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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250912T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250912T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250825T175233Z
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SUMMARY:Questioning AI\, Louffa Press Anthology Book Launch (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Louffa Press is pleased to present a new anthology of critical essays\, artwork\, fiction and poetry on the theme of Queer-y-ing or Questioning Artificial Intelligence (AI). What can we learn from studying AI using a queer lens? A feminist lens? An inclusive lens? A democratic lens? A socio-political lens? An egalitarian lens? A moral lens? To what extent does AI know about feminist/LGBTQ/POC perspectives? These and other inquiries are at the heart of this publication. \nReaders include Beatriz Albuquerque\, Rae Armantrout\, Rebecca Goodman\, Robert Anthony Gibbons\, Jee Leong Koh\, Paco Marquez. Hosted by publisher of Louffa Press\, David Moscovich. \nThis event is funded in part by Poets & Writers with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. \nFor more information\, visit www.louffapress.net \n  \nTo reserve a copy of Questioning AI\, edited by David Moscovich (Louffa Press\, July 17\, 2025\, paperback\, $) please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Questioning AI for September 12 event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \nEven better: sign up to make a monthly tax-deductible donation to the Bureau! \n\nThank you for committing to sustaining this vital project! \n\n  \nBiographies of participants: \nBeatriz Albuquerque (Porto\, Portugal) is an artist\, performer\, teacher and researcher (they/them). They hold a Doctorate from Columbia University in New York with a Foundation for Science and Technology Scholarship and a Fulbright/Luso-American Foundation Scholarship. They completed their Master of Fine Arts at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Prizes and awards include the Myers Art Award from Columbia University\, the Revelation Award from the 17th Cerveira Biennial and the Ambient Series Performance Award\, PAC/edge Performance Festival\, Chicago. They have held several individual and collective exhibitions including Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago\, Chicago Cultural Center; Chelsea Art Museum\, The Kitchen\, Emily Harvey Foundation\, Anthology Film Archives\, Queens Museum\, MoMA PS1 in New York; Istanbul Biennial; Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art; Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology in São Paulo; Museum of Contemporary Art of Bogota; Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas; Museu Vila Velha in Vila Real\, Graça Brandão Gallery\, Serralves Museum\, Nuno Centeno Gallery\, among others. www.beatrizalbuquerque.com \n  \nDescribing the poems in Rae Armantrout’s latest book\, Go Figure\, Library Journal says\, “she has honed enduring art on the ephemera that constitute a consciousness in motion through the present.” Charles Bernstein says\, “Her sheer\, often hilarious\, ingenuity is an aesthetic triumph.” Armantrout’s 2018 book\, Wobble\, was a finalist for the National Book Award that year. In 2010\, Versed won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and The National Book Critics Circle Award. Her poems have appeared in many anthologies and journals including Poetry\, Conjunctions\, Lana Turner\, The Nation\, The New Yorker\, The London Review of Books\, Harpers\, The Paris Review\, Postmodern American Poetry: a Norton Anthology and several editions of The Best American Poetry. She is Professor Emerita at UC San Diego. \n  \nRobert Anthony Gibbons has been published in over thirty literary magazines and in several notable anthologies. His first collection\, Close to the Tree\, was published by Three Rooms Press in 2012. His chapbook\, Flight\, was published by Poets Wear Prada in 2019. You Almost Home\, Boy\, was published by Harlequin Creatures (2019). With Brooklyn based artist\, Amy Williams\, Some Little Words was published by 440 Gallery\, Brooklyn (2021)\, then Whom the Higher Gods Forgot (2022.) He has received funding from the Puffin Foundation\, United States Artists\, the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Brooklyn Council of the Arts. A native Floridian\, Robert came to New York City in search of his muse Langston Hughes and found a vibrant contemporary poetry community at the Cornelia Street Cafe\, the Green Pavilion\, Nomad’s Choir\, Brownstone Poets\, Hydrogen JukeBox\, Saturn Series\, and Phoenix\, among other venues. \n  \nRebecca Goodman is the author of Forgotten Night (Spuyten Duyvil 2023)\, Aftersight (Spuyten Duyvil\, 2015) and The Surface of Motion (Green Integer 2008). She teaches Creative Writing at Chapman University. \n  \nJee Leong Koh is the author of Steep Tea (Carcanet)\, named a Best Book of the Year by UK’s Financial Times and a Finalist by Lambda Literary in the USA. His hybrid work of fiction\, Snow at 5 PM: Translations of an insignificant Japanese poet\, won the Singapore Literature Prize in English fiction. He was also shortlisted for the prize for The Pillow Book (Math Paper Press/Awai Books)\, Connor and Seal (Sibling Rivalry)\, Sample and Loop (Bench Press)\, and Inspector Inspector (Carcanet). Koh’s work has been translated into Japanese\, Chinese\, Malay\, Vietnamese\, Russian\, and Latvian. Originally from Singapore\, Koh lives in New York City\, where he heads the literary non-profit Singapore Unbound. \n  \nPaco Márquez poetry has appeared in Fence\, The Literary Review\, Apogee\, Philosophy and Global Affairs and Huizache\, among others. His chapbook Portraits in G Minor was published by Folded Word Press in 2017. Originally from Mexico\, Paco moved to California with his family at the age of 13. In college\, he studied philosophy and literature at UC Berkeley. At age 42\, he acquired an MFA in creative writing poetry from New York University. Paco has served as poetry editor at Washington Square\, OccuPoetry\, and 128 Lit.   www.pacomarquez.net \n  \nDavid Moscovich (it/its) is the Romanian-American author of four novels: You Are Make Very Important Bathtime\, LIFE+70[Redacted]\, Blink if You Love Me\, and Manhattan Other. Workday [CAPTCHA Poems] will be released by BlazeVOX in 2025. Moscovich runs Louffa Press\, a small press publisher of chapbooks and artist books.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/questioning-ai-louffa-press/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250910T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250910T203000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250723T171224Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250825T161642Z
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SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: "The Lightning People Play" | Tim Cummings in conversation with Paul Sparks (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Join award-winning actor & author Tim Cummings (Alice the Cat) and Emmy-nominated actor Paul Sparks (House of Cards) as they crack open Tim’s new novel\, The Lightning People Play\, about a crew of brilliant teens who put up a play to raise money for a seizure-alert dog and their play opens an unexpected portal. Author Gayle Brandeis (The Art of Misdiagnosis) calls it “a breathtaking celebration of creativity and neurodivergence and connection” and Jeff Zenter (Morris-award winner for The Serpent King) says\, “Cummings weaves vivid\, gripping tales filled with heart and irreverent humor\, and told in an electric\, irresistible voice.” \nTo reserve a copy of The Lightning People (Black Rose Writing\, June 26\, 2025\, paperback\, $21.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve The Lightning People for September 10 event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \nEven better:  \nsign up to make a monthly tax-deductible donation to the Bureau! \n\nThank you for committing to sustaining this vital project! \n\n  \nTim Cummings: Tim’s debut novel\, Alice the Cat (Fitzroy Books) was chosen as an American Book Awards ‘Best Book’ Finalist for 2023\, received a Bronze Medal in the 2024 Feathered Quill Book Awards\, and is a Finalist in both the 2024 National Indies Excellence Awards for Teen Fiction and the Independent Author Network’s Book of the Year Awards. