BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//BGSQD - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:BGSQD
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.bgsqd.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for BGSQD
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20230312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20231105T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240409T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240409T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240402T203055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240408T172518Z
UID:14340-1712687400-1712694600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Second Tuesday presents: Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City
DESCRIPTION:The Center is proud to present a lecture and conversation with Elyssa Goodman\, the author of Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City.  \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  \n\nTo reserve a copy of Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City (Hanover Square Press\, 2023\, hardcover\, $32.99) please write to contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Glitter and Concrete for April 9th event” in the subject line.\n  \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us!\n \nAbout Glitter and Concrete \nFrom journalist and drag historian Elyssa Maxx Goodman\, an intimate\, evocative history of drag in New York City exploring its dynamic role\, from the Jazz Age to Drag Race\, in queer liberation and urban life \nFrom the lush feather boas that adorned early female impersonators to the sequined lip syncs of barroom queens to the drag kings that have us laughing in stitches\, drag has played a vital role in the creative life of New York City. But the evolution of drag in the city—as an art form\, a community and a mode of liberation—has never before been fully chronicled. \nNow\, for the first time\, Elyssa Goodman unearths the dramatic\, provocative untold story of drag in New York City in all its glistening glory. Glitter and Concrete ducks beneath the velvet ropes of Harlem Renaissance balls\, examines drag’s crucial role in the Stonewall Uprising\, traces drag’s influence on disco and punk rock as well as its unifying power during the AIDS crisis and 9/11\, and culminates with the modern-day drag queen in the era of RuPaul’s Drag Race. \nIncluding original interviews with high-profile performers\, as well as glamorous color photos from exclusive sources and the author herself\, Glitter and Concrete is a significant contribution to queer history and an essential read for anyone curious about the story that echoes beneath the heels. \n​​ \nAbout Elyssa Maxx Goodman \nElyssa Goodman is a New York-based writer and photographer specializing in non-fiction writing and documentary photography. Her first book\, Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City\, is out now from Hanover Square Press. She is represented by Melissa Danaczko at Stuart Krichevsky Agency. Her writing and photography have been published in Vogue\, Vanity Fair\, T: The New York Times Style Magazine\, The New Yorker\, them.\, InsideHook\, Artforum\, Elle\, VICE\, New York\, i-D\, and many others. She is also the host and curator of the Miss Manhattan Non-Fiction Reading Series.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/second-tuesday-presents-glitter-and-concrete/
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/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-02-at-2.10.13 PM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="The LGBT Community Center":MAILTO:rmorales@gaycenter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240412T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240412T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240315T171856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240315T171953Z
UID:14300-1712948400-1712955600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook: Specialties for Stage and Screen (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Celebrating the release of The Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook: Specialties for Stage and Screen\, edited by Brooke M. Haney.  \nA reading and presentation of excerpts from The Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook\, followed by a facilitated conversation with editor Brooke M. Haney and contributors Raja Benz\, Kaja Dunn\, Amy Northup\, Chelsea Pace\, Cha Ramos\, and Olivia Troy. \nThe Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook: Specialties for Stage and Screen explores the role of the intimacy choreographer with an in‐depth look at specializations that exist within the profession. With contributions by over 30 industry professionals\, this book aims to bring awareness to the wide range of needs a project may have and how intimacy professionals use their cultural competencies and specialties in practice to create the most compelling storytelling. Specialties covered include working with minors\, prosthetics\, intimacy and disability\, staging queer intimacy\, working with fat actors\, Black American intimacy\, dance\, working on scenes of trauma\, sexual violence and non‐consent\, and BDSM. \n  \nTo reserve a copy of The Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook: Specialties for Stage and Screen (Routledge\, April 1\, 2024\, paperback\, $42.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Intimacy Coordinator’s Guidebook” 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\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  \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10. \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/intimacy-coordinators-guidebook/
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/2024/03/April-12-Intimacy-Coordinators-Guidebook-flyer-scaled.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240415T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240415T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240409T132649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240411T175640Z
UID:14350-1713207600-1713214800@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Publishing Triangle Finalists Readings 2024: First of Two Nights\, Hybrid In-Person & Virtual
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the first of two night’s of hybrid in-person & virtual readings by finalists for Publishing Triangle Awards at the Bureau! Both readings will also stream on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@bgsqd \nPlease note: the Bureau is usually closed on Mondays\, but we will open at 6 pm for this event. \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  \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n  \nReaders on Monday\, April 15th: \n\nNana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah\, author of Chain-Gang All-Stars (Penguin Random House) Finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction\n\n  \n\nAni Kayode Somtochukwu\, author of And Then He Sang a Lullaby (Grove Atlantic)\, Finalist for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction\n\n  \n\nCookie Woolner\, author of The Famous Lady Lovers: Black Women and Queer Desire Before Stonewall (University of North Carolina Press)\, Finalist for the Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction\n\n  \n\nBarbara Jane Brickman\, author of Suffering Sappho!: Lesbian Camp in American Popular Culture (Rutgers University)\, Finalist for the Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction\n\n  \n\nA.V. Marraccini\, author of We the Parasites (Sublunary Editions)\, Finalist for the Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction\n\n  \n\nLeslie Sainz\, author of Have You Been Long Enough At Table (Tin House)\, Finalist for the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry\n\n  \n\nMarci Blackman\, contributor to Sinister Wisdom 128: Trans/Feminisms (also features contributions by Talia Bettcher\, Red Washburn\, Claudia Sofia Garriga-Lopez\, Cecilia Gentili\, Kris Grey\, Shereen Imayatulla\, Nadine Rodriguez\, Cassidy Scanlon\, Catalina Schliebener Muñoz\, Fitch Wilder\, and Sarah Youngblood Gregory) (Sinister Wisdom)\, Finalist for the Leslie Feinberg Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature\n\n  \n\nOliver Radclyffe\, author of Adult Human Male (Unbound Press)\, Finalist for the Leslie Feinberg Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature\n\n  \n\nJustine Pucella Winans\, author of The Otherwoods (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)\, Finalist for the Jacqueline Woodson Award for LGBTQ+ Young Adult and Children’s Literature\n\n  \n\nCurtis Campbell\, author of Dragging Mason County (Annick Press)\, Finalist for the Jacqueline Woodson Award for LGBTQ+ Young Adult and Children’s Literature\n\n  \n\nJ.M. Redmann\, author of Transitory (Bold Strokes Books)\, Finalist for the Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ+ Crime Writing\n\n  \nBooks will be available for purchase! To reserve a copy of any title\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “Publishing Triangle Finalists Readings” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10 \nAll are welcome to join\, 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  \n  \nThe Publishing Triangle’s 36th Annual Awards Ceremony will take place on Wednesday\, April 17th\, at 7 PM\, at The New School\, 63 Fifth Avenue (between 13th and 14th Street). The ceremony\, which will be hosted by poet and activist Emanuel Xavier\, will also be livestreamed\, and a reception will follow. The awards ceremony and reception are both free and open to the public. \nTo see the full list of finalists for each category visit The Publishing Triangle’s website. \n  \nThe Publishing Triangle is a group of queer folks who work to further the publication of books and other materials written by LGBTQ authors or with LGBTQ themes. \nWe come from all types of backgrounds. We are on staff and we’re freelancers. We are editors\, agents\, and booksellers; we work in sub rights\, publicity\, sales\, design\, and production. Many of us are writers. We are also librarians\, teachers\, booksellers\, and even avid readers who don’t work in a publishing-related field. \nOur primary method of shining a much-needed light on queer books is through our awards program. We give out ten awards annually (at an awards ceremony\, usually in April at the New School in Manhattan)\, each with a cash prize of between $500 and $3000. Seven of these awards honor the best books published in the previous calendar year in nonfiction\, fiction\, poetry\, and trans/gender-variant literature. There is a lifetime achievement award and an emerging-writer award; and we also honor a book-industry figure each year (not a writer) with our leadership award. \nThrough our social media and our newsletter—as well as through readings\, social networking events\, and other programs in the New York City area—we strive to promote a sense of camaraderie in the queer literary community. \nMembership dues start at $40 a year for individuals (there are additional levels of membership for families and businesses). For more details\, see our membership page. \nIf you have additional questions about the Triangle and its programs\, please email us at info@publishingtriangle.org or write us at the address listed below. \nThe Publishing Triangle\n511 Avenue of the Americas\, #D36\nNew York\, NY 10011
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/publishing-triangle-finalists-readings-2024/
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/2024/04/April-15-16-Publishing-Triangle-Finalists-updated-flyer-scaled.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240416T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240416T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240409T141701Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240411T183152Z
UID:14353-1713294000-1713301200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Publishing Triangle Finalists Readings 2024: Second of Two Nights\, Hybrid In-Person & Virtual
