Join us for a night of captivating Queer Literary Readings on Friday, July 5, 2024 from 7:30 - 10:30 PM with doors opening at 6:30 PM.
We are thrilled to welcome many great writers and speakers who will be presenting their work for our community audience. Keep an eye out for speaker announcements on this page!
Kahsenniyo is a multi-disciplinary artist from the Mohawk Nation Wolf Clan. Kahsenniyo began utilizing her poetry as a tool for social change and community engagement in 2008. Her work is centered around Indigenous issues. She aims to educate non-indigenous people about the struggles, beauty and realities facing Indigenous people. As well her work attempts to create moments of understanding, connection and healing for Indigenous People. Kahsenniyo transforms her love for her community and people into passionate performance.
Lindsay Herriot (she/her/elle) is an adjunct assistant professor in the Faculty of Education and the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria. She is also a special education teacher in School District 61. She holds a Master’s degree in curriculum (University of Windsor) and a PhD in educational policy (University of Alberta). She co-edited Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words, which is the first known anthology of trans youth voices, and Trans Youth Stories: An Intergenerational Dialogue after “the Trans Tipping Point,” which is the first known university textbook written primarily by children and youth. Her most recent board book, It’s A They! celebrates a family’s joy in welcoming a nonbinary newborn.
Lindsay is the co-founder of the Gender Generations Project, which offers free, weekend retreats for trans youth from across Canada, and the co-founder of the Early Learning Hive, which offers free, asynchronous professional development for Early Childhood Educators on gender and gender diversity.
Available to chat in both English and French, Lindsay is of Acadian, Scottish, and English descent, and currently lives on unceded Lekwungen land with her spouse and three small children.
(they/them)
Emmett MacMillen (they/them) is a trans nonbinary artist, writer, and event producer. They are the co-author of three publications, and in 2023, Emmett relocated to unceded Lekwungen territory (Victoria, BC) to work as the Producer for Intrepid Theatre. Emmett is excited to read at Pride in the Word this year and hopes to see you there!
(she/he; never they)
Lucía M. Polis (nom de plume Michael G. Khmelnitsky) has been writing poetry since 1996. She is the founder and chief editor of the poetry imprint JLRB Press, dedicated to promoting queer, neurodivergent, and emerging voices. Lucía performed three poems from her third collection The Love of a Good Man at Pride in the Word.
(she/her)
Luna writes poems and things. People seem to like them! Come see for yourself if the hype is real.....
Michael V. Smith is an award-winning writer, filmmaker and performer in Kelowna BC. His most recent book Queers Like Me (Book*hug Press) is a poetry collection that focuses on growing up queer in a blue collar town.
(she/her)
Award winning author Robin Stevenson will share her spring 2024 book, QUEER HISTORY A-Z: 100 YEARS OF LGBTQ+ ACTIVISM, and give a brief reading from work in progress.
(they/them/theirs)
Thistle Dunsmuir is a queer, non-binary writer residing on the traditional, unceded territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən speaking people. They write poetry about queerness, identity and neurodiversity and often perform at the Victoria Poetry Project's open mics. Their poetry has also been published in Vagabond City Press. You can find them on instagram at @editingbythistle or visit their website editingbythistle.ca
(she/her)
Tracy is a Social Worker, Therapeutic Coach, Founder of Indigo Journey, and Author of *It’s About You Too: Reducing the Overwhelm for Parents of LGBTQ+ Kids*. With over 16 years of experience, she empowers 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and their families across Canada, Australia, and the US. Join us to gain insights from Tracy's work, fostering healing, growth, and connection for queer folk and their families.
The Victoria Pride Society acknowledges that it organizes and works on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen Peoples and that the land’s relationships with the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples have existed since time immemorial. Further to this acknowledgement, the Victoria Pride Society affirms that colonialism and the attitudes and practices that have accompanied it contribute to systemic discrimination and violence against Indigenous Peoples and all marginalized and equity-deserving people. Read more.