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles and a BFA from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts. He has appeared in 200+ projects across theatre\, film\, television\, voice-over\, and new media. Recent publications  include F(r)iction\, Scare Street\, Lunch Ticket\, MeowMeow PowPow\, From Whispers to Roars\, Drunk Monkeys\, Hare’s Paw\, Lit Angels\, The Wax Paper\, Excerpt\,  and Critical Read/RAFT\, for which he won the ‘Origins’ contest for his essay\, “You Have Changed Me Forever.” Tim is an octopus and spider enthusiast. He goes wild for anything with eight legs. He possesses enviable collections of stickers\, labradorite\, night-sky projector lights\, vintage vinyl\, and rare first-edition hardcover copies of some of his favorite novels. No one has ever made a better vat of chili\, and his lasagna is infallible. He teaches writing for UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. \n  \nPaul Sparks: Paul is currently shooting THE STALEMATE opposite Ben Foster. He recently completed production on THE MORTUARY’S ASSISTANT\, based on the popular horror video game\, as well as Sterlin Harjo’s new series\, THE LOWDOWN\, starring Ethan Hawke. Sparks appears in Michael Shannon’s directorial debut\, ERIC LARUE and in the upcoming Amazon limited series\, THE BETTER SISTER\, opposite Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel. Recent theatre appearances include Samuel D. Hunter’s latest\, GRANGEVILLE at Signature Theatre and WAITING FOR GODOT opposite Michael Shannon at Theatre for a New Audience. Paul starred in 3 seasons of the Apple+ series PHYSICAL opposite Rose Byrne. Additional series credits include JOE PICKETT and WACO for Paramount+\, Stephen Kings’ CASTLEROCK for Hulu\, HBO’s THE NIGHT OF and BOARDWALK EMPIRE\, Netflix’s HOUSE OF CARDS\, Starz’ THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE and SWEETBITTER. He has received SAG and Emmy Award nominations for his work in television. Among his many films are THOROUGHBREDS; THE GREATEST SHOWMAN; MIDNIGHT SPECIAL; MUD; SPARROWS DANCE; BLACKBIRD. Sparks’ distinguished work on stage has earned him seven Drama Desk Awards nominations as well as three Outer Critics Circle\, two Lucille Lortel and a Drama League Award nomination. \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/tim-cummings/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250908T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250908T213000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250822T180843Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250822T182751Z
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SUMMARY:Compulsory Heterosexuality: an Introduction to Adrienne Rich (in-person only/registration required)
DESCRIPTION:Is heterosexuality a coercive institution that aids and abets the oppression of women? So argues Adrienne Rich in her famous essay “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence\,” which gave voice to a nascent lesbian liberation movement in search of alternatives to heterosexual feminism. A major poet\, Rich was also one of the key theoretical and literary voices of the women’s liberation movement\, and her prose work is by now canonical in the field of gender studies. And with her poetry\, Rich created a body of verse that investigated social\, cultural\, and political conditions for women in the last half of the twentieth century\, as well as the personal toll of feminist politics. Her writings have been at the heart of numerous feminist controversies\, from trans exclusionary radical feminism to pornography\, but have nonetheless continued to shape lesbian feminist discourse into the present day. How can we understand Rich’s unique corpus of poetry and feminist theory? How\, for Rich\, does one inform the other? And what is the problem with heterosexual feminism? How do gender\, sexuality\, reproduction\, and liberation relate? \nIn this course\, we will explore Adrienne Rich’s complicated legacy as theorist\, activist\, and poet by reading her work alongside the work of her fiercest critics and allies in the feminist movement\, including Mary Daly\, Susan Sontag\, Andrea Dworkin\, Michelle Cliff\, and Audre Lorde. Beginning with Rich’s foundational theorization of compulsory heterosexuality\, we will read her essays on sexual violence\, lesbian love\, women’s education\, motherhood\, pornography\, and racism alongside key poems from her oeuvre spanning the crucial years of women’s liberation. In what ways have women’s bodies historically been viewed as being at the service of men\, and how has heterosexuality instantiated that belief? What would it mean to build a “women’s culture” and how might this further feminism’s aims? What political potentials lie in viewing motherhood as an institution\, rather than an innate desire or calling? What role might anger\, disagreement\, and even violence play in the feminist fight to end patriarchal oppression? \nInstructor: Hannah Leffingwell \nCourse Schedule\nMonday\, 6:30-9:30pm ET\nSeptember 08 — September 29\, 2025\n4 weeks \n$335.00 \nThree scholarship spaces are reserved for each course\, because we realize that not everyone can afford to pay the full fee. Students who cannot pay the full fee should email us at info@thebrooklyninstitute.com to learn about our scholarship options. We will not ask questions about your financial situation\, but we do ask that you use the system in good faith and consider the needs of other students and faculty members. \nRegister here: https://thebrooklyninstitute.com/items/courses/new-york/adrienne-rich/\nIf you experience difficulties entering your card at checkout\, please feel free to call 718-422-7767 or email info@thebrooklyninstitute.com for assistance. \nThe course meetings will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. The Bureau is closed on Mondays\, but will open for these meetings at 6 pm on the scheduled Mondays. \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/compulsory-heterosexuality-adrienne-rich-1/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250906T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250906T173000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250829T154109Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250903T151942Z
UID:15762-1757174400-1757179800@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The New Negro: 100th Anniversary Celebration (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:OUTWRIGHT LTD and the Bureau present: \nThe New Negro: 100th Anniversary Celebration \nJoin us in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of the groundbreaking anthology\, The New Negro: An Interpretation (New York: Albert and Charles Boni\, 1925)\, edited by the esteemed philosopher and “Dean of the Harlem Renaissance” Alain Locke. This was the first collection of writings by a cross section of African American essayists\, poets\, and novelists issued by a major publishing company for a wide American audience. This celebration will discuss the book’s history and impact\, as well as some of the key figures involved in its genesis\, including Jessie R. Fauset\, Georgia Douglas Johnson\, and Paul U. Kellogg. \nIn the words of scholar Henry Louis Gates\, the Harlem Renaissance was “surely as gay as it was Black.” \nRefreshments! Door Prizes! \nCopies of: \nThe New Negro\, by Alain Locke (Scribner Book Company\, 1999 [originally published 1925]\, paperback\, $24) \nand \nThe New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke\, by Jeffrey C. Stewart (Oxford University Press\, 2020\, paperback\, $31.99) \n\n\n\nwill be available for purchase. To reserve a copy of either/both\, please write to us in advance at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve The New Negro and/or the Alain Locke bio for September 6th event” in the subject line.\n\n\nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\n\n\n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \nEven better: sign up to make a monthly tax-deductible donation to the Bureau! \n\nThank you for committing to sustaining this vital project! \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/the-new-negro/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250905T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250905T203000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250821T222057Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250825T162256Z
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SUMMARY:Book Launch - A History of Intimacy Professionals in Entertainment (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Celebrate the launch of A History of Intimacy Professionals in Entertainment by Brooke M. Haney! \nJoin us for a reading and conversation with Nicole Callender\, Teniece Divya Johnson\, Olivia Troy\, and author Brooke M. Haney—four trailblazing intimacy coordinators who helped shape the industry. \nThis groundbreaking book is the first to trace the history of intimacy professionals in film\, TV\, and theatre—highlighting how they’ve built safer\, more respectful creative spaces that enable brave\, compelling storytelling. From #MeToo to COVID-19\, and union action to global collaboration\, it’s a love letter to the movement and the people who made it possible. \nWhether you’re a producer\, director\, actor\, educator\, student\, or simply passionate about safer\, more equitable creative spaces and the storytelling of sex\, this event offers an inspiring look inside a movement that is transforming the entertainment industry. \nTo reserve a copy of A History of Intimacy Professionals in Entertainment (Routledge\, July 31\, 2025\, paperback\, $48.99) please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve History of Intimacy Professionals for September 5 event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \nEven better: sign up to make a monthly tax-deductible donation to the Bureau! \n\nThank you for committing to sustaining this vital project!