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the second of two night’s of hybrid in-person & virtual readings by finalists for Publishing Triangle Awards at the Bureau! Both readings will also stream on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/@bgsqd \nPlease note: the Bureau is usually closed on Tuesdays\, but we will open at 6 pm for this event. \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. \n  \nReaders on Tuesday\, April 16th: \n\nEmily Zhou\, author of Girlfriend (LittlePuss Press)\, Finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction and a Finalist for the Leslie Feinberg Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature\n\n  \n\nHelen Elaine Lee\, author of Pomegranate (Atria Books)\, Finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction\n\n  \n\nElina Alter\, translator of Wound\, by Oksana Vasyakina (Catapult Books)\, Finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction\n\n  \n\nChloe Chun Seim\, author of Churn: A Novel in Stories (Texas Review Press: The University Press of Sam Houston State University)\, Finalist for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction\n\n  \n\nLamya H\, author of Hijab Butch Blues (The Dial Press)\, Finalist for the Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction\n\n  \n\nZachary Zane\, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto (Abrams Image\, an imprint of Abrams Books)\, Finalist for the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction \n\n  \n\nGreg Marshall\, author of Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew From It (Abrams Books)\, Finalist for the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction \n\n  \n\nAlicia Mountain\, author of Four in Hand (BOA Editions)\, Finalist for the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry\n\n  \n\nDestiny Hemphill\, author of motherworld: a devotional for the alter-life (Action Books)\, Finalist for the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry\n\n  \n\nCasey Plett\, author of On Community (Biblioasis)\, Finalist for the Leslie Feinberg Award for Trans and Gender-Variant Literature\n\n  \n\nRenee James\, author of BeatNikki’s Cafe (Amble Press/Bywater Books)\, Finalist for the Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ+ Crime Writing\n\n  \n\nRobyn Gigl\, author of Remain Silent (Kensington Publishing Corporation)\, Finalist for the Joseph Hansen Award for LGBTQ+ Crime Writing\n\n  \n\nLawrence Lindell\, author of Blackward (Drawn & Quarterly)\, Finalist for the Jacqueline Woodson Award for LGBTQ+ Young Adult and Children’s Literature\n\n  \nBooks will be available for purchase! To reserve a copy of any title\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “Publishing Triangle Finalists Readings” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10 \nAll are welcome to join\, 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  \nThe Publishing Triangle’s 36th Annual Awards Ceremony will take place on Wednesday\, April 17th\, at 7 PM\, at The New School\, 63 Fifth Avenue (between 13th and 14th Street). The ceremony\, which will be hosted by poet and activist Emanuel Xavier\, will also be livestreamed\, and a reception will follow. The awards ceremony and reception are both free and open to the public. \nTo see the full list of finalists for each category visit The Publishing Triangle’s website. \n  \nThe Publishing Triangle is a group of queer folks who work to further the publication of books and other materials written by LGBTQ authors or with LGBTQ themes. \nWe come from all types of backgrounds. We are on staff and we’re freelancers. We are editors\, agents\, and booksellers; we work in sub rights\, publicity\, sales\, design\, and production. Many of us are writers. We are also librarians\, teachers\, booksellers\, and even avid readers who don’t work in a publishing-related field. \nOur primary method of shining a much-needed light on queer books is through our awards program. We give out ten awards annually (at an awards ceremony\, usually in April at the New School in Manhattan)\, each with a cash prize of between $500 and $3000. Seven of these awards honor the best books published in the previous calendar year in nonfiction\, fiction\, poetry\, and trans/gender-variant literature. There is a lifetime achievement award and an emerging-writer award; and we also honor a book-industry figure each year (not a writer) with our leadership award. \nThrough our social media and our newsletter—as well as through readings\, social networking events\, and other programs in the New York City area—we strive to promote a sense of camaraderie in the queer literary community. \nMembership dues start at $40 a year for individuals (there are additional levels of membership for families and businesses). For more details\, see our membership page. \nIf you have additional questions about the Triangle and its programs\, please email us at info@publishingtriangle.org or write us at the address listed below. \nThe Publishing Triangle\n511 Avenue of the Americas\, #D36\nNew York\, NY 10011
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/publishing-triangle-finalists-readings-2024-2/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/April-15-16-Publishing-Triangle-Finalists-updated-flyer-scaled.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240419T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240419T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240410T144538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240410T172800Z
UID:14370-1713553200-1713560400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:TELL 91: FIRE (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:TELL is an evening of story telling from the mouths and minds of queers in NYC hosted by Drae Campbell at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division since February 2014. \nThe theme of the 91st TELL is FIRE. Featuring storytellers Christen Clifford\, Léoh Hailu-Ghermay\, Klondyke\, and Marg Suarez.   \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. \n  \nDRAE CAMPBELL’s first performance was at age 5 in a nightclub opening for a punk band. Drae has a BFA in Theater from The University of Arts in Philadelphia. Some Theater credits include: The Nosebleed (Lincoln Center Theater)\, Only You Can Prevent Wildfires (Ricochet Collective)\, Non-Consensual Relationships with Ghosts (La MaMa)\, My Old Man (Dixon Place)\, Oph3lia(HERE). TV includes “New Amsterdam\,” “Bull ” and “Dinette ” (web series\, directed by Shaina Feinberg). Drae has been hosting and curating TELL for more than 9 years which is now a SILVER Signal Award-winning podcast of the same name. www.draecampbell.com \n  \nChristen Clifford is a mother\, artist\, and writer. She has been a Mainstage Storyteller at The Moth\, a bartender\, waiter\, art model\, salesperson at Victoria’s Secret\, and is now a PT AssocIate Professor at The New School- which is a fancy way of saying adjunct. Her risograph art book BabyLove was acquired by the Thomas J Watson library at The Met. Her work has been written about in Artforum\, Art in America\, artnet\, artnews\, Hyperallergic\, NYT\, Chicago Tribune and on some right wing websites. She lives in Queens and online @cd_clifford \n  \nLéoh Hailu-Ghermay is a first generation Tigrayan-American\, Black queer artist and advocate (and former Drae Campbell-backup-dog walker) living on occupied Munsee-Lenape and Canarsie Land. They begrudgingly work for nonprofits in order to do some small amount of good in this evil world and ecstatically spend their free time creating art and gathering community together. They’re a proud Aries (everyone say happy belated birthday) so there is literally no better theme for them. They’re excited as fuck.\n \n  \nKlondyke is an alien tragg*t superstar!!! Child of a black hole and a supernova\, raised by a 4th dimensional rockstar. Experimental musical theatre composer\, and first winner of Cakeboys Takes the Cake Competition they are here to terrorize norms out of existence through the great unifier: MUUUUSIIIIIC! \n  \nMarg Suarez is a tinkerer\, troubleshooter\, and lifetime learner. By day\, Marg works as a veteran union elevator mechanic in a Midtown Manhattan high-rise; by night\, Marg teaches apprentices to diagnose electronic elevator controls. On weekends you can find Marg carting kiddo to swim lessons and birthday parties on their electric cargo trike\, organizing volunteers with a community-owned Wi-Fi network\, or procrastinating about home improvement projects. Marg lives in Brooklyn with 1 beautiful spouse\, 1 precocious 6-year-old\, and 5 rescued cats. \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/tell-91-fire/
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/2024/04/April-19-TELL-91-Fire-corrected-flyer-scaled.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240420T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240420T180000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240401T183550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T192218Z
UID:14335-1713614400-1713636000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The Rainbow Book Fair Events at the Bureau (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:The New York Rainbow Book Fair is America’s longest-running LGBT book fair and the largest LGBT book event in the country.  It has grown every year since its beginning in 2009. It brings together thoughtful\, interesting people of all ages\, from early teens to those in their 70s and 80s\, from a spectrum of countries\, ethnicities\, gender identities\, and viewpoints. It attracts readers and writers\, of course\, but also publishers\, editors\, agents\, and media attention—people who have never experienced queer culture\, and others who have made it the focus of their lives. Rainbow Book Fair is open to the public\, with book discounts and giveaways. \nPlease join us for The Twelfth Annual Rainbow Book Fair\, which will take place in New York City on Saturday\, April 20th\, from noon until 6 PM\, at The LGBT Community Center. For more information on the biggest LGBT book event in the US\, please click here. \nThe Bureau will host readings throughout the day in conjunction with the Rainbow Book Fair. Details below. \n  \nNoon\nThe Publishing Triangle Hosts Judy Grahn \nin Conversation with Donna Minkowitz and JP Howard \n*** \n2:30 PM\nStay Black and Die: On Melancholy and Genius \nI. Augustus Durham + Brittnay L. Proctor in Conversation \nJoin the Bureau for a conversation with authors I. Augustus Durham and Brittnay L. Proctor to discuss Durham’s new book\, Stay Black and Die: On Melancholy and Genius (Duke University Press\, 2023). Examining the works of Frederick Douglass\, Ralph Ellison\, Marvin Gaye\, Octavia E. Butler\, and Kendrick Lamar\, Stay Black and Die chronicles the relationship between black “mothers” and “sons” to argue for the black feminine/maternal\, through the lens of abstraction\, as the site of melancholy and genius. \nTo reserve a copy of Stay Black and Die: On Melancholy and Genius (Duke University Press\, 2023\, paperback\, $28.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Stay Black and Die for April 20th” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \n*** \n4 PM\nSamra Habib Reads \nSamra Habib (they/them) is a writer\, photographer\, and activist. Their bestselling memoir We Have Always Been Here is an exploration of faith\, art\, love\, and queer sexuality\, a journey that takes them to the far reaches of the globe to uncover a truth that was within them all along. It’s a triumphant memoir of forgiveness and family\, both chosen and not\, and a rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt out of place and a testament to the power of fearlessly inhabiting one’s truest self. \nAs a journalist they’ve covered topics ranging from fashion trends and Muslim dating apps to the rise of Islamophobia in the US. Their writing has appeared in The New York Times\, The Guardian\, and The Advocate\, and their photo project\, “Just Me and Allah\,” has been featured in Nylon\, i-D\, Vanity Fair Italia\, Vice\, and The Washington Post. Samra works with LGBTQ organizations internationally\, raising awareness of issues that impact queer Muslims around the world. \n  \n*** \n5 PM\nAndrea Lawlor Reads \nAndrea Lawlor teaches writing at Mount Holyoke College\, is the recipient of a 2020 Whiting Award for Fiction\, and has been awarded fellowships by Lambda Literary and Radar Labs. Their publications include a chapbook\, Position Papers (Factory Hollow Press\, 2016)\, and a novel\, Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl\, a 2018 finalist for the Lambda Literary and CLMP Firecracker Awards. Paul\, originally published by Rescue Press in 2017\, is out now from Vintage/Knopf (US) and Picador (UK & Ireland).
