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theboywhocriedbooks · 5 years

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The 2019 Lambda Literary Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices: My Time in Queer Literary Heaven!

A month ago I went to a week-long queer writers retreat and here I will detail my experience! You can learn more about the retreat itself here, but if you want to read my semi-long account of it then keep going!

I recently made a post about this because I was raising money to cover the trip! The gist of it is that I work for Lambda Literary, one of the leading queer literary orgs in the nation, and so I quickly became familiar with the Lambda Retreat. I thought I perfectly fit the requirements, I’m queer, I’m a writer, I’m emerging. etc. I wanted to wait ‘til I saw who was teaching the workshops before deciding to apply. When that info was released, it turned out to be an author (Benjamin Alire Saenz) whose book (Ari and Dante) I really loved and related to! I knew I had to apply.

The application process wasn’t too wild. Had to answer a few short answer questions, put some info, and submit a writing sample. I luckily was taking a creative writing class at that time and a piece I just workshopped was perfect for this application, mostly because I felt strongly about it and it was very “me” etc. My professor at the time, who loved the piece, had actually been a student AND teacher at the Lambda Retreat and I knew three other people who had attended it because of my job. I had also heard of some awesome people who had taught at it previously, like Malinda Lo, Alex Sanchez, Michael Nava, and more! Receiving that acceptance was one of the more validating!

I had prepared, that week before the retreat, a 10 page piece to workshop there! It was so nerve wracking because I didn’t have any sort of idea what I wanted to write about but I actually needed something to apply to a different writing opportunity with and so this all worked out in terms of timing as well. This idea, that feels almost like my first real novel idea, is now something very important to me.

The retreat took place in LA, which is where I’m from and live so that was easy. So many of my friends had to fly from all over, one even from across the pond. My dorm was cute and interestingly structured. Here’s a picture of my bed, with my Scooby Doo plush and Buffy blanket, comfort items. This suite was two rooms, and my roommates were AMAZING. I love them so much, I hope we can all reunite sometime soon! One, Jaz, lives in LA too so that’s lovely. Here’s a picture of these angels.

Jamiece, Sabrina, Joseph, and Jaz. Queer babies. We shared lots of vulnerable moments and soooo much laugher. Jamiece is so cute and soft, Sabrina is so cute and bright, and Jaz is so cute and powerful.

Made lots of friends. I love them. Shoutout to my other angels Khaliah, Tahirah, and my goddess Jennifer!

We were being taught by some amazing writers of color, most of who I was in love with. We got to hear them speak and read their work, it was amazing. Alire read from Ari and Dante part 2, so that was exciting. Part of the deal with the retreat was that all of the students, 60 of us, were to give a reading during that week. That was so scary! At least it was scary in terms of my own reading but hearing all the other queer writer’s/my peers’s work? That was pretty much life changing. I cried, laughed, said “oooo” and “mmm!” so much. I screamed for them and I was just so struck with the magic of it all. Especially the magic that is the queer writers of color, my personal haven. I’ll like the videos of them here when they come out.

Workshop! It was an honor to be in the YA Fiction workshop, especially with Ben! He was total gay latino writer grandpa vibes. His writing is beautiful and he often times went on random tangents that were appreciated regardless. There, were, however, some iffy things he mentioned or did that I wasn’t a big fan of that. He also, unfortunately, detailed a family emergency to us midweek and had to leave for the duration of the retreat. I don’t want to focus on the negative too much but I also don’t want to sugar coat anything because that is not my way. In regards to him as an instructor, I was a bit disappointed despite him being super lovely and funny. In a way, him leaving felt like it was meant to be because of what happened after.

After Ben left, William Johnson, Lambda’s Deputy Director, stepped in to facilitate our last few meetings. William in general was amazing, everyone at the retreat was in love with him and I personally knew he was great because I worked with him here and there through Lambda previously. He’s beautiful, sweet, has some great dance moves, and a big heart. My workshop day was one of the days he was our facilitator and I honestly think it was meant to happen this way because of how he responded to my piece. He really loved it, said he felt it on a personal level and just some other general words that really hit me. Even his face when he was sharing his thoughts on my piece, it showed everything that I was shooting for when I wrote the piece. There was connection and recognition there that was so priceless to me. Everyone else’s words were helpful and I took notes, but his response hit me in the heart. Such a small moment but so good.

My reading was that same day and everyone cheered me on, and I feel good about it in retrospect. Lots of people said lovely things, but again, one of the most notable responses was William. He gasped during it at one point and he said it was because he went to a club I was referencing in my piece and that it meant a lot to him. He also said “I didn’t get the chance to meet your boyfriend but he was so cute. Y’all are beautiful, it filled my heart to see beautiful queer brown love.” and that he loved me. Total queer elder vibes in the best and most necessary way. Felt so seen. Almost cried multiple times about it.