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/history-intimacy-professionals/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250818T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250818T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250717T170759Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250717T170906Z
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SUMMARY:A Gathering of the Tribes Presents: THE STOOP PROJECT: WRITE BAD: POEMS THAT BREAK THE SILENCE  Facilitated by: Roya Marsh (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:WRITE BAD: POEMS THAT BREAK THE SILENCE  \nFacilitated by: Roya Marsh \nThis is a generative writing workshop\, open to all skill levels. \nABOUT THE WORKSHOP\nThis workshop space will inspire writers to confront their fears and doubts with unapologetic courage and creativity. Write Bad is the space to be your most daring self and write the thing you’ve been running from. We will look at the work of Barbara Fant\, Donte Collins\, and KB Brookins. Participants will be called to continue writing beyond the session\, reminding them that the act of writing boldly is an ongoing practice. Courage is the most important tool in our writing toolkit. \n$5 DONATION\, RESERVE YOUR SPOT – MONDAY\, August 18\n  \nTHE STOOP PROJECT: SUMMER SERIES 2025\nHosted by A Gathering of the Tribes\, The Stoop Project: Summer Series 2025 features a curated selection of generative writing workshops by bearded poet Thomas Fucaloro. Sessions are open to all skill levels and will be held in person every third Monday from June through August 2025 at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, the independent\, all-volunteer queer bookstore in room 210 of The LGBT Community Center\, in NYC. Each workshop will be led by a different facilitator and focus on a unique theme. A $5 donation reserves your spot — see calendar for all event listings. \nIn tandem with the workshops\, each month Tribes will select a featured book from the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division. \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n  \nTHE HISTORY OF THE STOOP\nThe Stoop Poetry Workshop (1991–1995) was established and facilitated by Tribes’ founder Steve Cannon with fellow Lower East Side poet Bob Holman. Conceived on the stoop of Cannon’s East 3rd Street residence\, the workshop served as a creative incubator held before the Nuyorican Poets Café’s Friday Night Slams — allowing poets to refine their work and perform it the same evening. An extraordinary roster of poets participated in the Workshop\, including reg e. gaines\, Edwin Torres\, Tracie Morris\, Dana Bryant\, Mia Hansford\, Keith Roach\, Paul Beatty\, Willie Perdomo\, Dael Orlandersmith\, Ed Morales\, Ra\, and Mike Tyler. \nBuilding on Cannon’s ethos of “Each one\, teach one\,” The Stoop Project expands the original vision of the Workshop by inviting a wide array of guest facilitators to carry forward its spirit of collective growth\, experimentation\, and intergenerational exchange. \n  \nABOUT THE FACILITATOR\nBronx\, New York native\, Roya Marsh is a poet\, performer\, educator\, and activist. She is the author of dayliGht\, a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Lesbian Poetry and SAVINGS TIME (MCDXFSG). Roya works feverishly toward Queer liberation and dismantling white supremacy. She is the co-founder of the Bronx Poet Laureate\, a PEN America Emerging Voices Mentor\, Lambda Literary faculty\, and the awardee of the Lotos Foundation Prize for Poetry and the 2024 Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) Grant from Bronx Council on the Arts.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/stoop-project-august-18/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250723T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250723T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250707T163616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250707T164455Z
UID:15657-1753297200-1753304400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The Wicker/Johnson Papers Party! (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:The Wicker/Johnson Papers Party! \nAll are invited to come join us at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division for a night of celebration! \nSince 1976\, Randy Wicker has collected an archive of activism and gay love in his Hoboken home\, where Marsha P. Johnson and many other queer New Yorkers lived over the past 50 years. While running his business Uplift Lighting in the Village for 30 years\, Wicker opened their home to countless queer friends and lovers whilechampioning progressive causes. Johnson\, a Stonewall Riots veteran and co-founder  of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries\, shared his home and participated in many campaigns during their time together. In processing since 2021\, Randy & Marsha’s papers are now available for researchers to tell the stories of the Uplift family. This collection preserves Randy & Marsha’s work as activists\, and also the lives of their extended gay family of lovers\, friends\, street people\, activists\, Uplift Lighting employees\, and residents of Hoboken’s legendary “Hotel Wicker” apartment. \nShare this invitation with any friends of the family\, and join us in celebrating their lives! \nCome ready to share your favorite memories and enjoy ephemera\, photos\, & films from the archive—and footage shot for the documentary currently in production directed by Devlyn Camp\, archivist of the collection & host of the podcast Queer Serial: American LGBTQ+ History Before Stonewall. \n**This event will be filmed as part of that documentary!** \nThis event is hosted by archivist Devlyn Camp and The LGBT Community Center National History Archive in collaboration with the Bureau. \nRSVP free at wickerjohnsonparty.eventbrite.com\n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \nContact Devlyn ourhistorypod@gmail.com or the Bureau contact@bgsqd.com with any questions.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/wicker-johnson-papers-party/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/W_J-PARTY-FB-Devlyn-Camp.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250721T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250721T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250707T161426Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250707T171609Z
UID:15650-1753122600-1753131600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:A Gathering of the Tribes Presents: THE STOOP PROJECT: NO SUCH THING AS WRITER’S BLOCK Facilitated by: UGBA (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:NO SUCH THING AS WRITER’S BLOCK \nFacilitated by: UGBA \nThis is a generative writing workshop\, open to all skill levels.\n \n$5 DONATION\, RESERVE YOUR SPOT – MONDAY\, JULY 21\n  \nABOUT THE WORKSHOP\nIn this session\, I will be sharing tools gathered over my 15+ year career as a professional writer and writing-workshop facilitator to equip writers (both novice and veteran) with the confidence to quiet that little voice in their head that says: I’ve gone as far as I can. I haven’t got anything left. It’s a lie! There are always more words—sometimes you just need an instructor willing to teach you how to find them: I am that instructor! \n  \nTHE STOOP PROJECT: SUMMER SERIES 2025\nHosted by A Gathering of the Tribes\, The Stoop Project: Summer Series 2025 features a curated selection of generative writing workshops by bearded poet Thomas Fucaloro. Sessions are open to all skill levels and will be held in person every third Monday from June through August 2025 at The Center’s bookstore\, Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, in NYC. Each workshop will be led by a different facilitator and focus on a unique theme. A $5 donation reserves your spot — see calendar for all event listings. \nIn tandem with the workshops\, each month Tribes will select a featured book from the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division. \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \nPlease note: the Bureau is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. We will open at 6 PM on Monday\, July 21st\, for this workshop\, which will begin at 6:30 PM.\n  \nTHE HISTORY OF THE STOOP\nThe Stoop Poetry Workshop (1991–1995) was established and facilitated by Tribes’ founder Steve Cannon with fellow Lower East Side poet Bob Holman. Conceived on the stoop of Cannon’s East 3rd Street residence\, the workshop served as a creative incubator held before the Nuyorican Poets Café’s Friday Night Slams — allowing poets to refine their work and perform it the same evening. An extraordinary roster of poets participated in the Workshop\, including reg e. gaines\, Edwin Torres\, Tracie Morris\, Dana Bryant\, Mia Hansford\, Keith Roach\, Paul Beatty\, Willie Perdomo\, Dael Orlandersmith\, Ed Morales\, Ra\, and Mike Tyler. \nBuilding on Cannon’s ethos of “Each one\, teach one\,” The Stoop Project expands the original vision of the Workshop by inviting a wide array of guest facilitators to carry forward its spirit of collective growth\, experimentation\, and intergenerational exchange. \n  \nABOUT THE FACILITATOR\nUGBA (‘oog ba’) Ungrateful Black Artist (pronoun inclusive) is a queer poet\, rapper\, playwright\, actor\, and activist based out of Brooklyn\, NY. UGBA is the founder/host of CEREMONIES—a Brooklyn-based monthly Black-Queer artist showcase held in honor of Essex Hemphill. UGBA is also the founder of “Dark-Skin Support Group\,” a virtual support network for dark-skin Black Americans in need of a space to discuss the realities of colorism. In 2020\, UGBA was named a “Black LGBTQ+ playwright you need to know ” by Time Out NY. UGBA is the former script assistant for the Pulitzer Prize-winning and 5 time TONY nominated Broadway show “Fat Ham.” He is an alumnus of the Public Theater’s #BARS program and Emerging Writers Group 2020-2023 cohort.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/stoop-project-july-21/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/July-21-Gathering-of-the-Tribes.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250720T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250720T160000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250708T150501Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250708T150628Z