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/the-rainbow-book-fair-bureau-events-2024/
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/2024/04/April-20-Rainbow-Book-Fair-final-scaled.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240420T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240420T153000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240319T144308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240401T165919Z
UID:14310-1713623400-1713627000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Stay Black and Die: On Melancholy and Genius--I. Augustus Durham + Brittnay L. Proctor in Conversation (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Join the Bureau for a conversation with authors I. Augustus Durham and Brittnay L. Proctor to discuss Durham’s new book\, Stay Black and Die: On Melancholy and Genius (Duke University Press\, 2023). Examining the works of Frederick Douglass\, Ralph Ellison\, Marvin Gaye\, Octavia E. Butler\, and Kendrick Lamar\, Stay Black and Die chronicles the relationship between black “mothers” and “sons” to argue for the black feminine/maternal\, through the lens of abstraction\, as the site of melancholy and genius. \nTo reserve a copy of Stay Black and Die: On Melancholy and Genius (Duke University Press\, 2023\, paperback\, $28.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve Stay Black and Die for April 20th” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \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 \n  \nThis event is taking place in conjunction with the The Twelfth Annual Rainbow Book Fair\, held at The LGBT Community Center on Saturday\, April 20th\, from noon to 6 PM: \n“The New York Rainbow Book Fair is America’s longest-running LGBT book fair and the largest LGBT book event in the country.  It has grown every year since its beginning in 2009. It brings together thoughtful\, interesting people of all ages\, from early teens to those in their 70s and 80s\, from a spectrum of countries\, ethnicities\, gender identities\, and viewpoints.  It attracts readers and writers\, of course\, but also publishers\, editors\, agents\, and media attention—people who have never experienced queer culture\, and others who have made it the focus of their lives. Rainbow Book Fair is open to the public\, with book discounts and giveaways.” \n  \nI. Augustus Durham is an assistant professor of English at Lehman College\, CUNY\, whose research focuses on black study from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries. His work has been published in Black Camera: An International Film Journal\, Palimpsest: A Journal on Women\, Gender\, and the Black International\, and Journal of Religion and Health; and an essay on the film Moonlight for an edited collection on the work of Tarell Alvin McCraney. Prior to his appointment at Lehman\, he was the President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in English at the University of Maryland\, College Park. Durham is at work on two new projects: an examination of a singer\, and a project on invention. \n  \nBrittnay L. Proctor is a researcher and writer of performance\, popular culture\, and sound/visual culture at the nexus of blackness\, gender\, and sexuality. She is Assistant Professor of Race and Media in the School of Media Studies at The New School (NY\, NY) and author of Minnie Riperton’s Come to My Garden (Bloomsbury Press: 33 1/3 Series). She is currently working on two book projects; one of which soundtrack’s black Southern migration to California during the Second Great Migration and the other\, which draws on LP records and Compact Disc’s (CD’s)\, to trace the sonic and visual discourses of gender and sexuality in funk music.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/stay-black-and-die/
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/2024/03/April-20-Stay-Black-and-Die-230-PM-flyer-scaled.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240427T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240427T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240321T152134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240321T194827Z
UID:14328-1714226400-1714237200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Queer Collage Workshop (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a queer collage workshop with Charlie Welch on Saturday\, April 27\, from 2 to 5 pm. \nNo experience necessary! All are welcome to join! \nWe will have some materials (magazines\, printed matter\, glue\, cardboard) and tools (scissors) available\, but we encourage you to bring materials and tools to share. Thank you! \nThe collages will be scanned to produce a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch zine! \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. \nSpace is limited to the first 16 people who show up! \nFree! But donations to support the Bureau’s work are much appreciated. \nAll are welcome to attend\, with or without donation. \nWe will pass a bag for donations\, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @bgsqd
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/queer-collage-workshop/
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/2024/03/BGSQD_COLLAGEWKSHP_27APR2024-scaled.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240501T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240501T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240415T144345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240417T134417Z
UID:14381-1714590000-1714595400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Pinko Issue 3 Launch: Reading and Discussion (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Join the editors and writers of Pinko\, a magazine of gay communism\, for a reading and discussion on our third print issue. The issue contains our editorials on trans eradication and Palestinian survival\, essays about black lesbian sex writing\, consent and its limits\, and a presentation of imbrication theory\, plus a roundtable on political violence\, an interview from our book After Accountability\, and a memorial to the gay socialist publisher Jeffrey Escoffier. Illustrations by the artist KT Pe Benito grace the issue. \nCopies of Pinko issue 3 and After Accountability  will be available for purchase! \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 \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10. \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/pinko-3-launch/
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/2024/04/May-1-Pinko-3-launch-flyer-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:20240502T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240502T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240408T142853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240415T194246Z
UID:14346-1714676400-1714681800@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Poets of the Archipelago: Bruce E. Whitacre\, Kelsea Valentine\, and Gigi (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Join Bruce E. Whitacre\, Kelsea Valentine\, and gigi to launch Bruce’s second poetry collection\, Good Housekeeping\, from Poets Wear Prada. Whitacre will be joined by one or two other exciting poets reading from work that will entertain\, inspire\, and share the experience of LGBTQ+ life. \n  \nTo reserve a copy of Good Housekeeping (Poets Wear Prada\, April 1\, 2024\, paperback\, $18)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Good Housekeeping for May 2” 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\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  \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10. \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\nBruce E. Whitacre’s Good Housekeeping\, Poets Wear Prada\, is a BookLife Reviews Editors Pick. The Elk in the Glade: The World of Pioneer and Painter Jennie Hicks\, placed 2nd in Contemporary Poetry at The BookFest Spring 2023. His crown sonnet about the culture of violence won the Nebraska Poetry Society’s 2023 Open Poetry Contest. More info at www.brucewhitacre.com. \n  \nKelsea Valentine is a poet and multidisciplinary artist from the abysmal plains of Nebraska\, now based in Brooklyn\, NY. She founded the Poetry Is a Team Sport artists collective and organizes publications and readings across the city. \n  \nA multidisciplinary artist and educator living in Brooklyn\, gigi explores gender\, ecology\, spirituality\, and the Absurd through poetry\, figure modeling\, and visual art. Rarely working alone\, gigi believes in the generative power of artistic collaboration as a means to continuously evolve the process. Some of their most notable influences are Sol Lewit\, Taehyoung Jeon\, Frankie Gallina-Jones\, Dolan Morgan\, and the southern red oaks of Anne Arundel County. \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/poets-of-the-archipelago/
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/2024/04/May-2-Poets-of-the-Archipelago-flyer-jpg.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240504T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240504T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240419T180511Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240419T181518Z
UID:14393-1714834800-1714840200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Queer(y)ing Bodies - Texts On Trauma\, Transformation\, and Truth (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Queer poets\, E Kerr (they/he) and Billie R. Tadros (she/they)\, document their own lived experiences with identity\, embodiment\, and gender\, through both traditional and experimental poetic forms. Kayleb Rae Candrilli has said that the “tenderness” of Kerr’s debut collection trans [re]incarnation “is in lineage with a growing chorus of trans voices\, voices that demand space\, safety\, and softness\,” and Katie Manning says that the poems in Tadros’s most recent collection Graft Fixation “interrogate our understanding of bodies\, especially women’s bodies\, through collisions of language and form.” Join these poets for an afternoon of readings that queer and query the body. \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  \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10. \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\nElias Kerr is a Transmasculine poet\, who writes under the pen name E Kerr. They graduated from the University of Scranton in 2023\, with a masters degree in occupational therapy\, and double minors in English and writing. They are the recipient of the inaugural 2022 Stemmler/Dennis LGBT& Award. Their work has been featured in various publications\, including Rappahannock Review\, Another Chicago Magazine\, and the Hollins Critic and their debut collection\, trans [re]incarnation\, was released in April\, 2023\, with Mason Jar Press. Kerr lives and writes in Scranton\, PA\, with their cat\, Nola.  \n  \nBillie R. Tadros is an Associate Professor in the Department of English & Theatre at The University of Scranton\, where she also teaches in the Women’s & Gender Studies program and directs the concentration in Health Humanities. She earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and her M.F.A. in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College\, and she is a graduate of the Writers Institute at Susquehanna University. She is the author of three books of poems\, Graft Fixation (Gold Wake Press\, 2020)\, Was Body (Indolent Books\, 2020)\, and The Tree We Planted and Buried You In (Otis Books\, 2018).
