I’m happy to share that Queer Lit Night has been rescheduled for Wed, Nov 12 from 5-7 pm at the Pikes Peak State College Downtown Learning Commons, 100 W. Pikes Peak Ave, Colorado Springs. The evening will feature readings and performances from two amazing queer writers, Poet Laureate Ashley Cornelius and Nico Wilkinson. I’m the host/organizer/MC, and I’ll read my work as well.
Next, we’ll open up the mic to all LGBTQIA+ voices from PPSC and the larger Colorado Springs community (3-5 min. each- sign up at 4:45 pm). Book signings & sales to follow- meet the authors and learn about student clubs. This event is free and open to the public.
The purpose of Queer Lit Night is to celebrate the creativity and joy of the queer community at PPSC and beyond, and give these voices a platform. Art in all its forms serves to crystallize emotions: when we listen to music or poetry or stories, it becomes easier to laugh, to cry, to hope or rage or dance. Art helps us feel, and it reminds us that we all feel the same things, that we are not alone.
LGBTQIA+ folks, especially young people, suffer higher rates of abuse, addiction, suicide, and hate crimes. Self-expression through visual art, music, writing, theatre, etc. is a kind of magic—it makes us feel alive and helps bring meaning to life. Sharing that art brings the magic to another level and creates community. Seeing queer role models like Ashley Cornelius, Nico Wilkinson, and faculty members sharing their work can be inspirational, showing ways to thrive in a world that does not always welcome us.
Students can share on the mic or just listen and make connections at this event. Ashley and Nico each run local organizations—Poetry 719 and Keep Colorado Springs Queer, respectively—that hold events and gatherings that encourage self-expression. There will be tables where students can learn about PPSC clubs like Spectrum and Queer Empowerment as well. All these organizations provide ways to deepen and maintain connection and community.
Violence is always a failure; it means people have failed to see each other’s humanity. The killing of Charlie Kirk was one such failure. In the wake of this tragedy, which happened just two weeks before Queer Lit Night was planned in September, our event was postponed, like other local and national events, out of an abundance of caution.
Conversely, rescheduling Queer Lit Night feels like a small triumph. It is a sign that we are once again on the path of finding common ground, recognizing and celebrating the light in each of us, the building blocks of making this world a better place.
Brook Bhagat 