UID:15663-1753023600-1753027200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Drag Story Hour with Lil Miss Hot Mess\, author of MAKE YOUR OWN RAINBOW: A DRAG QUEEN'S GUIDE TO COLOR (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:Join author and drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess for a very special Drag Story Hour\, as we celebrate her recently-released book Make Your Own Rainbow: A Drag Queen’s Guide to Color.  Kids of all ages are also invited to sing and dance along as she reads her classics If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It and The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish\, Swish\, Swish.  Bonus points to those who attend dressed in their most colorful and fabulous looks\, as drag is all about letting your inner light sparkle brightly on the outside! \nPlease note: \nThis event will take place in person at The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. The Bureau currently features a very adult exhibition of photographs\, so this event will take place in a kid-friendly room on the second floor of The Center. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\n\n  \nReserve a copy of Make Your Own Rainbow (Running Press Kids\, May 13\, 2025\, hardcover\, $18.99) or any Lil Miss Hot Mess book by writing to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Make Your Own Rainbow for July 20th event” in the subject line. If you’d like to reserve other titles\, please just let us know in the body of the email. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nAbout Make Your Own Rainbow: A Drag Queen’s Guide to Color : \nBy Lil Miss Hot Mess\, Illustrated by Olga de Dios \nRunning Press Kids\, 2025 (more info) \nExplore a kaleidoscope of colors beyond the rainbow in this celebratory and empowering book by Drag Story Hour storyteller Lil Miss Hot Mess! \nDrag queens love to dance to their own beat\, speak their minds\, and let their best selves shine. They love all the colors of the rainbow—as well as all the colors beyond! \nFrom scarlet\, marigold\, lemon\, and emerald\, to azure\, periwinkle\, Byzantium\, and onyx\, the world’s diverse range of colors allows drag queens and kings to be authentic and creative. And you\, too\, can use any color or hue to express yourself and your fierce imagination! Travel through a colorful\, playful\, and uplifting world with Drag Story Hour superstar Lil Miss Hot Mess and whimsical illustrator Olga De Dios in their latest inclusive picture book. \n  \nLil Miss Hot Mess is the author of the children’s books Make Your Own Rainbow: A Drag Queen’s Guide to Color\, If You’re a Drag Queen and You Know It\, and The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish\, Swish\, Swish\, and has written essays for HuffPost\, Slate\, and Wired. She serves on the board of Drag Story Hour\, and has appeared on world-class stages like SFMOMA\, Stanford University\, and Saturday Night Live. Follow her on social media @LilMissHotMess\, and learn more at lilmisshotmess.com.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/lil-miss-hot-mess/
LOCATION:The Lesbian\, Gay\, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 101\, New York\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/July-20-LMHM-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250716T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250716T200000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250611T152634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250707T152938Z
UID:15619-1752688800-1752696000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Robert W. Fieseler discusses his new book AMERICAN SCARE: Florida's Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Join award-winning journalist and author Robert W. Fieseler as he discusses his new book AMERICAN SCARE: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives. A vital exposé for both our history and our present day\, AMERICAN SCARE tells the riveting story of how the Florida government destroyed the lives of Black and queer citizens in the twentieth century—with chilling parallels to today. \nRobert Fieseler will be joined in conversation by author and critic Bill Goldstein. \nThis event is presented in partnership with The American LGBTQ+ Museum‘s book club\, The Lavender Literary Society \nTo reserve a copy of AMERICAN SCARE: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives (Dutton\, June 17\, 2025\, hardcover\, $34)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve American Scare for July 16 event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n\n  \nRobert W. Fieseler is a journalist investigating marginalized groups and a scholar excavating forgotten histories. A National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Journalist of the Year and recipient of the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship\, his debut book Tinderbox won seven awards\, including the Edgar Award\, and his reporting has appeared in Slate\, Commonweal\, and River Teeth\, among others. Fieseler graduated co-valedictorian from the Columbia Journalism School and is pursuing a PhD at Tulane University as a Mellon Fellow. He lives with his husband on the gayest street in New Orleans. \n  \nBill Goldstein reviews books and interviews authors for NBC’s Weekend Today in New York\, and was the founding editor of The New York Times books website. A graduate of the University of Chicago\, Goldstein received a PhD in English from the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is writing a biography of Larry Kramer\, to be published by Crown\, and was awarded a 2024-25 Public Scholars grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities to support his work on the book. He is the author of The World Broke in Two: Virginia Woolf\, T. S. Eliot\, D. H. Lawrence\, E. M. Forster\, and the Year that Changed Literature\, published in 2017. \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/robert-w-fieseler/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/July-16-American-Scare-banner.REV-1-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250713T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250713T153000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250703T190935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250707T150423Z
UID:15641-1752415200-1752420600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:A Reading with Leigh Curran ("Going Nowhere Sideways") and Richard Willett ("A Friend of Dorothy's") (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Playwrights Leigh Curran and Richard Willett\, longtime friends and colleagues\, read from their first novels\, each set back in time. \nAbout Going Nowhere Sideways: \nAugust\, 1969. Molly Williams is young\, conservative and inexperienced when she discovers her boyfriend necking with his male roommate in a Greenwich Village restaurant. She freaks out\, hitches a ride to Woodstock\, does drugs for the first time and winds up in a medical emergency tent in the arms of Johnson\, a gentle\, spiritual Asian-American. When things don’t work out with Johnson\, Molly becomes emotionally\, physically\, and artistically involved with her former sister-in-law\, Nancy\, in a relationship full of fire. In Leigh Curran’s Going Nowhere Sideways\, Molly survives twenty years of emotional adventure and emerges a full-blooded\, middle-aged woman with her sense of humor and authenticity intact. \nAbout: A Friend of Dorothy’s \nIt’s 1986 in New York City and 27-year-old Eric Summerfield knows that “yuppies” are supposed to be obnoxious\, easily dismissed\, but he envies the clarity of their delusions\, their seeming ability to keep mortality at bay. He yearns\, in fact\, to be one of them. The catch: He’s no Wall Street insider\, but instead the underpaid employee of a Canadian chain bookstore in Midtown Manhattan\, a Canuck himself\, and gay\, and AIDS suddenly seems to be everywhere\, including in the body of his flamboyant friend and coworker Dale\, who inexplicably singles out a reluctant Eric to be his chief caregiver. It’s an experience that will change both of them. Richard Willett’s A Friend of Dorothy’s is a timeless\, universal coming of age novel\, in which the crucible of illness compels one young man to reach for something greater. \n  \nTo reserve a copy of A Friend of Dorothy’s (Magic Show Press\, June 15\, 2025\, paperback\, $17.99)\, and/or Going Nowhere Sideways (Fithian Press\, 1999\, paperback\, $14.95) please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve a book(s) for July 13 event” in the subject line and specify titles in the body of the email. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n\n  \nLeigh Curran is an award-winning playwright\, novelist\, poet and teacher. Her first novel\, Going Nowhere Sideways\, looks at the coming of middle age when the struggle to stay the same is no longer an option. It was published by Fithian Press and is now available through on-line bookstores. \n  \nCanadian-American Richard Willett is best known as an award-winning playwright and screenwriter whose plays have been produced in New York\, Los Angeles\, and internationally. He wrote his only novel\, A Friend of Dorothy’s\, when he was in his twenties. Excerpts appeared in the legendary gay literary magazine Christopher Street and in Permafrost at the University of Alaska\, as well as being short-listed for New American Library’s Men on Men: Best New Gay Fiction\, but the novel itself was never published before now.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/leigh-curran-richard-willett/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/July-13-Willett-banner-REV-1-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250709T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250709T193000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250701T170911Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250701T170911Z
UID:15636-1752085800-1752089400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:EMOTICON LOVER.  A performative event. (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:Celebrating the release of his zine EMOTICON LOVER\, artist John Hanning invites the audience back to 1983—to remember\, reflect\, and honor those we’ve loved and lost. \nRooted in memory and shaped by the legacy of AIDS candlelight marches\, the evening offers space for remembrance\, resistance\, and connection. The event opens with spoken words by Camilo Godoy. \nCopies of the zine will be available for purchase. \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\n\n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/emoticon-lover/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/July-9-Emoticon-Lover-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250704
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250705
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250526T152642Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250526T152642Z
UID:15564-1751587200-1751673599@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Closed for July 4th
DESCRIPTION:The Bureau will be closed on Friday\, July 4th. \nHappy holiday!
