Something very cool happening in November: I’ll be part of the second annual LGBT Queens Book Night, joining a fantastic group of local authors for readings, discussion, Q&A, and general, queer literary hijinks.
If that doesn’t sound fabulous enough to interest you, I thought of a number of reasons why you and every one of your friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers, acquaintances, and Twitter crushes should go.
- You’ll hear a preview reading from my just-released title The City of Seven Gods, which is sort of The Persian Boy meets Game of Thrones if they brought along their buddy Gods of Egypt and some hot dude named Gilgamesh showed up, forcing everyone to reconsider their motivations. Now you see why I’m lousy at elevator pitches. Never fear, my talking points get better.
- You probably know what you’ll get from me, but there’s something for literarily everyone on the panel. Joe Okonkwo is a Pushcart Prize nominee, and his début novel Jazz Moon is the story of a black, gay poet set against the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Age Paris. Deborah Emin is the author of the Scags series, which chronicles the coming of age of a young lesbian in the midwest in the 1950s and 1960s. Our curator and moderator Nancy Agabian is a writer, teacher and liteary organizer, whose work has explored Armenian family history and queerness.
- Let’s face it. Queer literature is transcendant, subversive, ecstatically affirming, and studies show that it reduces aging by 25-40 percent.
- If you’re an aspiring writer, the event is the place to ask us all how we did it, and I promise we won’t be jaded or pompous at all.
- Are you single? LGBT community events are a great place to meet that special someone without the shadiness of bars or the pressure of gimmicky dating enterprises. Or, you can double your chances and after the event grab a beer at one of Jackson Heights’ fine drinking establishments.
- I’m guessing if you’re here visiting my site, you probably care about the health and sustainability of the LGBT arts community, which creates LGBT visibility, cultural fairness, and political equality, thereby benefiting all of us. LGBT Queens Book Night is an opportunity to think globally and act locally. Coming out to the event supports local writers and builds community!
- Last of all, the event is totally free! It’s underwritten by generous sponsors who are listed in the above flyer. You literarily have nothing to lose. (Notice how I cleverly used literarily twice?).
So come on down to Jackson Heights for a great time, and make sure to tell them who sent you (and say hello!).
