchanting half day which began with…

  • What a Year

    It was.What a year… found myself completely homeless, unemployed, and penniless for the first time in my life. Embarked on the Oasis of the Seas in the Caribbean to manage one of the most beautiful aqua theatres in the world. Called my first high-risk acrobatics show. Went to Germany to help my dad during the…

  • My Book Paralian is Still Available as eBook – Only Few Print Copies Left

    It’s been a long long time since I have posted about Paralian. With Covid, and things that happened in the year before Covid, I have been so absorbed, and left to fend for my survival, I could not really (and still can’t) keep up-to-date with all social media channels. I also realize, I want to…

  • Forging My Own Trail

    Looking at the horizon, this is the general direction I’m heading towards at the moment. Through the Rhone valley and then the Massif de la Chartreuse to Grenoble. By now, the trails have already led me away from water again. So I must be in the area of the Massif de la Chartreuse. Can’t wait…

  • 300 km so far – from Brugg to Culoz

    In Culoz, I saw this map of the French Jura trail. It was only then I realized I have just walked both the entire Swiss and French Jura Crest Trail (only that I started in Brugg, in the German part of Switzerland, not in Mandeure). Around 300 km, all-in-all, give or take. I am a…

  • Always Learning

    Currently, I am a bit like a fish out of water. Instead of being surrounded by my usual abundance of ocean, I‘m immersed in green, rolling mountains, hills, meadows, forests, and fields. There is the odd lake of course. Nothing better than vibrant greens and blues going together. I had finished my book Paralian hopeful,…

  • Enveloped

    Dreaming of my days traveling and exploring the oceans. Like here in Palau, getting ready to submerge for a night dive with one of my best friends. Underwater, you are profoundly yourself. You rely on your skills, on the integrity of your mind. There are no doubts. There is only peace and focus. Your buddy…

  • That Immortal Spark

    We can only ever find happiness in the moment, can’t we. Nothing ever lasts. All happiness we feel we have attained can be taken away in an instant, at any time, by circumstances, or even by the people we love and have learned to trust with all our heart… Unless we have found that immortal…

  • Raging Waves

    Almost three months of working on the ship now, yet I have never felt further away from the ocean. Our ship is a floating entertainment park… with no access to the true authentic beauty all around us. I long to taste the salty freshness of the big blue on my lips and all over my…

  • Freedom and Independence

    Freedom and independence have always been important to me. These past few years, I’ve been increasingly reminded of their importance because – additionally to my own constant quest – someone close to my heart has been struggling with claiming her independence after having been imprisoned by religious and societal standards for most of her life.…

  • Marvelling At Moments

    Since 1991, I’ve lived all over the world. That’s 28 years of being a nomad, an immigrant, a world citizen, an expat. Presently, I am back in my dad’s little village in Southern Germany. It’s just for 6 weeks, but my home simply doesn’t feel like home anymore. I suspect it never will again. Nothing…

  • I Know Nothing

    For me, personally, the most amazing thing about my memoir Paralian is that through writing it, I have come to understand better than ever that I know nothing. Writing Paralian helped me understand my past in ways I had never been capable of understanding it before. Seeing the bigger picture helped connect some of the…

  • Review for Paralian

    Hello 😊 Shout-out to all of you, who have read my book ‘Paralian’. If you haven’t done so already, can you be so kind and write a little review for it? Even if it’s just one word? Like a thought shared with buddies around a camp fire, books live on and grow through word-of-mouth. If…

  • I Often Fondly Remember…

    I often fondly remember working as a diving instructor in the Maldives. Four years of living and working on a small island with individuals from all corners of the globe, in closest quarters, with hardly any privacy. Teaching students who are sometimes terrified of the element they are about to enter. Learning a whole new…

  • Simple Pleasures

    As I get older, I remind myself to not forget the simple pleasures which made my heart beat faster when I was a kid. Sweet, sticky ice cream dissolving on my tongue and brain freeze on a hot summer’s day… Sitting in the shade of a tree, day dreaming and escaping the sizzling afternoon heat……