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/closed-for-july-4th/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=:
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250629
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250630
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250526T152514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250526T152514Z
UID:15562-1751155200-1751241599@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Closed for Pride
DESCRIPTION:The Bureau will be closed\non June 29 for Pride.\nHappy Pride\, friends!!!
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/closed-for-pride/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=:
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250628T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250628T160000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250522T172124Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250522T172124Z
UID:15554-1751122800-1751126400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Rebel Satori Annual Pride Reading (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Since 2002\, Rebel Satori has been committed to releasing cutting edge fiction\, poetry\, and creative non-fiction\, with a focus on amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices and promoting diversity through its press and imprints Queer Mojo\, Queer Space\, Arabi Manor\, and the Library of Homosexual Congress. Please join a bevy of our writers as they read work new and recently resurrected. \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n\n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/rebel-satori-annual-pride-reading/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-28-Rebel-Satori-Pride-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250626T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250626T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250522T153523Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250609T151923Z
UID:15550-1750950000-1750971600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Visible Voices Fest - Creative Lane Workshop & Authors' Showcase
DESCRIPTION:Welcome to the Creative Collective Workshop & Authors’ Showcase—an extraordinary dual experience that invites you to explore the world of creativity. Join the esteemed Seven King as he leads an engaging workshop\, where he will share tactical approaches to creative project development and his unique methods of art production. This is your chance to be part of a dynamic\, interactive experience! \nJoin us for the workshop from 3:00 to 4:30 PM\, followed by the Author Exposition\, where from 5:00 to 9:00 PM\, you’ll have the splendid opportunity to meet and connect with talented authors. \nThis event is a celebration of diverse voices and a tribute to the literary creatives who illuminate our world. Come be a part of this vibrant community! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/visible-voices-fest/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Creative-Collective-2-SEVEN-KING-STUDIOS-LLC-scaled.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250625T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250625T203000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250616T173240Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250620T203955Z
UID:15624-1750878000-1750883400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:OUTspoken: The Publishing Triangle’s Reading Series\, June Edition (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:The Publishing Triangle presents its monthly OUTspoken Reading Series as host Rob Byrnes welcomes Alfred Doblin\, Lauren Melissa Ellzey\, Sarah G. Levine\, and Vincent Traughber Meis. \n\nJoin us in-person or watch the live-stream to hear from some of queer literature’s most dynamic established and up-and-coming voices. \n\n\n\nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/outspoken-june-2025/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/June-25-OUTspoken-banner.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250623T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250623T193000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250520T211256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T211539Z
UID:15540-1750701600-1750707000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Sarah Schulman will read and discuss her new book: The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity. \nTo reserve a copy of The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity (Thesis\, April 22\, 2025\, hardcover\, $30)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve a copy of The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity for June 23rd event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nPLEASE NOTE THAT THE BUREAU IS CLOSED ON MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS. WE WILL OPEN AT 5:30 PM ON MONDAY\, JUNE 23\, FOR THIS EVENT. \nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n\nAbout The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity : \nFrom award-winning writer Sarah Schulman\, a longtime social activist and outspoken critic of the Israeli war on Gaza\, comes a brilliant examination of the inherent psychological and social challenges to solidarity movements\, and what that means for the future \nFor those who seek to combat injustice\, solidarity with the oppressed is one of the highest ideals\, yet it does not come without complication. In this searing yet uplifting book\, award-winning writer and cultural critic Sarah Schulman delves into the intricate and often misunderstood concept of solidarity to provide a new vision for what it means to engage in this work–and why it matters. \nTo grapple with solidarity\, Schulman writes\, we must recognize its inherent fantasies. Those being oppressed dream of relief\, that a bystander will intervene though it may not seem to be in their immediate interest to do so\, and that the oppressor will be called out and punished. Those standing in solidarity with the oppressed are occluded by a different fantasy: that their intervention is effective\, that it will not cost them\, and that they will be rewarded with friendship and thanks. Neither is always the case\, and yet in order to realize our full potential as human beings in relation with others\, we must continue to pursue action towards these shared goals. \nWithin this framework\, Schulman examines a range of case studies\, from the fight for abortion rights in post-Franco Spain\, to NYC’s AIDS activism in the 1990s\, to the current wave of campus protest movements against Israel’s war on Gaza\, and her own experience growing up as a queer female artist in male dominated culture industries. Drawing parallels between queer\, Palestinian\, feminist\, and artistic struggles for justice\, Schulman challenges the traditional notion of solidarity as a simple union of equals\, arguing that in today’s world of globalized power structures\, true solidarity requires the collaboration of bystanders and conflicted perpetrators with the excluded and oppressed. That action comes at a cost\, and is not always effective. And yet without it we sentence ourselves to a world without progressive change towards visions of liberation. \nBy turns challenging\, inspiring\, pragmatic\, and poetic\, The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity provides a much-needed path for how we can work together to create a more just\, more equitable present and future.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/the-fantasy-and-necessity-of-solidarity/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-23-Sarah-Schulman-Solidarity-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250622T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250622T160000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250520T201050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T201429Z
UID:15536-1750604400-1750608000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Fire\, Water\, and Other Queer Subjects: The Sea Gives Up the Dead and Self Portrait of Icarus as a Country on Fire (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Debut author Molly Olguín will be in conversation with Jason Schneiderman about her story collection The Sea Gives Up the Dead and his book of poems Self Portrait of Icarus as a Country on Fire. Both authors will read from their work and answer audience questions. \nTo reserve a copy of The Sea Gives Up the Dead (Red Hen Press\, April 29\, 2025\, paperback\, $16.95) and/or Self Portrait of Icarus as a Country on Fire (Red Hen Press\, August 13\, 2024\, paperback\, $17.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve book(s) for June 22 event” in the subject line and let us know which title(s) you’d like us to reserve in the body of the email. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n\n  \nMolly Olguín is a queer writer\, educator\, and monster enthusiast. Her debut collection The Sea Gives Up the Dead was selected by Carmen Maria Machado for the 2023 Grace Paley Prize\, and is out now with Red Hen Press. \n  \nJason Schneiderman is the author of five poetry collections\, most recently Hold Me Tight (Red Hen\, 2020)\, and including the forthcoming Self Portrait of Icarus as a Country on Fire (Red Hen\, 2024). He edited the anthology Queer: A Reader for Writers (Oxford UP 2016). His poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. His awards include the Emily Dickinson Award\, the Shestack Award and a Fulbright Fellowship. He is longtime co-host of the podcast Painted Bride Quarterly Slush Pile and a guest host for The Slowdown. He is Professor of English at the Borough of Manhattan Community College and teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/fire-water/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-22-Fire-Water-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250621T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250621T203000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250530T143030Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250530T214530Z
