BGSQD

OLNY Poly Movie Night: Sammy and Rosie Get Laid
2017-09-06 18:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | NY
Open Love NY presents Poly Movie Night, a FREE series of feature films that focus on the portrayal of consensual / ethical non-monogamy in cinema. This month we’ll be at our regular venue, the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division.

Please join us for Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987), directed by Stephen Frears, written by Hanif Kureishi, and starring Frances Barber, Ayub Khan-Din, Shashi Kapoor, Claire Bloom, Roland Gift, and Meera Syal.

We’ll meet at 6:30 pm at the Bureau (in room 210 of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center at 208 West 13th Street) for pre-screening socializing and start the movie at 7 pm. The more people come, the more likely we’ll continue the event! The event is free, although a $10 suggested donation to help fund future events is much appreciated.

Synopsis: While their London neighborhood erupts with violence sparked by the police killing of a black woman, middle-class couple Sammy and Rosie cope with a visit from Sammy’s father Rafi, a former politician with an unsavory past. He disapproves of their friends and their open marriage. TW: suicide, torture. Running time: 1 hour 41 minutes.

USS presents IWPS Qualifier !
2017-09-05 19:00 - 21:30
Union Square Slam is returning with an IWPS qualifier.
IWPS is the Individual World Poetry Slam presented by PSi, in Spokane Washington this year October 11-14th.
There will be NO OPEN MIC.
Four rounds:
4 minute
1 minute
2 minute
3 minute
Sign-ups at 7pm SHARP
all ages // wheelchair accessible // admission $5-10

Bureau closed Sundays and Tuesdays in July and August
2017-08-29, 2017-08-27, 2017-08-22, 2017-08-20, 2017-08-15, 2017-08-13, 2017-08-08, 2017-08-06 and 7 more dates
The Bureau will be closed on Sundays and Tuesdays in July and August. Our summer hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays, 1 to 7 PM.

Reception for #youdonthave2banancy tees at the Bureau!
2017-08-19 16:30 - 18:30
Join us for a welcoming reception for the new #youdonthave2banancy tee-shirts at the Bureau! Stop by and check out the tee-shirts and bags and say hello to the artist who makes them, Stephen Anton!

Disclosure: Michael Broder, Donna Minkowitz, Julene Tripp Weaver
2017-08-12 19:00 - 21:00
Three writers read poetry and memoir about their experiences of disease and disability with an emphasis on the complex, difficult, and fraught issues of DISCLOSURE—to lovers, friends, family, employers, and the larger community.

Michael Broder is the author of Drug and Disease Free (Indolent Books, 2016) and This Life Now (A Midsummer Night’s Press, 2014), a finalist for the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. His poems have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies. He holds a BA from Columbia University, an MFA from New York University, and a PhD in Classics from The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Michael is the founding publisher of Indolent Books, the founding director of the Indolent Arts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, and the founding director of the HIV Here & Now project. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband, the poet Jason Schneiderman, and a backyard colony of stray and feral cats.

Donna Minkowitz‘s magical realist memoir, Growing Up Golem, was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award and for the Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award. Her first memoir, Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters with the Right Taught Me about Sex, God, and Fury, won a Lammy. A former columnist for the Village Voice and The Advocate, she’s also written for Slate, The Nation, the New York Times Book Review, and Salon. She is the restaurant critic for Gay City News.

Julene Tripp Weaver is a native New Yorker who moved to Seattle in 1989. A psychotherapist, she worked in AIDS services for over 21 years. She is the author of truth be bold—Serenading Life & Death in the Age of AIDS (Finishing Line Press, 2017), No Father Can Save Her (Plain View Press, 2011), and Case Walking: An AIDS Case Manager Wails Her Blues (Finishing Line Press, 2007); a poem from this book was featured on NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac. She has poems published in: Anti-Heroin Chic, Riverbabble, River & South Review, Rat’s Ass Review, The Seattle Review of Books, HIV Here & Now, and elsewhere; a creative nonfiction piece about the night Jimi Hendrix died is published by Yellow Chair Press, In The Words of Women International 2016 Anthology. Find more of her writing at www.julenetrippweaver.com.

OLNY's Poly Movie Night: Amorous
2017-08-09 18:30 - 21:30
Open Love NY presents Poly Movie Night, a FREE series of feature films that focus on the portrayal of consensual / ethical non-monogamy in cinema. This month we’ll be at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division.