  • First Presentation in Hong Kong

    A couple of weeks ago, I was invited by UBS Hong Kong to give a presentation about my life journey. It was my first ever speaking engagement in Hong Kong. The audience was wonderful. Curious, openminded, and not shy to bombard me with questions after the talk. Standing in the conference room on the 56th…

  • The Value of Perspective

    Here is a little artwork from a few years back. I had lots of water on my mind back then. Based largely on many years spent in the ocean in the Maldives, as well as working underwater at ‘The House of Dancing Water’ show in Macau. I didn’t like Macau much. I loved my work,…

  • Paralian – Not Just Transgender

    Flashback to 2016, the year Paralian was first published. Writing this book was one of the best things I’ve ever done, even though letting myself be seen to such an extent was also terrifying. Over the last year, life has been so turbulent, I wasn’t able to focus on anything at all. But, I will…

  • The Road Ahead

    It’s been a while since the publication of my first book Paralian. From the very first word I typed into my laptop in October 2013, to the publication of Paralian in May 2016, it was an amazing experience. I felt whole. Driven. For the first time in my life, I did something that felt entirely…

  • Home By The Sea

    It’s always been my dream to live right next to the deep blue sea. There is something healing about gazing at the water’s surface, and something exciting about hearing the waves break when they arrive at the beach after their long journey across the sea… Currently at least part of my dream has come true.…

  • What Really Matters

    One of my favourite moments. All is quiet on the boat. The divers are basking in the sun whilst I am in my own creative space, visualizing the landscape underneath the waves… to bring it alive on a chalk board for the dive site briefing. I loved calling everyone closer around me, telling my boat-full…

  • At Hong Kong University

    On 16th of November, I experienced a different kind of speaking engagement. A friend of mine invited me to be a guest lecturer during one of her classes at Hong Kong university. I was delighted to have the privilege to listen to her presentation on cross cultural communication in the event industry. Then even more…

  • What Would An Ocean Be…

    “What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams.” ― Werner Herzog I decided to use this beautiful metaphoric description of life as an epigraph for my book Paralian. There is no light without darkness, no life without struggles, no path without challenges. The monster…

  • Immersed in the Sea

    This picture was taken in 2005, right after I arrived in the Maldives. I stayed and worked there for four years. When I was ready for new adventures, I left… I am grateful for all experiences I’ve had since. However, to this day, I treasure every minute I spent in the Indian Ocean as a…

  • Back in Pirate Paradise

    Again, it’s been a busy month. In true Macau fashion, wonderful and exasperating things happened all at the same time. Through unbelievable luck and the kindness of my real estate agent, I was able to get the apartment back I had rented here until 2013. However, it took a few weeks and several hurdles to…

  • The Life of a Show Diver – Part 2

    Check out my latest article on TheatreArtLife. If you’ve always wanted to know what it is show divers actually do in their daily work, then this one is for you! Both, Part 2 (and Part 1 I wrote a few months prior) give you unique insight into a world usually hidden from sight – for,…

  • Here Is Where It All Began

    The other week, I went back to our old house on Lamma Island in Hong Kong. Here is where it all began. This was our garden… and behind those windows on the ground floor was our orange-coloured living room… featuring a small table on which I wrote Paralian. One of the happiest years of my…

  • It’s Good To Be Back

    It’s been 5 weeks since I moved from Zurich back to Macao… My toes rejoice. Finally they are out in the open again as socks have become a distant memory. My senses pick up exotic scents finding their way into our living room from the Chinese and Korean restaurant kitchens downstairs. In our own kitchen,…

  • New Beginnings

    Even though I have done it so often and relish the excitement of new beginnings, relocating is always difficult for me. This time around it’s more difficult than ever before. Over the last months, I’ve been maniacally busy tackling the bureaucracy on my side of the world for my wife and I. There was no…

  • Fast-Flowing River

    Most mornings over the last 3 years, my work days began like this: I would get up, have a strong coffee, then stumble out the door and walk down the hill from our house to this place, where I would be greeted with a beautiful view of the river Limmat. I would then proceed to…

  • Looking Forward to ‘Sticks & Stones’

    On June 2nd, if you are in Berlin, come to the Sticks & Stones career fair. I’ll be giving a presentation about my life and about what being transgender means to me. In short, I don’t believe in labels. We are all the sum of our experiences. I don’t ‘identify’ as anything. I simply am.…