UID:15583-1750532400-1750537800@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:TELL: Movie Stars (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:TELL is a monthly queer storytelling show hosted and curated by Drae Campbell. It is the longest running event at the Bureau! 10 years and going. Each month there is a different theme and a different line up of queer artists who tell true stories from their lives on a theme. \nThe theme for June is Movie Stars\, featuring storytellers Carolyn Connolly\, Emilio Garcia\, Glenn Marla\, and Swetha Regunathan. \n\nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nSuggested donation to benefit the storytellers and the Bureau: $10. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n  \nDrae Campbell is the host and curator of TELL\, an award winning podcast that can be found anywhere you listen to podcasts. \nTheater: The Nosebleed (Lincoln Center Theater\, Woolly Mammoth Theater & National Tour\, Lortel Nominated)\, Jesus Hopped The ‘A’ Train (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater)\, Only You Can Prevent Wildfires (Teatro Circulo)\, My Old Man (Dixon Place)\, Storm Still (DirectorFest\, Drama League)\, La Cage Aux Folles (Barrington Stage Company).         \nFilm and TV:Senior Escort Service\, Blunderpuss\, It’s Very Common\, TOW. \nTV: Bull\, New Amsterdam. \nBFA\, The University Of The Arts   \nIg @draebiz and @tellqueerz   \n\n  \nCarolyn Connolly is a blue collar jill of all trades. Sex educator\, poet\, mountain climber and Carpenter. Carolyn came out in 1989 in blue collar Brooklyn. Carolyn has spoken across the US and Canada on queer/trans\, anti racist and US foreign policy. She has been quoted in the New York Times\, GQ\, The Wall Street Journal The Advocate on our backs and the book whipping girl. Carolyn has performed in the HERE theater series New York and radar Productions in the Bay Area. \n  \nA born Michigander\, Emilio Garcia has spent the last four years pursuing the arts in New York City. With a fresh degree from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts\, a proclivity for poetry and a love for history\, Emilio is thrilled to find himself where he is today. \n  \nA mostly Hudson Valley and very often Brooklyn based theater artist\, puppet maker and art therapist\, Glenn Marla‘s performance work focuses on themes of body liberation\, gender\, queerness\, fat\, and shifting cycles of trauma. Glenn sun and moon are in aquarius with leo rising. \n  \nSwetha Regunathan is a writer and filmmaker based in NYC. Her work has screened at festivals internationally\, including Aspen Shortsfest\, Nitehawk Shorts Festival\, True/False Film Festival\, Tribeca\, New Orleans Film Festival\, and on platforms like NOWNESS\, NoBudge\, and Short of the Week. She produced the Oscar-shortlisted documentary Between Earth & Sky (2023) and is currently developing her debut feature-length film. She has also had writing published in Huffington Post\, n+1\, Guernica\, and other outlets. Starting Fall 2025 she will be Assistant Professor in the Visual Studies program at Haverford College. \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/tell-movie-stars/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-21-TELL-Movie-Stars-banner._REV1-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250620T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250620T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250520T192446Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T192446Z
UID:15533-1750446000-1750453200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Reading of Hands On: Stories of Sexuality Work\, Intimacy\, and Healing (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Hands On: Stories of Sexuality Work\, Intimacy\, and Healing is an anthology of stories highlighting compassion in sex work. Join us for an evening of readings and discussion by authors JoJo Bear\, Eva Alio\, Emme Witt-Eden\, e.b. cotenord\, Don Shewey\, and Remi Newman. \nTo reserve a copy of Hands On: Stories of Sexuality Work\, Intimacy\, and Healing (Jessica Kingsley Publishers\, April 21\, 2025\, paperback\, $19.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Hands On for June 20 event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n\n  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/reading-of-hands-on/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-20-Hands-On-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250619
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250620
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250613T205749Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250613T205825Z
UID:15622-1750291200-1750377599@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The Center (and the Bureau) closed for Juneteenth
DESCRIPTION:The Center (and the Bureau) will be closed on Thursday\, June 19th\, for the Juneteenth holiday
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/closed-for-juneteenth-2/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=:
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250618T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250618T204500
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250529T153929Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250529T162703Z
UID:15576-1750273200-1750279500@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Shadow of My Shadow: A Book Talk with Jennifer Doyle & Avgi Saketopoulou (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:Anchored by an account of the experience of being stalked by a student\, Shadow of My Shadow (Duke\, 2024) takes on workplace harassment—the forms of loss it induces\, and the paranoid ecologies it nurtures. Jennifer Doyle will share a passage revolving around a detail taken from her own case and join Avgi Saketopoulou in a conversation. Saketopoulou and Doyle share an interest in thinking carefully about vulnerability\, the ethics of writing from the case\, and a commitment to\, as Saketopoulou writes “the opacity in the other” and “the opacity in ourselves.” The intention is to get a dialogue going and to make lots of room for conversation with the audience. \n  \nTo reserve a copy of In the Shadow of My Shadow (Duke University Press\, August 27\, 2024\, paperback\, $25.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve a copy of In the Shadow of My Shadow for June 18th event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n\n  \nJennifer Doyle is the author of Campus Sex/Campus Security (2015)\, Hold It Against Me: Difficulty and Emotion in Contemporary Art (2013)\, and Sex Objects: Art and the Dialectic of Desire (2007). She is also a curator. Her curatorial projects include Scientia Sexualis at the ICA LA (a collaboration with Jeanne Vaccaro\, 2024-2025); Nao Bustamante: Soldadera at the Vincent Price Art Museum (2015); and The Tip of Her Tongue\, at The Broad in Los Angeles (2015-2017). She teaches at UC Riverside. \n  \nAvgi Saketopoulou is a psychoanalyst in private practice in New York and a member of the faculty of New York University’s Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She is the author of Sexuality Beyond Consent: Risk\, Race\, Traumatophilia (NYU Press\, 2023) and co-author of Gender Without Identity (The Unconscious in Translation\, 2023). She is currently at work on her forthcoming book\, provisionally titled The Offer of Sadism: Demand\, Exigency\, Aesthetics. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/shadow-of-my-shadow/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-18-Shadow-of-My-Shadow-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250616T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250616T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250606T164012Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250606T164424Z
UID:15589-1750098600-1750107600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:A Gathering of The Tribes Presents: The Stoop Project\, USING THE PERSONAL TO INVESTIGATE\, COMPLICATE & REVEAL THE SOCIAL/POLITICAL  Facilitated by: Jeanann Verlee (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:USING THE PERSONAL TO INVESTIGATE\, COMPLICATE & REVEAL THE SOCIAL/POLITICAL \nFacilitated by: Jeanann Verlee \nThis is a generative writing workshop\, open to all skill levels. \n$5 DONATION\, RESERVE YOUR SPOT – MONDAY\, JUNE 16\nTHE STOOP PROJECT: SUMMER SERIES 2025\nHosted by A Gathering of the Tribes\, The Stoop Project: Summer Series 2025 features a curated selection of generative writing workshops by bearded poet Thomas Fucaloro. Sessions are open to all skill levels and will be held in person every third Monday from June through August 2025 at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, the independent\, all-volunteer queer bookstore in room 210 of The LGBT Community Center\, in NYC. Each workshop will be led by a different facilitator and focus on a unique theme. A $5 donation reserves your spot — see calendar for all event listings. \nIn tandem with the workshops\, each month Tribes will select a featured book from the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division. \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n  \nTHE HISTORY OF THE STOOP\nThe Stoop Poetry Workshop (1991–1995) was established and facilitated by Tribes’ founder Steve Cannon with fellow Lower East Side poet Bob Holman. Conceived on the stoop of Cannon’s East 3rd Street residence\, the workshop served as a creative incubator held before the Nuyorican Poets Café’s Friday Night Slams — allowing poets to refine their work and perform it the same evening. An extraordinary roster of poets participated in the Workshop\, including reg e. gaines\, Edwin Torres\, Tracie Morris\, Dana Bryant\, Mia Hansford\, Keith Roach\, Paul Beatty\, Willie Perdomo\, Dael Orlandersmith\, Ed Morales\, Ra\, and Mike Tyler. \nBuilding on Cannon’s ethos of “Each one\, teach one\,” The Stoop Project expands the original vision of the Workshop by inviting a wide array of guest facilitators to carry forward its spirit of collective growth\, experimentation\, and intergenerational exchange. \n  \nABOUT THE FACILITATOR\nJeanann Verlee is the author of three books: prey (finalist for the Benjamin Saltman Award)\, Said the Manic to the Muse\, and Racing Hummingbirds (silver medal winner in the Independent Publisher Awards). She has received a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship\, the Third Coast Poetry Prize\, and the Sandy Crimmins National Prize. Find her at jeanannverlee.com.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/stoop-project-june-16/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/June-16-July-August-The-Stoop-Project-Summer-2025-thomas-fucaloro.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250615T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250615T173000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250526T164531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250527T132551Z