Please join us for Amorous (2014), directed by Joanna Coates and starring Josh O’Connor, Hannah Arterton, Rea Mole, and Daniel Metz.

We’ll meet at 6:30 pm at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division (in room 210 of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center at 208 West 13th Street) for pre-screening socializing and start the movie at 7 pm. The more people come, the more likely we’ll continue the event! The event is free, although a $10 suggested donation to help fund future events is much appreciated.

Synopsis: Young strangers–Max, Charlotte, Leah, and Jack–leave London for an isolated cottage where they attempt to build an intentional community of four. Running time: 1 hour 22 minutes.

USS presents Regional Slam Off / NPS Send Off
2017-08-01 19:00 - 21:30
It’s that time of the year again! Time when teams from all over the country converge for a week-long poetic competition and community-building. Come experience the hard work put in this summer by top notch poets from NYC’s Bowery Poetry Slam, Jersey City’s JC Slam, and Philly’s Fuze teams, as well as your own Union Square Slam team!!

*** NO WORKSHOP OR OPEN MIC TONIGHT ***

We need five judges!! If you don’t know any of the competing poets, and volunteer to judge, we will refund you your admission fee. Pinky swear.

Please note: the Bureau is closed on Tuesdays in July and August. We will open at 7 PM for this event.

all ages // wheelchair accessible // admission $5-10

Queer Lives/Fault Lines
2017-07-29 19:00 - 21:30
The Bureau of General Services-Queer Division hosts this multi-genre reading of poets exploring intersectional identities and cultural violences that are experienced in a queer context. We may also speak of joy.

Suggested donation of $10 to benefit the Bureau. No one turned away for lack of funds

We will have a brief reception from 7:00-7:30 with readings beginning at 7:30. There will be non-alcoholic beverages available. There will be a brief intermission. The event will end by 9:30
The Bureau is wheelchair accessible. All-gender bathrooms are available down the hall.

The Readers:

George Abraham (they/he) is a Palestinian-American Poet, Activist, and Engineering PhD Candidate at Harvard University. His chapbook, al youm: for yesterday & her inherited traumas, was a winner of the Atlas Review’s 2016 chapbook contest. He is a recipient of the Lois Morrell Poetry Prize, the Favianna Rodriguez Award for Artistic Activism, and the honor of “Best Poet” at the 2017 College Union Poetry Slam Invitational. His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Vinyl, Apogee, Thrush, Kweli, Hawai’i Review, Winter Tangerine, and anthologies such as Bettering American Poetry 2016, the Nepantla Anthology for Queer Poets of Color, and the Ghassan Kanafani Palestinian Literature Anthology.

Hannah Ingram (she/her) has been teaching in public and private schools in New York and California since 2005. During that time, Hannah has also taught in higher education around issues of inclusivity, intersectionality and queering curriculum in elementary contexts. Hannah has been writing since she could form letters, and her practice has been built through poetry workshops in college and graduate programs, and most recently, workshops through Brooklyn Poets. Most importantly, Hannah makes poems with children.

Kira Garcia (she/her) is a writer living in Brooklyn. She has published Shouts & Murmurs for the New Yorker, as well as personal essays, humor pieces and interviews for Lenny, Jezebel, and the Hairpin. She is old enough to remember when Ellen Degeneres was presumed to be straight.

Nicole Goodwin (she/her) is the 2017 EMERGENYC Hemispheric Institute Fellow as well as the 2013-2014 Queer Art Mentorship Queer Art Literary Fellow, and the winner of The Fresh Fruit Festival’s 2013 Award for Performance Poetry. She published the articles “Talking with My Daughter…” and “Why is this Happening in Your Life…” (Personal essay/Review for award-winning documentary Tough Love) in the New York Times’ parentblog Motherlode. Additionally, her work ‘”Desert Flowers” was shortlisted and selected for performance by the Women’s Playwriting International Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

Jake Matkov (he/him) received a scholarship to the first grade. He was cast in Annie Get Your Gun, as The Gun and had nightmares ever since. A recipient of a 2017 New York Foundation for the Arts poetry fellowship and a 2015-16 Queer / Art / Mentorship literary fellowship, his poems have been published in The Blueshift Journal, fields magazine, voicemail poems, and others. You can find him in Brooklyn or on Twitter and Instagram @ooohjakie.

