Poetry
POETICS OF DISRUPTION with Maura Modeya
October 25, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | Virtual
What are the poetics of disruption? What is guerilla poetry? How can guerilla poetry act as a disruption of violence, be it external (i.e., state/systemic) or internal (i.e., personal)? In this generative writing seminar, we will engage with writing prompts, crucial texts, and examples of guerilla poetry as a way of examining our relationships with disruption in language and our environments.
THE QUEER AGENDA with Ashley Cornelius
October 26, 2024 - October 27, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM MDT | Hybrid
In this poetry intensive, we’ll reclaim the agenda for what it is, a declaration of queer joy, queer love, and queer life. The series will focus on identifying key elements of each person’s own “queer agenda,” which we will use to create a list poem to anchor the rest of the sessions. We’ll use the list of elements on each person’s queer agenda to create multiple poems, diving deeper into each item.
WRITING OUR PASTS/PRESENTS/FUTURES with Dino Enrique Piacentini
October 26, 2024 - October 27, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM MDT | In-Person
The world of your characters—whether real or fictional—is built on the turf of the past. Yet the historical record pretty much ignores the lives and stories of queer people. Even when “official” history deigns to consider us, the story is skimpy at best, and usually shaded by the available sources (which tend to condemn our very existence). So how do we recover and/or imagine our past, and how do we write about it in a way that feels authentic and lived?
WRITING QUEER LOVE with Alyse Knorr
October 26, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
The story of queer love literature is joyful, tragic, liberating, and always complex. This course will read a sampling of contemporary queer writers on erotic/romantic love as we seek to understand what is unique about queer literature of love. The course will offer space for discussion, and for you to craft love literature of your own in response--no matter your level of experience or the genre in which you write.
WRITING UTOPIA with Sydney Fowler
October 27, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
In this generative workshop open to all genres, we will discuss two connected short stories set in a utopia: "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin and "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" by N.K. Jemisin. Then we will write reflections on joy, community, and inclusive world building using prompts designed to inspire poetry, creative nonfiction essays, fiction, visual or hybrid pieces. By the end of the workshop, everyone will leave with the foundations of a new piece of writing or artwork. Participants will receive both stories via email to read in advance.
AWAKENING GHOSTS– DRAWING QUEER HISTORIES INTO THE PRESENT with Sasha Geffen
October 27, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Queerness is ancient, but so much of the language that informs contemporary queer identity is brand new on a historical scale. As writers, how do we engage with the past in a way that honors its specificity while excavating its living resonance in the present? In this seminar, we'll call on stories of historical figures and communities whose echoes speak to queer life here and now. We'll also look to LGBTQ+ authors who have grappled with the prismatic dance between past and present. Writers will have the chance to start new pieces through generative exercises and share drafts with peers.
BODY POETICS with Aerik Francis
October 27, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Often, the central question is simply where is the body? Where is the body right now? Participants will generate new work and share it within our collective space. We’ll draw inspiration from work by authors like Audre Lorde, Lucille Clifton, Taylor Johnson, Jasmine Reid, torrin a greathouse, Aracelis Girmay, Natalie Diaz, and Yesenia Montilla. We recognize the diversity of bodies in terms of ability, age, race, gender, class, size, shape, etc. All bodies are welcome in the space.
Fiction
MAGICAL REALISM– THE QUEEREST GENRE? with Sarah Elizabeth Schantz
October 25, 2024 - October 27, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM MDT | In-Person
While Magical Realism is primarily rooted in Latin American literature, the genre has evolved and spread over time from the world of political allegory to more general use. A strange subcategory of speculative fiction, Magical Realism blends the bizarre with the banal, the fantastic with the ordinary, and the magical with the real. Magical Realism squirms away from attempts to clearly define it, yet we will attempt to explore what it is, what it isn’t, and how to write it.
QUEER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT with Cipriano Ortega
October 25, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM | In-Person
Bring to life your beautiful, complex queer story through character exploration. Participants will develop a queer character and place them into a dramatic short scene. This seminar aims to find ways to make our queer voices/stories take flight and find their place on the stage.
WRITING OUR PASTS/PRESENTS/FUTURES with Dino Enrique Piacentini
October 26, 2024 - October 27, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM MDT | In-Person
The world of your characters—whether real or fictional—is built on the turf of the past. Yet the historical record pretty much ignores the lives and stories of queer people. Even when “official” history deigns to consider us, the story is skimpy at best, and usually shaded by the available sources (which tend to condemn our very existence). So how do we recover and/or imagine our past, and how do we write about it in a way that feels authentic and lived?