  • Home Is Where The Heart Is

    Last weekend, I visited the town I grew up in. It’s an idyllic place as you can see. Well, the old part of town is. The surrounding suburbs, on the other hand, are rather drab and depressing. Over the years, I am amazed to find I am never homesick. I miss nothing about this place,…

  • Blast from the Past

    Ahhh, this was 2007. I just received this picture a few days ago from my good friend Valerie, whose birthday we were celebrating that day. What a wonderful blast from the past. We all lived together on Kuredu Island in the Maldives, spending most of our time in the Indian Ocean either guiding or teaching…

  • Liam Klenk on Aeschbacher, Apr 15th 2018

    Here is a bit of exciting news: I’ve been invited to the ‘Aeschbacher’ talk show on Swiss TV! For all of you who want to watch the show, tune in on SRF 1 at 22:10 on Sunday, the 15th of April, 2018. The show will be in Swiss German, but hey, it might be worth…

  • Into The Unknown

    Change is life. And, for me, the thought of heading into the unknown is invigorating. I am ready to dive in once more, leave this safe harbor, to simply trust and see where life will lead me. While selling and giving away our belongings, I am amazed yet again by how little I truly need…

  • Thanks to UBS Pride Switzerland

    I gave a presentation yesterday evening on my life journey and being transgender. We’re the sum of our experiences. The audience was wonderful, attentive, and engaged. A flood of questions after my talk. Great, in-depth conversations afterwards in the bar. Thanks so much to UBS Pride Switzerland for hosting this event!       

  • More Fragile Than We Ever Imagined

    So often in life things turn out far different from how we imagine them to be. Often, what we count on and believe in with all our heart turns out to be far more fragile and unsure than we ever imagined. Sometimes, it only takes a few days or weeks of intense pressure, or a…

  • The Life Of A Show Diver: Part 1

    Once you have worked underwater, you’re forever changed. It never lets you go. Every day, every minute, I am longing to dive again, to immerse myself, to ride exhilarating currents, to marvel at the beauty of underwater existence. After working for many years as an instructor and guide in the Indian Ocean, I came to…

  • LGBT Talents

    This coming Saturday, I will be given the wonderful opportunity to be part of the “LGBT Talents” event in Paris. I will be one of the speakers for the panel “MasterClass LGBT+ : Challenges of the less known letters” and hope to lend my unique perspective to an open and lively discussion. https://www.lgbt-talents.eu/index.html Thank you…

  • No Stereotypical Male

    “I myself had fallen prey to stereotype some years earlier by adopting a swagger and hiding my curves beneath voluminous sweaters. Now, talking with other transgender people, I learned more about who I had become since then. I had no intention of becoming a stereotypical male. Rather, why not become my own species? I was…

  • Always on Edge

    It’s easy to blame feeling lost, torn, and confused on one particular part of our lives. Over the years, I could have blamed it on being orphaned, adopted, having a neurotic mother, being bullied at school, being transgender, being rejected by my birth mother, betrayed by my girlfriend, etc. etc. The older I get, however,…

  • Happy New Year!

    Last night, as I was standing at the stove, preparing a yummy and massively rich cheese fondue for my dad, I suddenly felt an intense prickling in my neck. As an avid reader of thrillers I couldn’t help but recognize the feeling: I was being watched. Turning around slowly, I discovered these two. They were…

  • Friendship

    Today I am thinking of my close friends, my family. This was Christmas 2006 with my best buddy (I’ve changed his name in my memoir to protect his privacy) and an entire team of unforgettable people on Kuredu Island in the Maldives. Every day, I am fully aware how lucky I was – and still…

  • Trust Your Children

    Two of the most common questions people ask me are: “When did you know?” and “How did you know?” In a way, I always knew. Even as a three-year old child I instinctively thought of myself as male. My body was female, but I knew I was a boy. This was no clearly defined thought…

  • A Nomad At Heart

    “My longing for change had only grown. The nomad within me was straining at the bit, hungry for new horizons. My new plan was to take a more subtle approach and give myself ample time to let go of the world I knew. The safe bubble I had created for myself in my Swiss home…