USS presents Liv Mammone
2017-07-25 18:30 - 21:30
Union Square Slam is spending the summer showcasing our fire 2017 Slam Team, as they prepare for the National Poetry Slam in Denver this August. Each team member will lead a workshop before their feature, so don’t miss your chance to engage with these brilliant writers and performers! All proceeds go directly to the artists.
Tonight’s feature: Liv Mammone

Liv Mammone is an editor and poet from Long Island, New York; where she lives with her parents, brother, and family of feral cats. She has previously taught creative writing at Hofstra University and Queens College. Her poetry has appeared in wordgathering, Wicked Banshee, The Medical Journal of Australia, Rogue Agent, QDA: a Queer, Disabled Anthology, Grabbing the Apple and Typo Magazine. As a spoken word poet, she has featured at Sarah Lawrence, Artists Without Walls, Stonybrook University, and Union Square Slam. She is the first visibly disabled person to be on a New York City slam team. She’s a two time nominee for 2016’s Best of the Net poetry anthology.

SHOW DETAILS:
6:30pm: Workshop
7:30pm: Sign-ups and Socialize
8:00pm: Open Mic
9:00pm: Feature

We are located at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, inside The LGBT Community Center (208 W 13th St, #210)
Please note: the Bureau is closed on Tuesdays in July and August. We will open at 6 PM for Union Square Slam events.
Our venue is all ages and wheelchair accessible.

Workshop: $5
Open Mic and Feature: $5
No one is turned away for lack of funds.

Anti-Fascist Book Club Reads Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed
2017-07-22 14:00 - 16:00
A reading group for those fighting fascism!
Hopefully our readings will inspire thoughtful and informed activism.
Join us for our third meeting on Saturday, July 22nd, from 2 to 4 PM. We will discuss Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed is available for purchase at the Bureau. Please support the Bureau and purchase your copy from us. Thanks!
In our first meeting in April we discussed the first 100 pages of Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism.
In our second meeting in May we discussed James Baldwin’s Going to Meet the Man.
Questions? Ideas for future readings?
Write to Grey Vild: greyvild@gmail.com

Bureau closed Sundays and Tuesday in July and August
2017-07-16

Bureau closed on July 6th
2017-07-06
We will be closed on Thursday, July 6th. We will re-open on Friday, July 7th.

Please note our summer hours for July and August: Wednesdays-Saturday, 1 to 7 PM.

We will be closed Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays.

OLNY's Poly Movie Night: Angels of Sex/El sexo de los ángeles
2017-07-05 18:30 - 21:30
Open Love NY presents Poly Movie Night, a FREE series of feature films that focus on the portrayal of consensual / ethical non-monogamy in cinema. This month we’ll be at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division.

Please join us for Angels of Sex/El sexo de los ángeles (2012), directed by Xavier Villaverde and starring Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Álvaro Cervantes, and Llorenç González.

We’ll meet at 6:30 pm at The Bureau (in room 210 of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center at 208 West 13th Street) for pre-screening socializing and start the movie at 7 pm. The more people come, the more likely we’ll continue the event! The event is free, although a $10 suggested donation to help fund future events is much appreciated.

Synopsis: Student photographer Carla struggles with the change in her relationship to boyfriend Bruno when he falls for another man, charming dancer/martial artist Rai. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Please note: The Bureau will open at 6 PM on Wednesday, July 5th.