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/queerying-bodies/
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/2024/04/May-4-24-Event-R2-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:20240508T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240508T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240427T201751Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240429T135426Z
UID:14398-1715194800-1715202000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Book Launch: Providence by Craig Willse (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:Join Craig Willse for the New York City launch of his debut novel Providence\, which Publisher’s Weekly calls “a sweat-soaked doom spiral . . . that turns familiar tropes of dark academia and fatal attraction on their heads.” Craig will be joined for a discussion and Q&A with Kyle Dillon Hertz\, author of celebrated novel The Lookback Window. \nTo reserve a copy of Providence (Union Square & Co.\, April 23\, 2024\, paperback\, $18.99)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Providence for May 8” in the subject line. \n\n\nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \n  \n\n\nAdvance Praise for Providence: \nProvidence’s bad gays will keep you up all night with their terrible decisions\, hot sex\, and irresistible trail of hidden clues. Is Craig Willse the secret love child of Tana French and Patricia Highsmith? There’s no other explanation. My new favorite thriller! \n– Andrea Lawlor\, author of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl \n  \nProvidence is a deeply compelling meditation on the ways desire and loneliness conspire to make even the brightest people betray themselves. Willse’s clear\, intelligent writing has both heart and thrills. I stayed up all night reading this incredible novel. \n– Kyle Dillon Hertz\, author of The Lookback Window \n  \nProvidence is a page-turning thriller. It’s also a queering of the modern-day gay narrative. Willse has crafted a sexy debut with a protagonist who doesn’t fit the worn tropes of damaged victim or oppressed saint\, but instead a morally-ambiguous anti-hero who keeps you guessing. \n– Alejandro Varela\, National Book Award Finalist and author of The Town of Babylon \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  \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10. \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  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/providence-by-craig-willse/
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/2024/04/May-8-Craig-Willse-landscape-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:20240509T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240509T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240416T184923Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240416T184923Z
UID:14387-1715281200-1715286600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Off The Grid: A Crazy Cockette Who Spent His Adult Life Underground: Book Release Party\, Reading\, & Memorial (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:New book event alert! Join us for a rare and fleeting book launch and reading of Off The Grid by Rumi Missabu. \nRumi was a key figure in San Francisco’s now legendary Cockettes\, a 1960s hippie gender-bending performance troupe. For 35 years\, Rumi lived off the grid\, surviving through under-the-table work with little money. In this short and snappy memoir\, Rumi reflects on his life defined by defiance and transient living\, with just an expired library card as proof of existence. \nSadly\, we just lost Rumi on April 2\, 2024\, so this event will also serve as a memorial as well as a book launch party and a reading. Rest in power\, Rumi! We love you and we miss you! \nThis reading will feature August Bernadicou (the book’s editor)\, Agosto Machado\, Robert Croonquist\, and Huckle Faerie. \nOne reviewer wrote\, “Wacky and wonderful. Shocking twists and turns. Can you imagine living completely underground? Only in San Francisco can an actor pull off their greatest performance—surviving without a trace. Read and be amazed. Blink and you’ll miss it.” \nDon’t miss this opportunity to dive into Rumi Missabu’s captivating story of resilience and unconventional living. \nTo reserve a copy of Off the Grid ($15)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Off the Grid for May 9” 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\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  \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10. \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/off-the-grid/
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/2024/04/May-9-Off-the-Grid-Rumi-Missabu-flyer-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:20240513T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240513T193000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240507T140005Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240509T162104Z
UID:14407-1715625000-1715628600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:SECOND TUESDAY (ON A MONDAY!) PRESENTS: CHLOE O. DAVIS\, AUTHOR OF THE QUEENS' ENGLISH: THE YOUNG READERS' LGBTQIA+ DICTIONARY OF LINGO AND COLLOQUIAL PHRASES (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:The LGBT Community Center’s Second Tuesday lecture series welcomes Chloe O. Davis\, author of The Young Readers’ LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases\, on Monday\, May 13\, at 6:30 PM. Chloe will be joined in conversation by actor-writer-comedian Amanda Bruton. \nOn The Queens’ English: The Young Readers’ LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases \nThis playful\, richly illustrated visual dictionary is the perfect book for anyone who has ever wondered about the origin of phrases like “boi\,” “drag\,” or “demisexual\,” the history of the word “queer\,” and the wonderfully diverse\, wide-ranging histories that have contributed to LGBTQIA+ culture and vocabulary. \nDrawing from traditions as divergent as the ancient poet Sappho to the underground ball scene of the 1980s\, from the Stonewall Riots to RuPaul’s Drag Race\, this glossary is a colorful compendium—and a celebration of every king\, queen\, butch\, femme\, trans\, folx\, and enby who has shaped the history\, identity\, and limitless imagination of queerness. \n  \nThis event will take place in person at The LGBT Community Center\, 208 West 13th Street\, 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 of General Services—Queer Division will be on hand to sell copies of The Queens’ English: The Young Readers’ LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers\, April 30\, 2024\, hardcover\, $19.99) by Chloe O. Davis. To reserve a copy please email contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve a copy of The Queens’ English for May 13th” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \nChloe O. Davis is an author who works in the entertainment industry in New York. A graduate of Hampton University and Temple University\, she has centered her creative platform on amplifying the narratives of Black culture and heightening the awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community. Davis’s work as a dancer\, actor\, and creative has allowed her to travel to all fifty states and internationally where she has spent fifteen years researching\, writing\, and creating The Queens’ English: The LGBTQIA+ Dictionary of Lingo and Colloquial Phrases. \n  \nAmanda Bruton is an NYC based actor-writer-comedian. She has said words on several TV shows including FBI\, Manifest\, OITNB and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She is currently writing and developing the comedic podcast\, Preggo My Lesbo\, about her journey to becoming a queer parent. Amanda’s original sketch comedy character\, Connie “Big Ballz” Bumbaloni has over 25K followers on TikTok which means she is fractionally famous in some parts of Jersey. @theamandabruton
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/second-tuesday-chloe-o-davis/
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/2024/05/May-13-Second-Tuesday-Chloe-Davis-flyer-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="The LGBT Community Center":MAILTO:rmorales@gaycenter
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240515T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240515T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240430T180916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240430T180916Z
UID:14402-1715799600-1715806800@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:OUTspoken: The Publishing Triangle’s Reading Series\, May Edition (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:The Publishing Triangle presents its monthly OUTspoken Reading Series as host Rob Byrnes welcomes Alfred Doblin\, David Santos Donaldson\, Robert Graves\, Destiny Hemphill\, Fay Jacobs\, James Pauley\, and Emily Zhou. \nJoin us as in-person or watch the live-stream (see below) 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 \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10. \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/outspoken-may-2024-edition/
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/2024/04/May-15-Outspoken-flyer-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240517T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240517T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240507T161315Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240611T192250Z