  • We’re All Human

    Today, as every year on the 20ieth of November we remember all those who have been killed because of their gender identity. Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. The sheer numbers of those killed in the most barbaric ways are staggering and break my heart. This year it is 325 individuals that we know of…

  • No Limits

    25 years ago, when I had my gender reassignment surgeries, I vowed to never let this important decision of aligning my soul with my body hamper or limit me in any way. I was going to continue going after my dreams. And I wouldn’t take no for an answer. Part of this meant to be…

  • Back Online

    My website is back online! There is still the odd little thing that needs to be fixed, but we’re up and running again. So come on in 🌞 Browse around a little, leave a comment about the book, or send me an email through the website’s contact page. Click here to enter.       

  • Website Currently Offline

    Just a little note: my website liamklenk.com is currently offline because I am switching providers and there were some complications. It’ll be back up and running again in no time though! Just a few more days! 👍🛀       

  • Seeing More Clearly

    From 2005 to 2009, I divided my time between serving customers at the dive center and guiding them in the Big Blue. Being back in central Europe at the moment, I know more than ever that life is infinitely better the more ocean I have around me. Things shift back into perspective. And I am…

  • Two More Awards for Paralian

    Today, it was announced that Paralian won not just one, but two more book awards. This makes five altogether! Over the moon doesn’t even begin to cover how delighted I felt when I saw the email this morning. Over the galaxies was more like it (and this after I had almost deleted said email, thinking…

  • The Perfect Moment

    The perfect moment. Sunshine. A group of delighted scuba divers whom I had guided throughout the morning. Jackfish. Chilli Sauce. Sand as soft a velvet. Palm Trees. A blazing azure sky and turquoise sea all around us. I enjoyed myself. Enjoyed to guide, coach, and drink in our surroundings with all my senses. It didn’t…

  • My 2nd Book

    My 2nd book will be a fun, deep, and inspiring read all at the same time… A collection of stories about the animal companions I had throughout my life. The very first was Gulliver, a little mouse who taught me a lot. So currently, the working title is “Word of Mouse”. Because that’s how it…

  • When I Found Home

    When I found home… “Our relationship had grown like a table coral – and still did. Tree-like, it fanned out, each tiny branch connecting to others to build a magnificent structure – tough and brittle at the same time. Both of us knew how easily such a delicate formation could break. For the first time,…

  • A Medal in the Mailbox

    Look what I got in the mail today  I had to take this pic. It’s not every day one gets a medal  Almost feel like I’ve won the Olympics. Thanks Readers Favorite for recognizing my 1st book with this awesome award! https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/paralian       

  • Happy 7th Anniversary to The House of Dancing Water

    Today’s post is dedicated to the entire cast and crew – past and present – of The House of Dancing Water in Macau. The show is celebrating its 7th Anniversary. On the 16th of September 2010, we introduced our creation to the world. An island of magic, fairy tales, water, and light. The show is…

  • What Would an Ocean Be…

    “What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams.” by Werner Herzog is the quote I chose for the beginning of Paralian. Because this is life. No matter what our backgrounds. There is no sleep without dreams. No growth without challenge. No clarity without ambivalence.…

  • Paralian just won its 3rd Book Award

    As the saying goes… good things come in threes. On this note, I am immensely happy to inform you that Paralian has just won its 3rd book award Here is the official press release from the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards: Reader’s Favorite recognizes “Paralian” in its annual international book award contest. The Readers’ Favorite…

  • Fear is Temporary

    New article of mine on TheatreArtLife. People often assume nomads like me aren’t afraid of moving from one country and opportunity to the next. Well, I can’t speak for all the other nomads and expats out there, but I am certainly always dealing with a mix of excitement and fear when I head out into…

  • My Thoughts Are With Macau

    Since last week, my thoughts are with Macau and with my dear friends who live there. Typhoon Hato went through my former home with wind speeds of up to 250 km/hour. My work buddies and I used to get excited each time a typhoon would come our way. Because if it made it up to…

  • Whatever

    I continue to be amused as well as annoyed (and sometimes a bit alarmed) by the endless gender bathroom debates. I am female-to-male transgender. When I was four years old, I knew I was a boy. Being born in a girl’s body, my parents kept sending me to bathrooms assigned to female gender even though…

