Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For

By: Alison Bechdel, Madeleine George

Narrated by: Jane Lynch, Carrie Brownstein, Roberta Colindrez, Roxane Gay, Jenn Colella, Mara Wilson, Bahni Turpin, Marisa Blake, Melanie Nicholls-King

Before lesbian TikTok, before The L Word, before Ellen, there was Dykes to Watch Out For, Alison Bechdel’s seminal comic-strip sensation about the lives and loves of one tight-knit dyke community that was a fixture in gay papers across America for 25 years.

Meet our heroine, Mo. She’s every dyke’s dream—or so she’s been told by her kind and supportive friends. She’s shy but passionate, politically aware, as committed to her egalitarian all-womyn’s softball team as she is to her volunteer work at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. So why can’t she find a girlfriend? Could it possibly be because she’s more judgmental than Gertrude Stein and more self-sabotaging than Bojack Horseman?

And what about Lois, Mo’s best buddy and Casanova about town? She’s broken a thousand hearts in her day, but can she protect her own from the powers of Emma, the sultry divorcee?

And what about Clarice, Mo’s first girlfriend and chosen family? Will her long-term stable partnership with Toni survive her dizzying attraction to Ginger, the alluring academic?

Follow the trials and tribulations of Mo, Lois, Toni, Clarice, and the rest of their friends as they surf the waves of dyke drama from the softball field to the women’s bookstore, from the brunch rush at the vegan Café Topaz all the way to the steps of the Supreme Court, in a very special episode set at the landmark 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.

From the fevered mind of Alison Bechdel, MacArthur Genius Award-winning author of Fun Home and Are You My Mother?, Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For is an American classic, brought hilariously to life in this new comedy by a star-studded crew, including Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), Roberta Colindrez (A League of Their Own), Roxane Gay (New York Times best-selling author of Bad Feminist) Jenn Colella (Broadway’s Come from Away), and the celesbian icon herself, Jane Lynch (Glee).

Adapted by playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George (Only Murders in the Building), directed by Tony nominee Leigh Silverman (Violet), with original music by Alana Davis, Faith Soloway, and Bitch, and a soundtrack featuring hits by Ferron, Holly Near, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Cris Williamson, and Joan Jett.

Don’t miss Audible’s hottest new queer original, Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For! Coming out...just in time for Pride.

This content contains mature language and adult themes, and discretion is advised.

Now available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©2023 Dykes to Watch Out For is based on the comics, characters, and books by Alison Bechdel, including The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For, Copyright © 1986-2022, by Alison Bechdel. (P)2023 Audible Originals LLC

Excellent adaptation of a much loved work!

I’ve been a DTWOF lover for about thirty years, and was super excited when I heard about this project. I tried keeping my expectations low, but I still really wanted it to be a great time. That said, it completely blew my hopes away. The casting was perfect, they had great chemistry, and it really was like visiting with old friends. What a great start to Pride month! I know a second installment is probably too much to ask for, but if there is one, you can bet I’ll be adding it to my library as soon as humanly possible.

Great comic-to-audio adaptation

Super enjoyable listen! It felt just as fun as reading a really good comic in the paper. Joyful, relatable, and funny. The characters are super endearing. Great voice acting.

Fantastic rendering of a beloved series

I've loved the books for years, and hearing the characters speaking, it brought me back to the way I felt the first time I read them. I would very much like another installment like this. If you've ever enjoyed the comic, or just want a witty good time in the queer world of the 80s, this is for you.

very funny

Loved the comedy and the pace of the story. Characters are lovable and I can’t wait to listen to more

When’s the next chapter coming out

I loved this so much, so well casted, I listened to this whole walking around the neighborhood and was laughing to myself the whole times. I must have looked like an idiot.
Petition for more audiobooks read by these folks! I loved Lois!

loved it

A great story well told. Takes you to a specific place and time while still feeling universal, and just a lot of fun

Charming, funny, on-the-nose performance

I'm a big fan and I read the comic several times. The performance is so true to how I heard these characters in my mind while reading. It feels amazing to listen to them as if I'm sitting beside Mo at Cafe Topaz or marching at the simulation of a late '80s pride parade. The quips about really needing "a word for that" made me smile. It's sobering how relevant the dialogue still is today but it also makes me feel connected to the lesbians and queer women of the past. I'm loving this renaissance of vintage lesbian culture.

Like Time Travel and Pride Had a Queer Baby

Everything about this was a delight. The setting, the characters, and—oh my Goddess, the performers—led to an experience that felt like time travel and Pride had a queer baby just for the queer community to enjoy. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, and then there were the recordings from the march, which moved to tears.

I'd honestly forgotten how much I loved this strip when I read it years ago, and now I want to re-read the whole thing again. So, thank you.

Oh the memories...!

I first found these comics back in the late 80's and have read them over and over. I was hesitant of an audiobook version of a graphic novel but I was so pleasantly surprised.
Ally old friends, Mo, Lois, Toni, Clarice,and everyone else.
I definitely recommend theying this out. It's free thisonth on audible for members.
Please do this for all the other editions as well

I want more!

I have loved these comics since I was a queer kid in the 90s. At first, I was suspicious of an audiobook; it turned out to be even better than the original texts. I reentered the world of Bechdel with a whole different understanding of the landscape and characters. I cried. Mostly, I laughed. My only complaint is I want another seven hours. Thank you to everyone who put this together!