UID:14423-1715968800-1715976000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Opening Reception: Dyke+ ArtHaus Visits the Bureau (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:Dyke+ ArtHaus Visits the Bureau (May 17-Sep 8\, 2024) \nOpening Reception: Friday\, May 17\, 6-8 PM \nDyke+ ArtHaus\, based in Philadelphia\, is a community-driven space for Dyke artists of all persuasions\, centering those 40 and over. Invited to visit the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division for the summer\, D+AH put out an Open Call for U.S.-based Dyke/Lesbian- identified artists\, 40 years of age and over. Over 60 artists from 14 States responded by submitting works of sculpture\, painting\, collage\, photography\, textile\, drawing\, and installation. Visual art created at any time was considered. \nCo-curated by Juno Rosenhaus\, Dyke+ ArtHaus Founder\, and Lola Flash\, artist and activist\, this exhibit aims to reflect the diversity of Dykes and the diversity of their art practices. The theme is the show itself. \nThe Dyke+ ArtHaus Visits the Bureau exhibition continues the legacy of lesbian artist exhibitions such as A Lesbian Show (1978)\, The Dyke Show (1979)\, Great American Lesbian Art Show (1980) and Rebel Dykes Art and Archive Show (2021). \nLet’s get this party started. \nCheck out the exhibition website at: \n\ndykearthaus.org/dyke-arthaus-visits-the-bureau \n\nARTIST QUOTES: \n“I have been creating art my entire life and I often feel like the token lesbian in shows and programs. I want to be part of this show to be in community with other dyke artists.” ~Emily Lombardo \n“Because I believe we all gain when we set aside the reflex to be self-referential and instead make the effort to accept others on their own terms. And this exhibition encourages this possibility.” ~Kristina Feliciano \n  \nExhibiting Artists \n(in alphabetical order) \nadrians black \nAfua Kafi-Akua \nAllison Michael Orenstein \nAmina Cruz \nAngela L Muriel \nAnne Keating \nCarol Massa \nCaroline McAuliffe \nCassandra Langer \nCharlotte Mia Rose \nChris Cinque \nCoe Lapossy \nDorian Katz \nE. Hynes \nE. Lombardo \nElisabeth Jacobsen \nErika Kapin \neva r. barajas \nFumiko Ohno \nHannah Barrett \nHeather Lynn Johnson \nHeather Raquel Phillips \nheidi andrea restrepo rhodes \nJeanise Aviles & Kenzi Crash \nJudy Ornelas Sisneros \nJulie Lindell \nKarsen Heagle \nKate Conroy \nKate Fauvell and S. Willis \nKatie Bush \nKris Sanford \nkrissy mahan \nKristina Feliciano \nLacey Erb \nLeah DeVun \nLi Studier \nLiz Ensz \nliz margolies \nLois Bielefeld \nlorry morales waldie \nMaureen Catbagan \nMaya Alam \nMegan Levine \nMelissa Wilkinson \nMichela Griffo \nMichelle Schapiro \nMorgain Bailey \nMorgan Gwenwald \nNancy Rodrigo \nPaula Allen \nPenny Perkins \nRachel Beser \nRonniemae Painter \nSarah E. Brook \nShari Diamond \nShelley Marlow \nshiloh burton \nSokari Ekine \nStar Morris \nTracy Morgan \nValarie Walker \nVick Quezada
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/opening-reception-dyke-arthaus-visits-the-bureau-in-person-only/
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/2024/05/Dyke-Arthaus-Opening-FB-Cover.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240519T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240519T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240507T155250Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240507T155507Z
UID:14418-1716130800-1716136200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Book Launch: Out in the World (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Join queer authors Amy B. Scher and Mark Jason Williams for the launch of National Geographic’s first-ever LTBGTQIA+ inclusive travel book\, OUT IN THE WORLD! Celebrate as they share their local faves and raves (featured in the book)\, discuss the ever-expanding opportunities for queer travel\, and reveal their top picks from destinations in the guide—fun spots around the globe that you must add to your list. \nAbout the book: \nThis first-of-its-kind travel guide explores inclusive destinations around the world where LGBTQIA+ travelers and allies can have an uncensored and memorable vacation experience. Full of fun and practical travel information\, this comprehensive guidebook takes you from familiar destinations to surprising spots. \nWith an eye toward memorable and meaningful experiences\, each destination highlights what to see\, where to eat\, and where to stay—without focusing solely on gay bars and pride parades. Each robust itinerary—a guide to Curaçao’s beaches\, Christmas in the Cotswolds\, or a kitschy trip to Dollywood—provides all the information needed for a well-rounded vacation that also supports local LGBTQIA+ communities. With personality-focused chapters such as “Romantic Rendezvous\,” “Boozy Trips and Trails\,” and “Fun Haunts and Spooky Spirits” there is a destination in these pages for every type of traveler. Veteran travel writers Amy B. Scher and Mark Jason Williams offer can’t-be-ignored advice\, including how to plan\, ways to be safe while traveling\, and important customs to honor while touring abroad. \nTo reserve a copy of Out in the World:  An Lgbtqia+ (and Friends!) Travel Guide to More Than 100 Destinations Around the World (National Geographic Society\, May 7\, 2024\, hardcover\, $30)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Out in the World for May 19” 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  \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit 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  \n  \nAmy B. Scher is the bestselling author of five books that help people become their happiest\, healthiest\, and most creative selves. As a longtime travel writer\, she writes about how exploring our own neighborhoods and destinations around the world help us discover who we really are. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages and her work has appeared in the Washington Post\, CBS\, New York Daily News\, Good Morning America\, Oprah Daily\, Thrillist\, and more. Amy lives with her wife and their bad cat in New York City. Visit her at www.amybscher.com. \n  \nMark Jason Williams is an award-winning playwright\, essayist\, and travel writer who has visited 50 countries across all seven continents. In addition to writing for National Geographic\, his work is published in The New York Times\, The Washington Post\, HuffPost\, Wired\, Time Out\, The Globe and Mail\, Thrillist\, Salon\, Out Magazine\, Good Housekeeping\, and more. Out in the World is his first book. Mark is a lifelong New Yorker with a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He lives with his husband and their two senior rescue dogs. Visit him at markjasonwilliams.com. \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/book-launch-out-in-the-world/
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/2024/05/May-19-Out-in-the-World-flyer-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:20240523T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240523T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240507T193143Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240510T200731Z
UID:14425-1716490800-1716496200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:CU T Book Launch: R/B Mertz & Fellow Queer Poets (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:To celebrate the launch of author R/B Mertz’s first poetry collection\, CU T  (called an “astonishing debut” by CAConrad\, “visceral and cutting\, vulnerable and brave” by Craig Santos Perez)\, we will hear from a gorgeous cadre of queer poets: Darrel Alejandro Holnes\, Sarah M. Sala\, and andriniki mattis\, as well as Mertz. Reading will begin at 7PM and books by all the poets will be available for sale. \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  \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 Bureau: $5. \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  \nDARREL ALEJANDRO HOLNES is an Afro-Panamanian American writer. He is the author of Migrant Psalms (Notre Dame University Press\, 2021)\, winner of the Drinking Gourd Poetry Prize\, Stepmotherland (University of Notre Dame Press\, 2022)\, winner of the Andres Montoya Poetry Prize\, and the International Latino Book Award. He is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry\, the CP Cavafy Poetry Prize\, and scholarships and fellowships to the Bread Loaf Writers Conference\, Cave Canem\, and CantoMundo. He has also received fellowships to MacDowell\, UCross\, and the Camargo Foundation. Holnes is also a playwright. He is a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab\, Civilians R&D Group\, Page 73’s Interstate 73 Writers Workshop\, and other groups. His play Bayano was also a finalist for the O’Neill Center’s National Playwrights Conference. His most recent play\, Black Feminist Video Game\, was produced by The Civilians for 59E59\, Oregon Shakespeare Festival\, Center Theater Group\, and other theaters and won an inaugural Anthem Award. He founded the Greater Good Theater Initiative\, a festival of Latinx short plays\, and a college professor in New York\, NY. \n  \nandriniki mattis was born in Crown Heights\, Brooklyn. He has been awarded fellowships from Cave Canem\, Poets House\, and The Poetry Project. He received his M.A. in Creative Writing and Education from Goldsmiths University of London and a B.A. in Political and Poetic Resistance from Brooklyn College. His writing has appeared in wildness\, Indiana Review\, Wasifiri\, Montez Press\, and elsewhere. He is the author of Quiet Fires (Anamot Press 2023) and the chaplet Living Btwn the Lines (Belladonna* Press 2018). \n  \nR/B Mertz (they/them) is a trans/non-binary poet and artist. They were raised inside Catholic fundamentalism\, about which they wrote the memoir Burning Butch (Unnamed Press\, 2022)\, which was a finalist for Memoir Magazine’s Best Memoir Grand Prize. They also wrote the essay\, “How Whiteness Kills God & Sprinkles Crack on the Body” (Mistress Syndrome); and the play “Where the Heart Is” (Another Chica­go Magazine). Mertz taught writing in Pittsburgh for eleven years and was honored to be a finalist for City of Asylum’s 2020-21 Emerging Poet Laureate of Pittsburgh. On January 1\, 2021\, Mertz left the US for love\, and they now reside in Toronto\, Ontario\, traditionally the territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit\, the Anishnabeg\, the Chippewa\, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. They teach writing at Sheridan College. \n  \nSarah M. Sala is a poet\, educator\, and native Michigander. Her debut collection\, Devil’s Lake (Tolsun 2020) was named a Distinguished Favorite for the Independent Press Awards\, a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award\, a Publishing Triangle Award\, and an Eric Hoffer Provocateur Award. She is the founder of Office Hours Poetry Workshop\, and teaches writing at New York University. Her work appears or is forthcoming in POETRY\, BOMB\, The Southampton Review\, The Brooklyn Rail\, and Columbia Journal. www.sarahmsala.com \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/cu-t-book-launch-r-b-mertz-fellow-queer-poets/
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/2024/05/May-23-CU-T-launch-revised-flyer-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:20240524T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240524T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240511T145839Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240524T201939Z
