More LGBTQ poets to get to know, Part III

It turns out that the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter has featured almost as many LGBTQ poems during August as it did back in June (go figure!), so I'm devoting this posting to them. Enjoy!

Give Me a Boat that Can Carry Two            by Rajiv Mohabir

Rose Song                                                    by Anne Reeve Aldrich

At Sainte-Marguerite                                    by Trumbell Stickney

Not                                                                by Stephanie Cawley

The Sunset and the 

Purple-Flowered Tree                             by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza

awaiting a carriage, any                                by Bernard Ferguson

Fracture                                                        by Ellen Bass

house hunting as an act of faith                    by t'ai freedom ford

The Depths of the Grass                                by Michael Field

More LGBTQ poets to get to know, Part II

And here are LGBTQ poems (not all by LGBTQ authors, I should note) which the American Academy of Poetry's Poem-a-Day newsletter featured during June and July. Enjoy!

One Girl                                                    by Sappho

our general banality                                by fahama ife

Mentally missturbed                                by Ava Hofmann

My Love                                                    by Bruce Nugent

I Want                                                        by Jordan Jace

[subterranean / dreaming grace roots]        by Nat Raha

The Pool                                                    by Bryher

Do not trust the eraser                                by Rosamond S. King

I Never Felt Comfortable in My Old Skin    by Xan Phillips

stilettos in a rifle range                                by Tyrone Williams

More LGBTQ poets to get to know, Part I

Here is the first of three catch-up installments in my ongoing series of postings here spotlighting LGBTQ poets whose work the American Academy of Poetry has featured via its Poem-a-Day newsletter (as well as a smattering of straight poets who have addressed such themes in their work). These poems were featured in the spring; the next two installments will cover summer poems. Enjoy!

Good Grief                                                    by KB Brookins 

in our chant of the creation of the world     by leilani portillo

The Viole(n)t Cat                                        by Dan Taulapapa McMullin

Hinemoana                                                  by Essa May Ranapiri

Voyages V                                                    by Hart Crane

Of a Certain Friendship                                by Elsa Gidlow

Klangfarbenmelodie                                    by Manuel Arturo Abreu

Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula'                            by Chase Berggrun

sky hammer                                                by Julian Talamantez Brolaski

A Shropshire Lad, XXX                            by A.E. Housman

OutWrite 2022 is now on YouTube

Did you miss this past weekend's OutWrite 2022 Literary Festival, sponsored by the DC Center? No problem! You can now view all the sessions at your leisure via YouTube. And you can still support OutWrite 2022 authors by buying their books.  

Bookstores, (L)ittle and big

Washingtonian magazine recently compiled a list of "21 Independent Bookstores to Browse in the D.C. Area." It's a useful roundup, which includes several local purveyors of fine literature I didn't know about. But thanks to our friend Mark Osele, who recently shopped there, I see that it inexplicably omits Little District Books, which bills itself as "A Celebration of LGBTQIA+ Authors and Stories." Located on Barracks Row at 737 8th St. SE, it sounds quite promising, so I plan to check it out for myself soon. 

Update: Washingtonian has just rectified its sin of omission by interviewing Little District's founder, Patrick Kern. (A tip of the hat to Octavio Roca for alerting me to that.)

Come to OutWrite 2022! 🌈

The 12th annual OutWrite Literary Festival, sponsored by the DC Center, happens this coming weekend (Aug. 5-7). The virtual event features 70 LGBTQ+ authors and lots of readings, panels and workshops. Use this link to view the full schedule and register for livestreams; all events are free and open to the public. You can also support OutWrite 2022 authors by buying their books.  

Update: Our very own Vincent Slatt will be on the Rainbow History Project's "Power of Story" panel on Sunday, Aug. 7, at 1 p.m., interviewing local author Jill Strachan.