UID:15566-1749999600-1750008600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Talkback with Rahim Thawer: The Mental Health Guide for Cis & Trans Queer Guys (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:What are the determinants of your mental health? \nJoin us for a community conversation to celebrate the release of the much-anticipated book\, The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys (New Harbinger Publications\, 2025). This guide examines the social determinants impacting the mental health of queer men—including internalized shame\, heteronormative milestones\, disenfranchised grief\, and body-conscious culture—and offers therapeutic tools such as cognitive-behavioural techniques\, Gestalt role-play\, and psychodynamic inquiry to foster insight and resilience.\nThis event welcomes GBTQ folks\, allies\, and service providers. \nAuthor: Rahim Thawer\, MSW\, RSW\nTalk Back Moderator: JT Mikulka\, LCSW \nSchedule\n3:00 Welcome and Digging Deeper Exhibit (Solo or interactive) \n3:30 Moderator’s opening remarks \n3:35 Talk Back \n4:25 Audience Q&A \n4:50 Closing remarks and book signing \n5:30 End \nSign up here: http://rahiminnyc.eventbrite.ca/ \n  \nTo reserve a copy of The Mental Health Guide for Cis & Trans Queer Guys (New Harbinger Publications\, June 1\, 2025\, paperback\, $19.95) please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Mental Health Guide for June 15 event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n\n\n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n  \nRahim Thawer (he/him) is a registered social worker (OCSWSSW)\, psychotherapist\, and Canadian Certified Supervisor (CCS); he’s also a consultant\, public speaker\, and writer. He is the founder of Affective Consulting & Psychotherapy Services (est. 2014)\, through which he has delivered nearly 200 presentations and talks that inspire critical\nconversations and reflection on mental health\, interpersonal effectiveness\, systemic oppression\, and innovation in queer relationships. \nRahim calls Toronto home and teaches in Tuscaloosa\, at The University of Alabama\, where he is a full-time instructor and also enrolled in the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program. As a queer Muslim\, his clinical work and scholarship consistently explore the intersections of mental health and systemic oppression. His doctoral research focuses\non how anti-racist\, queer-affirming psychoanalytic frameworks can better support social workers\, therapists-in-training\, and organizational leaders. \nHe is the recipient of multiple awards that recognize his leadership and contributions to education\, social justice\, and anti-oppressive practice\, including: \n\nThe Mary Smith Arnold Anti-Oppression Award from the Counsellors for Social Justice (CSJ)\, American Counselling Association (2025)\nThe Honorary Award in Education from South Asian Americans for Change (SAAFC\, 2025)\nThe DSW Award for Writing to Advance Social Work and Social Justice from The University of Alabama (2025)\nThe Distinguished Leader Award from the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW\, 2024)\n\n  \nRahim was a co-editor of Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer (Coach House Books\, 2016)\, which was nominated for the Toronto Book Awards. He has also self-published four clinical guides addressing assessment\, treatment planning\, documentation\, and countertransference. \nForthcoming Books: \n1. The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys (New Harbinger Press\,June 2025) \n2. The Politicized Practitioner: The Essential Reader for Social Workers & Psychotherapists (Blue Cactus Press\, November 2025) \n3. Queer Muslims: On Faith\, Family\, and Healing (Co-editor; University of ReginaPress\, April 2026). \nKeep Up with Rahim Here \n@the.politicized.practitioner \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/mental-health-guide-cis-trans-guys/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/BGSQD_THAWER_FB-Rahim-Thawer.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250614T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250614T180000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250507T223339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250507T224022Z
UID:15478-1749898800-1749924000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:lesbian book club: June edition (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:We’ll be reading fiction and non-fiction — classic\, contemporary\, revealing and visionary. As a group we will decide what to read each month\, focusing on lesbian authors and/or related topics. Co-founded by lesbian book lovers Judi Komaki and Piper Olsen. \n\n\nFor our June 14th meeting\, we’ll read If Not\, Winter: Fragments of Sappho\, translated by Ann Carson (Vintage\, paperback\, 2003\, $20). Purchase a copy before June 14th\, and receive a 15% discount ($17 instead of $20). Just mention the lesbian book club when making your purchase. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n\n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \nRegistration is not required. 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/lesbian-book-club-june-edition/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-lesbian-book-club-Sappho-Piper-Toohey-Olsen.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250613T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250613T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250519T153345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T172848Z
UID:15509-1749841200-1749848400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:gender liberators viewing party (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:Come celebrate the history of trans culture making\, organizing\, and activism! gender liberators is an anthology of writing\, poetry\, correspondence\, photos\, paintings\, flyers\, and other ephemera by trans*\, Two-spirit\, nonbinary\, and trans-adjacent authors and creators from 20th-century Turtle Island/North America. There are only about 100 copies of it\, each one is handmade and unique. A copy is being donated to the Manhattan LGBT Center archives and will be available at the Bureau tonight for viewing and flipping through! \nThis book seeks to let the authors and materials included speak for themselves and dialogue with each other and honors the multiplicity of voices\, formats\, and perspectives. The materials in this book were identified and selected based on hundreds of interviews conducted with elders\, archivists\, scholars\, and cultural workers about their lives and work and about moments\, individuals\, and groups that were deeply influential but have been under appreciated in accounts of trans* history. Through this community guidance\, this anthology centers the perspectives and visual and print culture of trans and queer life and resists some of the biases of existing histories and archives that under represent the geographic South and Midwest\, trans* communities of color\, and trans masculine communities. \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n  \n\nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/gender-liberators/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250611T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250611T200000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250520T171258Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250520T171258Z