UID:14444-1716577200-1716582600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Book Launch: Murray Out of Water by Taylor Tracy\, with Nicole Melleby (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Join us for celebrating Taylor Tracy’s debut middle grade novel in verse\, MURRAY OUT OF WATER\, out from Quill Tree Books\, HarperCollins Children’s publishing\, with a short reading and conversation with acclaimed queer middle grade author Nicole Melleby\, author of the recently released WINNIE NASH IS NOT YOUR SUNSHINE.  \n  \nMORE ABOUT MURRAY OUT OF WATER: \nPerfect for fans of Rebecca Stead\, Natalie Lloyd\, and Jasmine Warga\, this beautiful novel in verse explores one girl’s struggle to regain her magic after a hurricane forces her to move away from her beloved ocean that\, she believes\, has given her special powers. \nBighearted and observant twelve-year-old Murray O’Shea loves the ocean. Every chance she gets\, she’s in it. It could be because the ocean never makes her apologize for being exactly who she is—something her family refuses to do—but it could also be because of the secret magic that Murray shares with the ocean. Though she can’t explain its presence\, the electric buzz she feels from her fingertips down to her toes allows her to become one with the ocean and all its creatures\, and it makes Murray feel seen in a way she never feels on land. \nBut then a hurricane hits Murray’s Jersey Shore home\, sending the O’Sheas far inland to live with relatives. Being this far from the ocean\, Murray seems to lose her magic. And stuck in a house with her family\, she can no longer avoid the truths she’s discovering about herself—like how she feels in the clothes her mom makes her wear\, or why she doesn’t have boys on the brain like other girls her age. \nBut it’s not all hurricanes and heartache. Thankfully\, Murray befriends a boy named Dylan\, who has a magic of his own. When Murray agrees to partner with him for a youth roller-rama competition in exchange for help getting her magic back\, the two forge an unstoppable bond—one that shows Murray how it’s not always the family you were given that makes you feel whole…sometimes it’s the family you build along the way. \nTo reserve a copy of Murray Out of Water (Quill Tree Books\, May 21 2024\, hardcover\, $19.99)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Murray Out of Water for May 24th” 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. \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit 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  \nTaylor Tracy writes books filled with humor and heart that explore the joys and hopes of queer kids\, focusing on mental health\, found family\, and the importance of a sense of community. She lives in New Jersey with her family\, including a fluffle of mischievous rescue bunnies\, and loves everything her home state has to offer: the best bagels\, pizza\, and beaches. When not writing\, she can be found down the shore\, in the rock gym or next to her growing pile of books to read and love. \n  \nNicole Melleby\, a Jersey native\, is the author of highly praised middle-grade books\, including the Lambda Literary finalist Hurricane Season and ALA Notable Children’s book How to Become a Planet. She currently teaches at the Fairleigh Dickinson MFA Creative Writing program and lives with her wife and their cats\, whose needs for attention oddly align with Nicole’s writing schedule. \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/book-launch-murray-out-of-water-by-taylor-tracy-with-nicole-melleby/
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/2024/05/May-24-Murray-Out-of-Water-flyer-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:20240525T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240525T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240511T154252Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240514T165046Z
UID:14447-1716649200-1716654600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Serkan Görkemli’s Sweet Tooth and Other Stories in Conversation with author Javier Fuentes (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Serkan Görkemli will read from his debut fiction Sweet Tooth and Other Stories\, followed by a conversation with author Javier Fuentes (Countries of Origin). The short-story collection was called “a stellar debut” (Scott Alexander Hess) and “that rare linked collection with the emotional heft of an epic novel” (Nawaaz Ahmed). \nTo reserve a copy of Sweet Tooth and Other Stories (University Press of Kentucky\, May 14\, 2024\, paperback\, $24.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Sweet Tooth and Other Stories for May 25th” 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. \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit 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  \n  \nSerkan Görkemli is the author of Sweet Tooth and Other Stories and Grassroots Literacies: Lesbian and Gay Activism and the Internet in Turkey. Originally from Türkiye\, he’s a 2018 Lambda Literary Fellow and an associate professor of English at UConn and lives in NY. \n  \nJavier Fuentes is the author of Countries of Origin\, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut novel. He’s a Spanish American writer\, a 2018 Lambda Literary Fellow\, who earned an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University\, where he was a teaching fellow. Born in Barcelona\, he lives in New York.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/serkan-gorkemlis-sweet-tooth/
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/2024/05/May-25-Sweet-Tooth-flyer-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:20240526T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240526T123000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240514T162624Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240521T182320Z
UID:14466-1716723000-1716726600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Lost & Found (in person literary workshop)
DESCRIPTION:Lost & Found is a literary workshop designed to provide an opportunity for writers to read\, review\, and receive constructive criticism of their work\, especially projects or pieces that are still works-in-progress or have hit a roadblock. Participants are required to bring one page (up to both sides) of material of any genre they’re working on to read aloud. Then\, as a group\, we workshop the piece—asking questions\, providing feedback\, offering solutions\, and so on. The goal is to provide writers with a framework for creative development and a consistent network of feedback. \nThis will be the first of six sessions scheduled on alternating Sundays: \n 5/26\, 6/9\, 6/23\, 7/14\, 7/28\, and 8/11 \nPlease RSVP for the first session on May 26th at this link:\nhttps://forms.gle/5ShUkKrrtutYs2my7\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\nQuestions? Contact moderator Mark Alan Burger here:\nmarkalanburger@gmail.com\n\n  \nModerator bios: \n\nMark Alan Burger is a writer\, poet\, publisher\, and the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Fallible House. His work has appeared in Hello Mr.\, Interview Magazine\, and Vanity Fair\, and has received support from FAWC. He lives in Brooklyn.\n\n  \n\nCortez is a poet and short fiction writer living in Brooklyn\, New York. She is a current MFA candidate at Stony Brook University where she also teaches an undergraduate section of Intro to Creative Writing. She was named a finalist in the 2023 Honeybee Literature Prize in Fiction\, and her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Brooklyn Rail and The Good Life Review.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/lost-and-found/
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/2024/05/FB-event-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:20240526T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240526T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240511T162535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240526T134426Z
UID:14450-1716735600-1716741000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:PORTALS: Clarity Haynes and Alannah Farrell in conversation (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Please join us for a celebration of Clarity Haynes: Portals\, artist Clarity Haynes’ new monograph. At this event\, Clarity Haynes will present a short slideshow as a background for her work\, and then there will be a conversation between Haynes and artist Alannah Farrell\, who has modeled for Haynes’ torso project. The event will start promptly at 3 pm and continue until 4:30 pm. Books will be available for purchase at the event. \nTo reserve a copy of Clarity Haynes: Portals (New Discretions Publishing\, February 20\, 2024\, hardcover\, $45)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve a copy of Clarity Haynes: Portals for May 26th” 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\nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nSuggested donation to benefit the Bureau: $10. \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  \nClarity Haynes is a queer feminist painter based in New York City. Her work centers on the torso as a site for portraiture\, queer feminist altars as a site for still life\, and crowning and birth. Recent solo exhibitions include Portals at New Discretions\, New York (2024)\, Collective Transmission at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum\, Ridgefield\, Connecticut (2021)\, and Altar-ed Bodies at Denny Dimin Gallery\, New York\, co-presented with New Discretions (2020). Her monograph\, Portals was recently published by New Discretions and D.A.P. Haynes is the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner award and a NYFA award\, and her work has been discussed in the New York Times\, the New Yorker\, Artforum\, Hyperallergic\, and Artnews\, among others. \n  \nAlannah Farrell is a queer gender-non-conforming painter who lives and works in New York City. They spent their late teens and early adulthood working and playing in queer NYC nightlife of the 2000s alongside even stranger side hustles while completing their BFA at The Cooper Union\, New York\, in 2011. \nThroughout their life\, they have consistently documented themselves\, their friends\, lovers\, and community— and all the messy bittersweetness of being an imperfect\, changing\, growing human who loves humans for all those same reasons. \nThey have exhibited their work in solo and group exhibitions at galleries including Anat Ebgi\, Los Angeles\, CA; Green Family Art Foundation\, Dallas\, TX; Lyles & King\, New York\, NY; Alexander Gray Associates\, Germantown\, NY; Harper’s\, New York\, NY; Richard Heller Gallery\, Santa Monica\, CA; The Painting Center\, New York\, NY; Theirry Goldberg Gallery\, New York\, NY; and UTA Artist Space\, Los Angeles\, CA among others. Their work has appeared in Art in America\, Artforum\, New York Magazine\, Hyperallergic\, Interview Magazine\, THEM\, and more.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/portals-clarity-haynes-alannah-farrell-in-conversation/
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/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-26-at-9.40.25 AM.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240529T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240529T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240521T152925Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240521T152925Z