WRITING QUEER LOVE with Alyse Knorr
October 26, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
The story of queer love literature is joyful, tragic, liberating, and always complex. This course will read a sampling of contemporary queer writers on erotic/romantic love as we seek to understand what is unique about queer literature of love. The course will offer space for discussion, and for you to craft love literature of your own in response--no matter your level of experience or the genre in which you write.
THE INTERESTING STUFF– THE OBSESSIONS THAT MAKE YOUR WRITING UNIQUE with William Haywood Henderson
October 26, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Denis Johnson said, “The stories of the fallen world lay inside us. That’s the interesting stuff.” At our best, we all write about that slice of experience and knowledge that haunts and obsesses us. Does it have to be dark or fallen? No. But it has to be true to the deepest corners of your consciousness. In this class, we’ll look at what you write about and why. And we’ll find the richest avenues for you to pursue, to set you off from all those other writers (and there are a few).
WRITING UTOPIA with Sydney Fowler
October 27, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
In this generative workshop open to all genres, we will discuss two connected short stories set in a utopia: "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin and "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" by N.K. Jemisin. Then we will write reflections on joy, community, and inclusive world building using prompts designed to inspire poetry, creative nonfiction essays, fiction, visual or hybrid pieces. By the end of the workshop, everyone will leave with the foundations of a new piece of writing or artwork. Participants will receive both stories via email to read in advance.
AWAKENING GHOSTS– DRAWING QUEER HISTORIES INTO THE PRESENT with Sasha Geffen
October 27, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Queerness is ancient, but so much of the language that informs contemporary queer identity is brand new on a historical scale. As writers, how do we engage with the past in a way that honors its specificity while excavating its living resonance in the present? In this seminar, we'll call on stories of historical figures and communities whose echoes speak to queer life here and now. We'll also look to LGBTQ+ authors who have grappled with the prismatic dance between past and present. Writers will have the chance to start new pieces through generative exercises and share drafts with peers.
Non-Fiction
WRITING OUR PASTS/PRESENTS/FUTURES with Dino Enrique Piacentini
October 26, 2024 - October 27, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM MDT | In-Person
The world of your characters—whether real or fictional—is built on the turf of the past. Yet the historical record pretty much ignores the lives and stories of queer people. Even when “official” history deigns to consider us, the story is skimpy at best, and usually shaded by the available sources (which tend to condemn our very existence). So how do we recover and/or imagine our past, and how do we write about it in a way that feels authentic and lived?
STORIES OF WITNESS with Sarah Gerard
October 26, 2024 - October 27, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM MDT | In-Person
More than ever, at this urgent historical moment, our lives as queer people depend upon subverting propaganda, refusing authoritarianism, and speaking truth to power. In this two-day nonfiction storytelling intensive, we will practice harnessing our first-person points-of-view as testimony, declaration, and witness, investigating our personal histories and projecting our experiences onto the larger screen of national and global politics. Each day, we'll draw inspiration from the writings of other queer philosophers and activists, and use a variety of writing prompts to hone our own calls to action, proving that authenticity is power, and vulnerability is strength.
WRITING QUEER LOVE with Alyse Knorr
October 26, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
The story of queer love literature is joyful, tragic, liberating, and always complex. This course will read a sampling of contemporary queer writers on erotic/romantic love as we seek to understand what is unique about queer literature of love. The course will offer space for discussion, and for you to craft love literature of your own in response--no matter your level of experience or the genre in which you write.
WE’RE NEW HERE– WRITING YOUR COMING OUT LATER STORY with Vanessa Mártir
October 26, 2024 | 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM MDT | Virtual
We’ve read and heard the often painful stories of young people coming out to family and friends, but what about those of us who came out later, perhaps in mid-life, after being married, having kids, believing for decades that we were one thing only to discover later that we are something else? This generative class is for us with more layered, complicated stories. In this class, we’ll read stories similar to ours, and we’ll discuss and write about why we waited, the stories we internalized that affected our decisions, and how we’re expressing and navigating our authentic selves now.
THE INTERESTING STUFF– THE OBSESSIONS THAT MAKE YOUR WRITING UNIQUE with William Haywood Henderson
October 26, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Denis Johnson said, “The stories of the fallen world lay inside us. That’s the interesting stuff.” At our best, we all write about that slice of experience and knowledge that haunts and obsesses us. Does it have to be dark or fallen? No. But it has to be true to the deepest corners of your consciousness. In this class, we’ll look at what you write about and why. And we’ll find the richest avenues for you to pursue, to set you off from all those other writers (and there are a few).