Our cohort in general was such a lovely, VALID, time. Again, because I can’t not be upfront, there were some rocky points. Most notably, there was stress and rockiness because a white writer was writing a story that was heavily involved with another culture and it felt disrespectful. That was a hard day, even just emotionally, for me and some of my PoC peers. It was a learning experience! I don’t think it was at all malicious but it definitely needed to be critiqued and it was! So, hopefully growth and change happened!

Most everything else, unrelated to our instructor debacle, was beautiful and queer. I was in love! You can see me hugging my girl Jenny in the photo above, and you can just see the beautiful queer babies. So excited to see all of these people’s works and where they go, especially Charlie Miller and Khaliah Reed! So excited about all the rec’s and tips I got from them! I’m so thankful for all these humans, and all the humans from the other cohorts that I befriended as well! All my love to them.

There were so many amazing moments! Beach trip! Gay bar with karaoke, that bar which actually randomly played the As Told By Ginger theme song at one point! Ralph trips, mall trip, food trips! Laughter late at night, struggling over writing together! A lil bit of shit talking! A lot of love! Selfies! The interesting food we we served and people being shook at my cucumber intake. Hugs! The looks everyone turned! ‘Housekeeping!’ The early mornings! The day my boyfriend visited and we all went to get tacos! The goodbyes! All of it was just so much lol And I’m really grateful for the experience and to those who donated and helped me get there. I wanted to write this to share it all and also so I can remember it all. I miss my friends!!!!!

So yeah. Such a valid time. One of the best weeks of my life.

#lambda retreat #queer writers #lambda literary #lambda fellow #queer #joseph jess rey #my writing

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dva-xo · 5 years

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Rules: Answer 21 questions and tag 21 people you want to get to know better

I was tagged by @ohorthur. Thanks for tagging me and for the sweet lil shoutout 🤗 I appreciate you and your blog!

Nickname: Hmm, I don’t really have one...but my boyfriend put “Six Shot” before my name in his phone in support of my Red Dead obsession, so I guess that counts?

Height: 5′2

Last movie I saw: I’m on a cowboy kick, so the last movie I watched was Tombstone

Favourite artists: I love music, all genres and all decades! But my most listened to artists are Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, and the Eagles. I’m always looking to discover new artists, so I welcome recommendations!

Song stuck in my head: Yee haw song—Big Iron by Marty Robbins; Non-yee haw song—Bellyache by Billie Eilish

Other blogs: This is my only blog. I needed something to fill my insatiable need for Arthur Morgan content

Do I get asks: I never get asks...feel free to hit me up though!

Following: I only follow 39 blogs, but I’m always looking for more blogs to follow, especially RDR2 blogs

Amount of sleep: I like to keep a steady sleep schedule during the week, so I’m pretty good about getting around 7 hours every night. But, I like to spend my weekends playing Overwatch and RDR2, so I get close to no sleep on weekends...

Lucky number: 21

What I’m wearing: A t-shirt, jeans, and converse

Dream job: I always thought it would be neat to host a radio show. It might be fun to get paid to have a platform to talk about random things with the occasional music breaks. But, I’m currently doing the law school thing so there’s that...

Favourite food: Tacos of any variety--breakfast, street, crispy. Really just any and all kinds

Dream trip: I’d love to spend a week in a cabin. I love fishing, hiking, and just generally being outdoors. So, spending a week in a cabin away from city life and surrounded by nature would be ideal.

Play any instruments: Flute

Languages: English and Spanish

Favourite song: (I’m an indecisive person and can’t pick just one 🤷🏽‍♀️) Video Games by Lana Del Rey, Yayo by Lana Del Rey, Witchy Woman by the Eagles, and Eres Tú by Carla Morrison

Random fact: I’m obsessed with Jurassic Park and could probably reinact the whole movie

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: fresh ground coffee, a sunrise over a river bank, a large window with natural lighting, a campfire on a cold night, a cold glass of sweet tea, a stack of books

*I’m not tagging 21 people because that’s a little unnecessary*

I’m tagging @verai-marcel because she is such an inspiration and overall just a great person. Also, I’m tagging @arthurs-atonement, @mrskrazy, and @thats-a-good-boah because their blogs are awesome and I’m thankful to have discovered them. If y’all have already been tagged or if this isn’t your thing, feel free to ignore this. I just wanted to give y’all a shout out. 🙆🏽‍♀️

#tag game #personal #tag #all about meee

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