Anthology: Letters To Places QT People Left Behind

Hi. I am fundraising for the development of my fourth anthology of letters from community members. Meet Me There, Another Time: Letters To Places Queer and Trans People Left Behind, with and for queer and trans people around the world who have had to leave a place due to political or interpersonal abuse. This could include a home, a city, a state, a country. Or, more abstractly, a body part, a person.

More on sending your own letter here <3 And please feel free to share with anyone who may resonate <3 

OVERVIEW:

My last anthology, Written on the Body, was a Lambda Literary Finalist and was listed as a Top 10 Queer Book by Them and a 50 Best LGBT Book by Autostraddle. The topic of the upcoming collection is particularly urgent. Our community is increasingly losing resources and support from institutions. Meet Me There, Another Time is directly inspired by the epic rise in anti-LGBT legislation in the United States, the UK, and around the world. For example, as of today, the ACLU is tracking nearly 500 pieces of hateful legislation in the US alone. This creates a reality in which citizens become refugees within their own country being forced to travel between states for health care and more. But, abuse is not exclusive to the state, it shows up in our homes, schools, and workplaces, which can also make a person have to choose to move to save any sense of dignity, safety, or self.

WHAT'S THIS FUNDRAISING FOR EXACTLY:

I got a yes from a publisher well-versed in the topics at hand; however, due to their size and industry realities, they do not offer advances. I am financially preparing to not only take care of myself and hold time, but to also host free workshops for potential participants and fairly pay the people writing the introductions and closing guide for professional therapists engaging with the text. Some details of the project itself may shift depending on the shared vision with the publisher.

A SURPRISE GIFT:

I'll thank you in the future acknowledgements for your donation!

MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT:

Again - Meet Me There, Another Time is an anthology with and for queer and trans people around the world who have had to leave a place due to political or interpersonal abuse. This could include a home, a city, a state, a country. Or, more abstractly, a body part, a person.

I let the contributor define what a place is because queer and trans people so often have to find homes simply wherever they can. Each contributor writes a letter to a place they’ve left to preserve their own sense of safety. There will be moments of grief, satisfaction, longing, and anger. These letters could also take the form of black-and-white visual art and excerpts of their first language. Throughout the text, the pieces will be clustered around similar places as they could be found on a map. Safety for contributors will be ensured by putting their chosen names in random order and not attached to the pieces themselves.

Historically with my previous anthologies, letters have been primarily collected through word-of-mouth, the publishing of different articles about the project, and posting in various online forums for writers, LGBTQ folks, and survivor support groups. I am also now more connected than ever to various queer and trans people living and doing activism internationally.

Meet Me There, Another Time responds to the rise of fascist thinking and forced alienation of our community members while centering on our voices and healing process as we seek to belong where we can. Queer and trans people always have a way of making our world bigger while others try to make our world smaller. These reconnections with the places we’ve left offer a reminder that we are always here and, in a way, always there.

ABOUT ME, THE EDITOR:

I am a trans multimedia artist from the Midwest whose work revolves around themes of bodies, homes, cyclical violence, and queer identity. I am a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow and member of the RAINN(Rape Assault Incest National Network) National Leadership Council. I have been working directly with survivors for nearly 15 years, with a special focus on fellow trans survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. I am additionally experienced working with those seeking political asylum having interned in three different asylums and I am currently working as a legal writing assistant for an immigration lawyer.

This upcoming project would be my fourth anthology. My most recent collection was Written on the Body - a series of letters that trans and non-binary survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault wrote to their body parts. This body of work was published with JKP. It went on to become a Lambda Literary Award finalist and be noted as a best book of 2018 from Them and Autostraddle. It was additionally featured inTeen Vogue, Pulp Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Bitch Magazine, Logo’s NewNowNext, Huffington Post, The Establishment, Domestic-Shelters, Toi Magazine, Lambda Literary, Oberlin College Alumni Magazine, The Story Corps in collaboration with The Library of Congress and more. It was also honored as a One City One Book Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Selection with the San Fransisco Public Library and was the first ever book club choice by the national chapter of It’s On Us.

The previous anthologies have also taken the form of performances, like Gibney Dance's annual "Cracks of Light" domestic violence showcase. When I self-published Portable Homes, which also focused on domestic violence survivors, a small team and I toured with multi-media performances showcasing the anthology letters. In this tour, we also facilitated movement and storytelling workshops at festivals, transition homes, rehab centers, and LGBTQ student groups.

Since, I have collaborated on well over 140 events, panels, and workshops with universities, non-profits, educational spaces, and have also hosted independently. This includes, but isn’t limited to, Brave Trails, Hidden Water, Johns Hopkins University, and the world’s largest gathering of childhood sexual abuse survivors.

I’ve also integrated my personal experiences into short films, such as A Scavenger Hunt For People Loneliest In Their Own Homes, essays for publications like GLADD-winning TransLash, and the acclaimed young readers' novel The Ship We Built. This book was listed as one of the "Six Must-Read Pride Books from Penguin Young Readers" and "Best Books of 2020" by Kirkus Reviews, "Best Queer Books of 2020" by Autostraddle, a Rainbow Book List read by the American Library Association, a "Michigan Notable Book" Award by the Library of Michigan, received multiple starred reviews, shortlisted for the OWL (Outstanding Works of Literature) from BookPal, and Book Pick of the Month by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Most importantly, The Ship We Built is also noted as the first middle grade (ages 9-12) novel centering a trans boy to be written by one released with a major publisher in the USA. Lessons from The Ship We Built is also heavily featured in a chapter I wrote for JKP’s upcoming anthology, Surviving Transphobia, edited by Laura Jacobs.

In addition to this project, I’m in post-production for my first feature-length documentary, What Will I Become?, centering on themes of trans masculine+ mental health. I am also in early development for the feature film version of The Ship We Built, plus an educational short in collaboration with Queer Youth Assemble, and other writing projects.