  • I Hope, Deep Down You Knew

    Uniting my body with my soul meant breaking the heart of the one person who had always been there for me – my oma (grandma). As the hormones took an ever-firmer hold, I tried explaining to her who I was. Unfortunately, she was becoming progressively more senile. Oma sadly asked for me. Countless times, she…

  • A Global Existence

    Stepping way out of my comfort zone (geographically as well as mentally) for the first time when I was 18 years old was one of the best things I ever did… It was the beginning of a nomadic life, a global existence, an openness towards things and people unknown, that I wouldn’t trade in for…

  • Sparks and Dreams

    Ever since I began writing Paralian four years ago, my childhood dreams have come alive again. A storyteller is what I always wanted to be. I’ve longed to write and publish books for as long as I can remember. Since I began doing just that, finding enough money and time to keep on writing has…

  • You’re Becoming You

    A little while back, on June 2nd, 2017, I read the following text underneath one of Brandon Stanton’s photographs for Humans of New York (thanks for your inspiring work Brandon. I hope you don’t mind if I share this here): “I don’t think I’m going to miss eighth grade. It’s been a tough year. A lot…

  • And He Would Tell a Story…

    “You’re not frivolous Tom. Back in the caveman days our ancestors would huddle around the fire at night. Wolves would be howling in the dark, just beyond the light. And one person would start talking. And he would tell a story so we wouldn’t be so scared in the dark.” This is from the movie…

  • Surfer’s Nipples

    “In the past, I had often been stared at and asked about the sizeable scars on my chest. At The House of Dancing Water, no one asked. My fellow divers seemed curious, but no one ever approached me. As for our performers, I knew they had seen so many scars in their lives, they had…

  • Summer Reading

    ‘What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams.’ Werner Herzog       

  • Liam Klenk on Goodreads

    The only thing I don’t like about writing is that it gives me far less time for reading. So many books out there… so many fascinating themes… alternate realities… and lives, I’d love to disappear into for a few days at a time. Are you on Goodreads? Here is my page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14425961.Liam_Klenk See you there…

  • Presentation at Zurich Insurance Group

    Yesterday, I was invited by the Zurich Insurance Group to give a presentation on diversity, inclusion, and transgender, combined with reading from my book Paralian. There are no quick fixes, no recipes, no instruction manuals. But I do believe there is nothing more valuable than personal experience. So that’s what I gave, as always striving…

  • This is to you Dad

    For my Dad. I love you. Check out my story here on Bored Panda. Or, of course, you can read it right here: When you were little, you had a tame chicken, then a crow, and later an Alsatian. You named them all ‘Jakob’. No points for creativity but, most definitely, for purity of heart.…

  • Discovering the Ocean

    “During my early years, we would go to the North Sea every summer for a long family holiday. I was enchanted from the first moment I laid eyes on the dark blue endlessness. My senses were alert and I felt intensely alive. Nowhere else had I felt so invigorated. Every cell of my small body…

  • Mola Mola

    Time to jump in and enjoy being in my element for a couple weeks……… hovering in the deep blue, riding the currents, and gliding soundlessly (except for Darth Vader like noises from my regulator) along coral reefs, in search of elusive creatures. I came face to face with my first Mola Mola in Crystal Bay…

  • 60 Seconds with Liam Klenk

    A fun interview with JJ Marsh from Words with JAM (thanks for the oppportunity!). I’m answering some personal questions about favorite books, what I am working on, inspiration, coffee with Amarula, etc. To read the full interview, just click here.       

  • Shuffle Those Cards and Start a New Game

    The other week, when giving a presentation about my life journey, someone asked, “Why did you go and work in, for example, muslim countries, and travel worldwide to places where, as a transgender person, you were often potentially in danger of becoming the victim of a hate crime?” The answer to this is really quite…

  • On The Road

    Ever since Paralian was published, readers have sent me photos of themselves with the book. These pics have come in from all over the world and have always made my day (thanks everyone!). Here just one awesome example from Chris Gobine who is currently taking Paralian on a trip around the world and stopped for…