UID:14483-1717009200-1717016400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Cartoonists on Palestine (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a comics reading and performance by cartoonists writing about Palestine\, including contributors to the collection Cartoonists for Palestine\, MC’d by Solomon Brager and Shay Mirk. We will have readings from Jennifer Camper\, Marguerite Dabaie\, Eli Valley\, Kazimir Lee\, and Ben Passmore\, and a live drawing to musical performance by Tracy Chahwan accompanied by Nebila Oguz and Omar Dewachi. \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  \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \nCartoonists will be selling merch at the event to fundraise for the Gaza Scholarship Fund for Displaced Students. Co-sponsored by Jewish Currents magazine and Cartoonists for Palestine. \n  \nTracy Chahwan is an illustrator and designer from Lebanon. She started her career in Beirut\, producing street art and posters for local independent music venues like the Beirut Groove Collective\, and working with the Samandal and zeez comics collective to publish experimental comics and anthologies. \n  \nNebila Oguz is a Turkish-American animator and cartoonist currently based in Philadelphia. She started illustrating by making political posters during the 2013 Gezi Park protests while living in Ankara\, Turkey. Her work has appeared in comic anthologies as well as in her  zine I Didn’t Ask to be Here\, where she breaks apart the absurdities of living and working in the United States. She is currently working as a Teaching Artist with Spiral Q. \n  \nOmar Dewachi is an Iraqi Canadian academic and sound artist based in New York City. Skilled in classical Iraqi and Arabic music\, he performs across Europe\, North America\, and the Middle East. Since 2018\, he has been involved in sound design and music composition for theater\, and has produced experimental and electronic music projects under the alias “Puppets of Babylon.” He teaches anthropology at Rutgers University. \n  \nJennifer Camper is the author of books including Rude Girls and Dangerous Women and subGURLZ\, and editor of two Juicy Mother comics anthologies. She was the creating director of three Queers & Comics Conferences and has been featured in the documentary film No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and exhibitions. \n  \nMarguerite Dabaie is the author of the graphic novel The Hookah Girl and Other True Stories. Their most recent comic\, Legends in the Heights\, draws on autobiographical\, socio-political\, and historical-fictional comics with a decorative flair. \n  \nKazimir Lee has lived for almost equal amounts of time in Malaysia\, the UK\, and the US. They now reside in Brooklyn. They enjoy queer subtext\, parenthood\, ghost stories\, and karaoke. \n  \nBen Passmore is the author of the ongoing comic book series Daygloayhole\, as well as the Eisner Award-nominated and Ignatz Award-winning comic collection Your Black Friend. He also wrote and illustrated Sports Is Hell\, collaborated with Ezra Claytan Daniels on BTTM FDRS\, and now contributes to publications such as The Nib and The New York Times. He lives in Philadelphia. \n  \nEli Valley is a Jewish Currents contributing writer. His comics collection Diaspora Boy: Comics on Crisis in America and Israel is available from OR Books. \n  \nHosts: \nSarah “Shay” Mirk is a graphic journalist\, editor\, and teacher. Shay was a contributing editor at comics publication The Nib\, the author of Guantanamo Voices\, and an editor of Cartoonists for Palestine. \n  \nSolomon Brager is the author of the graphic memoir Heavyweight (William Morrow\, 2024) and the director of community engagement at Jewish Currents.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/cartoonists-on-palestine/
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/2024/05/JC_05_29_24-Jewish-Currents.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240530T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240530T193000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240513T160351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240513T181238Z
UID:14455-1717092000-1717097400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Celebrating the Reissue of the Classic Gay Novel Time Remaining by James McCourt (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Please join us in celebrating the reissue of James McCourt’s 1993 novel of drag\, AIDS\, New York City and beyond: 1993’s Time Remaining. Critic Harold Bloom listed Time Remaining as one of the 100 best novels of the 20th century. \n“McCourt is that rarest of contemporary American authors — a true iconoclast.” Dennis Cooper. \nTo reserve a copy of Time Remaining (Library of Homosexual Congress\, April 30\, 2024\, paperback\, $19.95)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Time Remaining for May 30” 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  \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit 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  \nJames McCourt is the author of multiple works of fiction and nonfiction. He is best known for his acclaimed 1971 debut novel Mawrdew Czgowchwz (pronounced Mardu Gorgeous) which is currently available with the New York Review Books Classics imprint. Queer Street: The Rise and Fall of an American Culture\, 1947-85\, published in 2003\, was identified by The New York Times as an “heroically imaginative account of gay metropolitan culture\, an elegy and an apologia for a generation.” Critic Harold Bloom listed Time Remaining as one of the 100 best novels of the 20th century. \nJames McCourt lives with his husband\, author Vincent Virga\, in New York City with summers spent in Ireland. They’ve been together since 1964. \n  \nTim Young has written the new introduction for Time Remaining. He has been thinking and writing about the role of literature and music in the narrative of life for many decades. In addition to a series of essays on popular culture for Design Observer\, he has contributed work for The Yale Review.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/celebrating-the-reissue-of-the-classic-gay-novel-time-remaining-by-james-mccourt/
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/2024/05/May-30-Time-Remaining-updated-cover-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:20240531T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240531T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240513T165554Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240513T180545Z
UID:14459-1717182000-1717187400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Book Release Party for Poets Regie Cabico and Drew Pisarra (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:In honor of their celebrated new poetry collections\, A Rabbit in Search of a Rolex and Fassbinder: His Movies\, My Poems respectively\, Regie Cabico and Drew Pisarra will be marking the occasion by reading their own and each other’s poems. \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 \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit 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 \n  \nRegie Cabico is the first openly queer and Asian American poet to win the Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam. He’s appeared on HBO\, NPR\, and TEDx Talk. He is the executive director for A Gathering of the Tribes.\n \n  \nDrew Pisarra is the author of two sonnet collections (Periodic Boyfriends and Infinity Standing Up)\, two short story collections (You’re Pretty Gay and Publick Spanking)\, and two radio plays (The Strange Case of Nick M.\, and Price in Purgatory).\n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/book-release-party-for-poets-regie-cabico-and-drew-pisarra/
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/2024/05/May-31-Drew-and-Regie-flyer-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:20240605T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240605T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240527T174536Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240529T150054Z
UID:14492-1717614000-1717621200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The Pinko Commie Dyke Reads...With Friends (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Julie R. Enszer reads from her new\, fully illustrated poetry collection\, The Pinko Commie Dyke: Poems From a Leftist Lesbian Cabal\, joined by poet Irena Klepfisz and multihyphenate writer Donna Minkowitz (journalist\, essayist\, memoirist\, and soon-to-be novelist). Poet\, writer\, and founding publisher of Indolent Books Michael Broder will introduce the readings. \n  \nTo reserve a copy of The Pinko Commie Dyke: Poems From a Leftist Lesbian Cabal (Indolent Books\, 2024\, paperback\, $20)\, please write to contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve a copy of The Pinko Commie Dyke for June 5” 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. \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \nAlso live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel: \nyoutube.com/@bgsqd \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit 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  \nAbout the Readers \nJulie R. Enszer\, PhD\, is the author of several previous poetry collections including Handmade Love (A Midsummer Night’s Press\, 2010)\, Sisterhood (Sibling Rivalry Press\, 2013)\, Lilith’s Demons (A Midsummer Night’s Press\, 2015)\, and Avowed (Sibling Rivalry Press\, 2016)\, as well as the editor of the poetry anthology Milk and Honey: A Celebration of Jewish Lesbian Poetry (A Midsummer Night’s Press\, 2011). Enszer also edited OutWrite: The Speeches that Shaped LGBTQ Literary Culture; Fire-Rimmed Eden: Selected Poems by Lynn Lonidier; The Complete Works of Pat Parker; and Sister Love: The Letters of Audre Lorde and Pat Parker 1974–1989. Enszer edits and publishes Sinister Wisdom\, a multicultural lesbian literary and art journal. More at julierenszer.com. \n  \nIrena Klepfisz is a trailblazing lesbian poet and political activist and the author of six books of poetry. Along with Clare Kinberg and Grace Paley\, Klepfisz in 1988 founded The Jewish Women’s Committee to End the Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Her Birth and Later Years\, a volume of new and collected poems from 1971–2021\, was published by Wesleyan University Press in 2022. It was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and winner of the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry from the Publishing Triangle. \n  \nDonna Minkowitz is a pioneering lesbian writer known for her coverage of gay and lesbian politics and culture in The Village Voice from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s\, for which she won a GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Award. She is the author of the investigative book Ferocious Romance: What My Encounters With the Right Taught Me About Sex\, God\, and Fury\, and the memoir Growing Up Golem. Her debut novel\, the autofantasy Donnaville\, is forthcoming from Indolent Books in 2024. More at donnaminkowitz.com.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/the-pinko-commie-dyke-reads-with-friends/