AWAKENING GHOSTS– DRAWING QUEER HISTORIES INTO THE PRESENT with Sasha Geffen
October 27, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Queerness is ancient, but so much of the language that informs contemporary queer identity is brand new on a historical scale. As writers, how do we engage with the past in a way that honors its specificity while excavating its living resonance in the present? In this seminar, we'll call on stories of historical figures and communities whose echoes speak to queer life here and now. We'll also look to LGBTQ+ authors who have grappled with the prismatic dance between past and present. Writers will have the chance to start new pieces through generative exercises and share drafts with peers.
WRITING UTOPIA with Sydney Fowler
October 27, 2024 | 1:30 - 3:30 PM MDT | In-Person
In this generative workshop open to all genres, we will discuss two connected short stories set in a utopia: "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin and "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" by N.K. Jemisin. Then we will write reflections on joy, community, and inclusive world building using prompts designed to inspire poetry, creative nonfiction essays, fiction, visual or hybrid pieces. By the end of the workshop, everyone will leave with the foundations of a new piece of writing or artwork. Participants will receive both stories via email to read in advance.
Evening Events
MEOW WOLF ARTIST TALK
October 25, 2024 | 3:30 - 5:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Join us for an illuminating panel featuring trailblazing Queer artists from Meow Wolf Denver. Delve into their creative journeys and explore how their identities and experiences shape their work. From pushing boundaries in art and culture to redefining narratives, these artists will share personal stories, discuss the intersection of Queerness and art, and offer insights into their creative processes.
OPENING PARTY
October 25, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Come one and all—kick off the start of this year's Queer Creatives Fest with a celebration of community and all the art we make as Queer writers and artists! This event will feature drop-in writing and art making activities, a light food spread, and board games along with a vinyl DJ set brought to you by the trio, sunhigh.
COMMUNITY DINNER
October 26, 2024 | 3:30 - 5:30 PM MDT | In-Person
After a full day of classes and community, join us for a community dinner! Registering for this event will get you one dinner ticket. Please register for each person you plan to bring so that we order enough food.
The registration fee for this event helps us cover catering costs. If this fee will prevent you from being able to attend the Community Dinner, please complete our writership tuition assistance form or email our Community Engagement Program Manager, Marissa Morrow at marissa@lighthousewriters.org. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
TRIVIA NIGHT
October 26, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Join us for a casual evening of trivia and community building! Join our Queer Creatives group on Geneva if you'd like to connect with other Queer Creatives members who might be attending this event so you can build your trivia team.
CLOSING PARTY
October 27, 2024 | 3:30 - 5:30 PM MDT | In-Person
Wrap up the end of this year's Queer Creatives Fest at our closing party! This party will feature free headshots (one 5-minute session per person at Lighthouse) by Marissa Morrow, tarot readings with Sydney Fowler, and other activities. This is a great opportunity to celebrate all the work you've created and connections you've made during this year's Fest! Light appetizers and drinks will be provided.
Lunchtime Panels
“I WANT TO BREAK FREE” – QUEER STORYTELLING IN MUSIC with Lauren Dennis, Sasha Geffen, and Cipriano Ortega
October 25, 2024 | 12:30 - 1:30 PM MDT | In-Person (Livestream Available)
Music has always been one of the most popular ways for humans to express their emotions and share life experiences. So how can we use music to express our Queer selves and enjoy the catharsis of musically breaking free of societal demands and expectations? Join us for a lunchtime panel at this year's Queer Creatives Fest where LGBTQIA+ faculty and local artists will discuss why music is important to them, what the art form can teach us about identity, and how they use music and writing to share their Queer identities.
THE TOP 10 PLACES TO SUBMIT QUEER WORK with Nini Berndt, Dino Enrique Piacentini, and Alyse Knorr
October 26, 2024 | 12:30 - 1:30 PM MDT | In-Person (Livestream Available)
Do you have a piece that you've been nourishing to life and polishing to perfection? Feeling ready to submit that piece to a journal or publication that supports LGBTQIA+ writers? Or maybe you're just curious and want to learn more about where you can submit Queer work! Join us for a panel featuring Lighthouse instructors who will discuss the top 10 places to submit queer work along with what the process looks like and best tips and tricks for submitting.
QUEEN CITY – A QUEER HISTORY OF DENVER with Phil Nash
October 27, 2024 | 12:30 - 1:30 PM | In-Person (Livestream Available)
Denver Pride turned 50 this year! Join us as we celebrate Denver's LGBTQIA+ history with a talk from Queer Creatives member and author of LGBTQ Denver, Phil Nash. Phil will cover some of Denver's most significant moments in Queer history and share what his process was like on his journey to write LGBTQ Denver. Copies of LGBTQ Denver will be available for purchase.