UID:15526-1749668400-1749672000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick Book Launch (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:When a police officer stood at his bedroom door on August 3\, 1982\, Michael Hardwick had no idea that he would become an avatar of the gay rights movement. Arrested for sodomy\, Hardwick sued for his right to privacy all the way to the Supreme Court\, as the HIV/AIDS epidemic spiraled. When he lost\, his era-defining case inspired a half-million people to protest the Court. Today Bowers v. Hardwick continues to reverberate as the rights of privacy underpinning abortion\, contraception\, and same-sex relationships come under fire. \nIn this fiercely empathetic blend of biography and history\, Martin Padgett tells the story of Hardwick’s life—as a child of Stonewall\, as an artist\, and as one of thousands claimed by the epidemic. The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS (W. W. Norton\, June 3\, 2025\, hardcover\, $31.99) reveals the halting shifts of American sexual politics\, poses urgent questions about the Supreme Court\, and returns to Hardwick some of the humanity stolen from him. \nAuthor Martin Padgett will be joined in conversation by John Voelcker. \nTo reserve a copy of The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS (W. W. Norton\, June 3\, 2025\, hardcover\, $31.99)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick for June 11 event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n\n  \nPraise for The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick : \n“A fascinating story\, grounded in the complex oppression endured by American queers before the contemporary dynamics of commodification and legalization. Padgett’s loving engagement with Hardwick’s life reminds us that—despite stigma and state violence—queer\, and AIDS history is fundamentally the story of regular people who change the world through the power of personal integrity rooted in the truth of our lives.” \n— Sarah Schulman\, author of Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP\, New York 1987-1993 \n  \n“As the increasingly right-leaning Supreme Court marches backward in time\, all who believe that the arc of the moral universe will ultimately bend toward justice are in desperate need of a narrative as readable and moving as Marty Padgett’s The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick. Having argued the landmark constitutional case around which this gripping story pivots\, I can say that it is by far the finest account of a personal\, political\, and legal saga like the one Hardwick’s brave life and premature death embodied.” \n— Laurence Tribe\, law professor at Harvard University \n  \n“Martin Padgett has heroically rescued the shooting star of Michael Hardwick’s errant 1980s Supreme Court story and placed it firmly in the constellation of the most urgent Queer American histories. Spinning the legacy of anti-sodomy challenges back to this foundational case in the AIDS crisis\, The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick triumphs on both narrative and scholarly registers. Start polishing the awards.” \n— Robert Fieseler\, author of Tinder Box: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation \n  \n“Thoroughgoing history of a signal injustice committed against gay Americans by the American judiciary. . . A lucid\, rightfully indignant study that demands a renewed commitment to equality for all.” — Kirkus Reviews \n  \n“Padgett combines incisive legal analysis with vivid evocations of the AIDS-era gay experience. . . a captivating account of one man’s awakening to injustice.” — Publishers Weekly \n  \nParticipants’ biographies: \nMARTIN PADGETT is the author of A Night at the Sweet Gum Head and The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick. Recipient of a Lambda Literary Fellowship\, his writing has appeared in the Oxford American\, The Paris Review\, and Washington Post\, among other publications. He lives in Pensacola Beach\, Florida. \n  \nJOHN VOELCKER covers advanced auto technologies and policy as a reporter and analyst. As a Contributing Editor at Car and Driver\, Green Car Reports\, InsideEVs\, and other outlets\, he specializes in electric vehicles and the energy ecosystem around them.  John edited Green Car Reports for nine years\, publishing more than 12\,000 articles on hybrids\, electric cars\, and other topics. His work appears in online\, print\, radio\, and TV outlets that include Automotive News\, The Drive\, Charged EVs\, Wired\, and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” He is the subject of the upcoming documentary A Son’s Journey: How I Became an Automotive Journalist from Hampton Films.  In his off hours\, he’s part of the deluded but cheerful team at the YouTube channel Tempting Fate Tours. He splits his time between the Catskill Mountains and New York City.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/michael-hardwick-book-launch/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250607T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250607T163000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250519T165122Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T171722Z
UID:15515-1749308400-1749313800@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Traveling While Queer: A Conversation with Alden Jones\, editor of EDGE OF THE WORLD\, and contributors Nicole Shawan Junior\, Andrew Ellis Evans\, Zoë Sprankle\, and Raluca Albu (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:The Bureau is pleased to welcome writers Alden Jones\, Zoë Sprankle\, Andrew Ellis Evans\, Nicole Shawan Junior\, and Raluca Albu for a discussion about what it means to be queer and moving through the world\, the subject of Alden’s new book\, Edge of the World: An Anthology of Queer Travel Writing. Alden will read briefly from Edge of the World and then lead a discussion with four contributors who consider the joys—and the unique challenges—of traveling while queer. \nAfter the conversation and audience Q&A\, Alden and contributors will be available to sign copies of Edge of the World. \n  \nTo reserve a copy of Edge of the World: An Anthology of Queer Travel Writing (Blair\, May 6\, 2025\, paperback\, $19.95) please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Edge of the World for June 7 event” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n  \nParticipants’ biographies: \nAlden Jones is the editor of Edge of the World and the author of The Wanting Was a Wilderness\, The Blind Masseuse\, and Unaccompanied Minors. Her travel writing has appeared in the inaugural edition of the Best American Travel Writing and named Notable Essays in Best American Travel Writing 2005 and 2011. A current Fulbright Specialist and a former professor on Semester at Sea\, Alden is an assistant professor of creative writing and literature at Emerson College. \n  \nRaluca Albu is a writer\, teacher\, editor\, and advocate. She was a recent Center for Fiction fellow\, a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship finalist\, and has written for the Guardian\, BOMB\, Guernica\, The Village Voice\, Doctors Without Borders\, Authors Guild\, and others. \n  \nAndrew Ellis Evans is an author of award-winning memoir The Black Penguin\, named one of “summer’s best travel books” by the New York Times. As National Geographic’s Digital Nomad\, Andrew reported live from all seven continents. He lives in Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains. \n  \nNicole Shawan Junior’s creative nonfiction appears in Oprah Daily\, Guernica\, The Rumpus\, The Massachusetts Review\, and elsewhere. They have attended residencies at Hedgebrook and Tin House and have received fellowships from Lambda Literary\, the New York Foundation for the Arts\, and more. \n  \nZoë Sprankle is a writer based in Brooklyn\, NY. Her work has been featured in Roxane Gay’s The Audacity\, The Bellevue Review\, Quarter After Eight\, and Go Magazine. She holds an MFA from the Newport MFA at Salve Regina University.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/traveling-while-queer/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-7-Traveling-while-Queer-banner-copy-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250605T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250605T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T045602
CREATED:20250514T172806Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250526T151234Z
UID:15506-1749150000-1749157200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Conversation with Mark Salzwedel\, gay novelist (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Conversation with Mark Salzwedel\, gay novelist \nMark Salzwedel is a gay Brooklynite with 8 published short stories\, and two published novels\, including the sci-fi thriller THE LEVER and the epic magical realism novel THE MIRACULOUS LIFE OF RUPERT ROCKET. In conversation with Paul Hagen\, a gay journalist\, you will hear how the publishing process works\, how ideas turn into science fiction and fantasy stories\, and some other tips on writing. There will also be brief readings from his novels and one of his short stories. \nCopies of the books will be available for purchase and signing. We encourage you to reserve a copy of either/both books in order to ensure we have sufficient copies. \nTo reserve a copy of The Miraculous Life of Rupert Rocket (Queer Space\, 2024\, paperback\, $22.95) and/or The Lever (Queer Space\, 2022\, paperback $19.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve book for June 5 event” in the subject line and let us know which book(s) you’d like us to reserve in the body of the email. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nThis event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division\, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. \n\n\nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nThe Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without a donation. \n\nWe will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD \n\n  \nMark Salzwedel is an author\, poet\, screenwriter\, singer\, actor\, director\, editor\, and composer living in Brooklyn\, NY. One poem won the Comet Prize in September. One short story was included in an anthology in March. Forthcoming works include a gay time travel novel\, TIME BUMP\, a sci-fi short story collection\, MRS. BABBAGE’S HOME FOR WAYWARD ROBOTS; a gay thriller\, HONOR THE CREST; another LGBT magical realism novel\, MISSING THINGS\, and a feature-length bilingual gay rom-com script\, DOCE CRUCES.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/mark-salzwedel/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/June-5-Mark-Salzwedel-banner-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
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