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/2024/05/June-5-Pinko-Commie-Dyke-flyer-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:20240607T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240607T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240604T203711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240606T165009Z
UID:14541-1717765200-1717768800@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:CURATOR TOURS: Dyke+ ArtHaus Visits the Bureau (in person only)
DESCRIPTION:Join Juno Rosenhaus\, co-curator and founder of the Dyke+ ArtHaus\, for an in-person tour of the over 60 artworks by Dyke Artists 40 and elder in the Dyke+ ArtHaus Visits the Bureau exhibition. Learn about the Dyke+ ArtHaus\, the exhibiting artists\, and where this exhibition sits in the lineage of Dyke Art Shows. Curator Tours will occur on the following dates: \n● Friday\, June 7\, 1-2pm \n● Thursday\, June 20\, 1-2pm (also with co-curator Lola Flash) \n● Thursday\, June 27\, 1-2pm \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/curator-tours-dyke-arthaus-visits-the-bureau-june-7/
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/2024/06/Bureau-Curator-Tours-FB-Event-rev.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240607T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240607T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240514T213203Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240515T144123Z
UID:14476-1717786800-1717792200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:THE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK: DAVID CIMINELLO IN CONVERSATION WITH BLAIR FELL (in person & live-streaming)
DESCRIPTION:Author David Ciminello presents his novel The Queen of Steeplechase Park. He will be joined in conversation by Blair Fell\, author of The Sign for Home (Atria/Emily Bestler Books\, 2022). \nTo reserve a copy of The Queen of Steeplechase Park (Forest Avenue Press\, May 7\, 2024\, paperback\, $20)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Queen of Steeplechase Park for June 7” in the subject line. \nThank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us! \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 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  \nAbout THE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK: \nTHE QUEEN OF STEEPLECHASE PARK is the absolutely\, positively\, practically\, almost-true story of infamous burlesque queen and magic meatball maker Belladonna Marie Donato.  \nPregnant at fifteen after gleefully losing her virginity to pansexual neighborhood strongman Francis Anthony Mozzarelli\, Bella is robbed of her baby by a pack of nefarious nuns and her embittered papa has her sterilized without her consent (legal in 1935). With the help of a besotted Francis\, her newfound family of queercentric outcasts\, and a top-secret meatball recipe\, a devastated Bella embarks on a riotous quest through Depression-era Coney Island sideshows\, the tawdry world of peekaboo striptease routines\, a doomed mob marriage\, and a tasty collection of wisdom-filled recipes to find her lost child\, herself\, and maybe even true love. It all leads Bella back home\, to the scene of her original sin\, where she boldly faces matters of life and death\, questions of forgiveness\, and a holy mess only the healing properties of great Italian cooking can fix. \n  \n“David Ciminello has written a great big rollercoaster of a novel. . . . Read this book! Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.” \n—Fannie Flagg\, author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe \n  \n“Ciminello is a master of delicious wordplay. His lusciously cinematic story is a veritable carnival ride culled from his family’s kitchen history. The Queen of Steeplechase Park is a tasty tale of love\, sex\, and the holy magic of homemade Italian cooking.” \n—Blair Fell\, author of The Sign for Home \n  \n“Open your mouth and ready your heart because Belladonna Marie from The Queen of Steeplechase Park is about to serve you some unforgettable tales of love and loss\, with a side of meatballs. David Ciminello has re-animated Depression era Coney Island with such vivid and dazzling detail that I wanted to laugh\, cry\, eat a hot dog\, and go for a swim all at once. A phenomenal story of a Burlesque queen searching for her lost baby in the glitz\, ooze\, and hum of sideshows from Brighton to Gravesend. I couldn’t put it down.” \n—Lidia Yuknavitch\, author of Thrust  \n  \n“Meet Belladonna Marie\, the force of nature plucked from the historical and culinary passions of David Ciminello. Set in depression-era Coney Island\, the novel whips up a bevy of queer\, memorable eccentrics\, served with a heaping side of sumptuous language. From Melanzana to Puttana\, The Queen of Steeplechase Park is a whimsical\, gastronomical delight.” \n—Suzy Vitello\, author of Bitterroot \n  \n“The Queen of Steeplechase Park crackles with the hyper-real comic book energy of a graphic novel\, and the recipes are a primer on how to live your best life. Buon appetito! Mangiare bene! Delizioso!” \n—Stevan Allred\, author of The Alehouse at the End of the World \n  \nDavid Ciminello is a Lambda Literary Fellow and the proud recipient of a Table 4 Writers Foundation Grant. His fiction has appeared in the Lambda Award-winning anthology Portland Queer: Tales of the Rose City\, Nailed Magazine\, and in The Untold Gaze. His original screenplay Bruno\, an Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting finalist\, was directed by Shirley MacLaine. As an actor David has guest starred on Murder She Wrote\, Matlock\, Kojak\, and Seinfeld. \n  \nBlair Fell is an actor\, playwright\, screenwriter\, and novelist. His debut novel The Sign for Home (Atria/Emily Bestler Books\, 2022) was long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s first book prize and was selected both as an Indie Next and Indie’s Introduce book by the American Bookseller’s Association. His second novel Disco Witches of Fire Island (Alcove Press) will be released May\, 2025. \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/the-queen-of-steeplechase-park/
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/2024/05/June-7-Queen-of-Steeplechase-flyer-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:20240608T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240608T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240521T141858Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240521T141934Z
UID:14480-1717858800-1717864200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:The Other Olympians: Fascism\, Queerness\, and the Making of Modern Sports (in person)
DESCRIPTION:In December 1935\, Zdeněk Koubek\, one of the most famous athletes in women’s track-and-field sports\, announced that he was going to be living as a man. \nOvernight\, Koubek became a global celebrity. For a brief moment\, he seemed to be ushering in a new paradigm for sports. Readers flooded popular magazines with letters asking how a gender transition was possible. Doctors wrote op-eds urging the public to accept him. Queer Americans wondered how they\, too\, could follow a similar path. \nIn this conversation\, Michael Waters and Julie Kliegman will discuss the lost stories of Koubek and other prominent queer athletes from this era. They’ll also chart the origins of anti-trans and anti-intersex policies at the Olympics today\, showing how these policies were crafted\, without public support\, by a few reactionary sports officials. \nTo reserve a copy of The Other Olympians: Fascism\, Queerness\, and the Making of Modern Sports (Farrar\, Straus and Giroux\, June 4\, 2024\, hardcover\, $30)\, please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve copy of Other Olympians for June 8th” 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. \nRegistration is not required. Seating is first come\, first served. \n  \nSuggested donation to benefit 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  \n  \nJulie Kliegman is a writer and editor in Queens\, New York. She is the author of Mind Game: An Inside Look at the Mental Health Playbook of Elite Athletes. Her work has appeared in outlets including Sports Illustrated\, The Washington Post\, Bookforum\, The Ringer\, BuzzFeed News\, Vulture\, The Verge\, and Washington Monthly. \n  \nMichael Waters is a writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker\, The Atlantic\, The Baffler\, and other publications. He’s the author of The Other Olympians: Queerness\, Fascism\, and the Making of Modern Sports. He lives in Brooklyn\, New York. \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/the-other-olympians/
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/2024/05/June_8_Other_Olympians_flyer.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240609T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240609T123000
DTSTAMP:20260403T151643
CREATED:20240527T183409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240527T184011Z
UID:14517-1717932600-1717936200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Lost & Found (in person literary workshop)
DESCRIPTION:Lost & Found is a literary workshop designed to provide an opportunity for writers to read\, review\, and receive constructive criticism of their work\, especially projects or pieces that are still works-in-progress or have hit a roadblock. Participants are required to bring one page (up to both sides) of material of any genre they’re working on to read aloud. Then\, as a group\, we workshop the piece—asking questions\, providing feedback\, offering solutions\, and so on. The goal is to provide writers with a framework for creative development and a consistent network of feedback. \nThis will be the second of six sessions scheduled on alternating Sundays. \nFuture sessions will take place on: 6/23\, 7/14\, 7/28\, and 8/11 \nRSVP her for the second session!\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\nQuestions? Contact moderator Mark Alan Burger here:\nmarkalanburger@gmail.com\n\n  \nModerator bios: \n\nMark Alan Burger is a writer\, poet\, publisher\, and the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Fallible House. His work has appeared in Hello Mr.\, Interview Magazine\, and Vanity Fair\, and has received support from FAWC. He lives in Brooklyn.\n\n  \n\nCortez is a poet and short fiction writer living in Brooklyn\, New York. She is a current MFA candidate at Stony Brook University where she also teaches an undergraduate section of Intro to Creative Writing. She was named a finalist in the 2023 Honeybee Literature Prize in Fiction\, and her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Brooklyn Rail and The Good Life Review.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/lost-and-found-2/
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/2024/05/69-flyer.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR