REVERB: A Queer Reading Series Fall 2016

Help us wrap up our last year of regular programming by joining us for a night of writing magic on Thursday, November 24th at Gallery Gachet (88 E. Cordova St.) on unceded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh land.

Doors open at 7, show at 7:30 sharp! The event will begin with a welcoming by Lorelei Hawkins.

***FEATURING***

HASAN NAMIR
Hasan Namir was born in Iraq in 1987 and came to Canada at a young age. He graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in English. He lives in Vancouver. God in Pink (published by Arsenal Pulp Press in fall 2015) his is first novel. Recently, Hasan has won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction. He was also featured for Airbnb’s Pride video.

JANE SHI
Jane Shi is a Han Chinese settler currently living on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish peoples. The mountains of Zhoushan and Pujiang cradled her family and ancestors, while she was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu and lived and grew up in Shanghai and Richmond. Along steep cliff edges of fear, anxiety, and violence she clings to dreams of more-than survival and safety, of more-than possibilities of trust, community, and freedom. She wants to live in a world where love is not a limited resource, land is not mined, hearts are not filched, and bodies are not violated. In the mean time she will fold dumplings, trace poetry out of the shadows of the english language, and dance the unknown rage within.

CICELY-BELLE BLAIN
Bio coming soon!

RJ EDWARDS
RJ Edwards is a writer and librarian. Their work has appeared in Capricious Magazine, The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard, and the “Queers Destroy Science Fiction!” special issue of Lightspeed Magazine. RJ is originally from the tiny and far-away state of Rhode Island, which is not actually an island. They currently live in Vancouver with their partner and their ridiculous cat.

LISTEN CHEN
listen chen is a capricorn born in the year of the rabbit who lives & writes in unceded coast salish territory.

KYLA JAMIESON
Kyla Jamieson is currently surviving her MFA at UBC and lives and relies on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. She edits poetry and prose for SAD Mag and has written for Elle Canada, GUTS, and Rabble. Last year, she worked with Shit Harper Did to troll conservatives and get you to vote.

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We ask for $5 at the door but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Our merch table is always awesome and will include books, art, zines, and chapbooks from present and past readers — bring your bucks! And of course, we’ll have some amazing give-aways for you — stay tuned!

Event poster by our amazing artist-in-residence, April Alayon. Check out more of April’s work here: http://www.aprilalayon.com/

***ACCESSIBILITY INFO***

ASL Interpretation Provided.

We offer free on-site childcare! With cozy kid zones combined with facilitated free-range mobility, it won’t be our crew’s job to keep kids quiet or hidden from view, but rather keep ’em safe and create space for them to do their thing and participate on their terms. Toys, books, pillows, art-making, and more! No need to register, just show up! If possible though, please drop us a line at reverbqueerreadingseries@gmail.com and be sure to include your kiddo’s allergies and access needs.

There will two active listeners available if people need to check in with someone throughout the event.

For Gallery Gachet:
front door: 5 feet width
front door step: 6 inch height (but we have a ramp)
ramp: 31 inch width
washroom door: 33 inch width
toilet: 10 inch clearance on left side
14″ inch clearance in front to sink

There is an all genders washroom.

Gallery Gachet is an art gallery and as such may have some chemicals present that some maybe be sensitive to including paints, pottery glazes, or other art supplies. In order to create a space where folks with multiple chemical sensitivities can participate, please refrain from wearing perfumes, colognes or other scented products (including essential oils) and smoke far away from the entrance to the space. We do clear out the space with an air purifier prior to the event. For info on how to support folks with multiple chemical sensitivities, visit: http://www.peggymunson.com/mcs/fragrancefree.html

For a full accessibility audit of Gallery Gachet, visit: http://radicalaccessiblecommunities.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/this-audit-of-gallery-gachet-was-performed-on/

We provide snacks! Including gluten-free and vegan options, and do not sell alcohol at the event. All of our snacks are nut-free and we ask that any food you bring into the event be free of tree nuts (including coconut and pine nuts) so the space can be accessed by folks with airborne anaphylactic allergies.

We’ll have a photographer taking photos at the event — if you don’t want to be included in photos, all you need to do is grab some tape at the door and stick it on your hand or personally let the photographer know you don’t want to be photographed.

Some people get sick from the electromagnetic radiation from cell phones, wireless and electrical devices. If you’re able to completely power off your cell phones, wireless and electrical devices during the event, please do so!

If you’re attending and will need particularly comfortable seating, please let us know! We have a few comfy and large office chairs that we’re stoked to save for folks who need that kind of seating, so if that’s you, please message or email us with your name so that we can be sure you’ll be comfortable throughout the event (and please also show up early to make sure you get in the door!). If you would be made more comfortable by the addition of a cushion, please bring one with you — and if you don’t have one you can bring, let us know and we’ll do our best to rustle up something for you.

***ABOUT REVERB***

REVERB: A Queer Reading Series aims to support and showcase emerging and established LGBT2QI writers through a quarterly reading series with an anti-oppressive framework. We believe that writing is a radical act that can transform dominant narratives about whose lives and loves are important and valued, and that sharing that writing can empower, inspire and transform ourselves and our communities. We write and read on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land, and are committed to radical inclusion in our series, recognizing that access to the world of writing, literacy, and even queerness continues to be limited. As organizers, we endeavour to create a reading series where white-identified readers are always in the minority to ensure a space that centres the voices of Indigenous, Black, mixed writers and all writers of colour. All our writers self-identify on a spectrum of queerness that centres trans and femme experiences. All of our events are held in physically and financially accessible spaces, and with every event, we make at least one change to ensure that REVERB becomes more and more accessible. We promise to do all we can to create a safer space — bring your suggestions! Check your assumptions at the door; REVERB is a body-positive, anti-racist, anti-sexist, and hella queer- and trans-positive event.

reverbqueerreadingseries@gmail.com
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