Bureau closed for Independence Day weekend!
2017-07-01 08:00 - 2017-07-04 17:00

Dolly on Dolly: Presentation and Signing with Randy L. Schmidt
2017-06-28 19:00 - 20:30
Join Randy L. Schmidt as he presents and signs copies of his latest book, Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton, new from Chicago Review Press in the Musicians in Their Own Words series. After a reading/presentation, Schmidt will answer your questions and sign copies of the book. Copies will be available for sale.
Suggested donation of $10 to benefit the Bureau. No one turned away for lack of funds. Free for ages 18 and under!
To reserve a copy of Dolly on Dolly: Interviews and Encounters with Dolly Parton please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
“Nobody knows Dolly like Dolly,” declares Dolly Parton.
Dolly’s is a rags-to-riches tale like no other. A dirt-poor Smoky Mountain childhood paved the way for the buxom blonde butterfly’s metamorphosis from singer-songwriter to international music superstar. The undisputed “Queen of Country Music,” Dolly has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and has conquered just about every facet of the entertainment industry: music, film, television, publishing, theater, and even theme parks. It has been more than fifty years since Dolly Parton arrived in Nashville with just her guitar and a dream. Her story has been told many times and in many ways, but never like this.
Dolly on Dolly is a collection of interviews spanning five decades of her career and featuring material gathered from celebrated publications including Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Playboy, and Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. Also included are interviews which have not been previously available in print. Dolly’s feisty and irresistible brand of humor, combined with her playful, pull-up-a-chair-and-stay-awhile delivery, makes for a fascinating and inviting experience in down-home philosophy and storytelling. Much like her patchwork “Coat of Many Colors,” this book harkens back to the legendary entertainer’s roots and traces her evolution, stitching it all together one piece at a time.
“Dolly on Dolly magnificently encapsulates Dolly Parton’s career through her own words. It’s a must read for fans of all ages.” —Gary and Larry Lane, actors and filmmakers (Hollywood to Dollywood)
“Six decades into her career, Dolly continues to be a fountain of songwriting creativity. Randy L. Schmidt’s Dolly on Dolly reflects all of this. The book chronicles journalists’ encounters with this force of nature over forty-seven years. I was charmed by its very early stories, written when she was just beginning to establish her image. But I was equally enthralled by the stories written about Dolly as I know her today, as an American popular-culture icon. Love her. Love this book.” —Robert K. Oermann, music journalist
“Dolly on Dolly is an indulgent journey through Dolly’s life and career, giving fans a chance to relive interviews they haven’t seen in decades, but moreover it is a study in excellent interview technique. Dolly Parton is one of the world’s most skilled interview subjects, expertly navigating reporters’ questions with humor and wit, remaining in control of the interview at all times and gently steering if where she wants it to go. Dolly on Dolly offers a fascinating overview of how her natural interview talent grew over time to a level that few in the public eye can match.” —Duane Gordon, publisher, dollymania.net
“This polished tribute will be candy for Parton fans, while readers with a casual interest in pop culture will find it highly browsable and full of good humor.” —Library Journal
“You don’t need to be a Dolly Parton devotee to appreciate these 25 in-depth interviews, spanning 1967 to 2014, which chronicle the journey of a talented woman coming into her own.” —BUST magazine

Randy L. Schmidt is the author of the acclaimed bestselling biography Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter and the editor of Judy Garland on Judy Garland and Yesterday Once More: The Carpenters Reader. He has also written articles for the Advocate and the Observer. He teaches music in Denton, Texas.

USS presents Trace DePass and an Open Mic
2017-06-27 18:30 - 21:30
Union Square Slam is spending the summer showcasing our fire 2017 Slam Team, as they prepare for the National Poetry Slam in Denver this August. Each team member will lead a workshop before their feature, so don’t miss your chance to engage with these brilliant writers and performers! All proceeds go directly to the artists.
First up: Trace DePass!!!
Residing in Queens, NY, Trace DePass is an Urban Word NYC alumnus, juror and consultant at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and was the 2016 Teen Poet Laureate for the Borough of Queens.
Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, mother of Phife Dawg from A Tribe called Quest, awarded him the first-ever Phife Dawg ‘Styles-on-Styles’ award for poetry. After which, he then went on to perform for the unveiling of Phife Dawg’s street in Queens, NY, and for the grand opening for The Langston Hughes’ home in Harlem. He received a National Gold Medal from Scholastic for his writing portfolio, “Black Boyhood,” wherein one piece was published in Scholastic’s Best Teen Writing of 2015. His poetry has been featured online for BET’s Next Level, Motion Poems, Nowness, & Billboard, and can be read at literary homes – Entropy Magazine, Poetry Magazine, Split This Rock, & Penmanship Books’ “East Coast Voices”.
Trace is also currently the editor of Best Teen Writing of 2017, and a member of the 2017 Union Square Slam Team, and working on curriculum for his upcoming residency at The Langston Hughes Home.

SHOW DETAILS:
6:30pm: Workshop
7:30pm: Sign-ups and Socialize
8:00pm: Open Mic
9:00pm: Feature

We are located at the Bureau of General Services — Queer Division, inside the LBGT Center (208 W 13th St, #210)

Our venue is all ages and wheelchair accessible.
Workshop: $5
Open Mic and Feature: $5
No one is turned away for lack of funds.
