Spring Craft Intensive: Edgar Gomez

Out of stock

Description

Editor's Note

Writing Our Queer Lives with Edgar Gomez
Sunday, June 4
2 PM – 5 PM PST/ 5 PM – 8 PM EST
Online

Personal essays give queer writers the radical opportunity to reclaim their stories. They’re a chance to assert, in their own words, who they are, what they value, and how they see the world. Yet, in many workshops populated by predominantly cis, heterosexual folk, queer storytellers have additional burdens placed on them that can make writing anything at all seem impossible. Often they must ask themselves: Do my classmates know what I mean when I use a certain word or phrase? Do I need to translate, and why should I if the people I want to read this will know exactly what I’m talking about? Does my writing confirm stereotypes or subvert them, and is that my responsibility?

In this session, queer and trans students of any level will be provided a safe space to consider those questions without being bogged down by them. We will read excerpts by queer and trans writers who are currently navigating the literary landscape, dissecting them for elements of craft, and follow prompts to help you explore your authentic voice in an environment of like-minded individuals.

BIO: Edgar Gomez (all pronouns) is a Florida-born writer with roots in Nicaragua and Puerto Rico. A graduate of University of California, Riverside’s MFA program, their words have appeared in Poets & Writers, Narratively, Catapult, Lithub, The Rumpus, and elsewhere online and in print. Their memoir, High-Risk Homosexual, was called a “breath of fresh air” by The New York Times and named a Best Book of the 2022 by BuzzFeed, Electric Literature, and Publisher’s Weekly. They live in New York and Puerto Rico.