ABOVE: Photo via the LGBTQ Resource Center.
Gulfport, Fla. | The LGBTQ Resource Center will present ReadOut: A Festival of LGBTQ Literature Feb. 17-19, expanding from its original lesbian focus to celebrate authors of every sexual orientation and gender identity.
The sixth annual event is funded by Florida Humanities and presented at no charge. It will take place at the Gulfport Public Library and via Zoom, a hybrid of on-site, livestreamed and prerecorded content.
ReadOut was last held in person in 2020, welcoming nearly 150 attendees to the Gulfport Public Library. The event has been held virtually since due to the pandemic, hosting around 1,500 participants in 2022.
Its success has shown “there is such a hunger for queer literature,” LGBTQ Resource Center President Susan Gore says. “For both connection and community. We’ve been blown completely away by the response.”
This year’s ReadOut will mark a return closer to its original form with in-person panels, readings and workshops. The theme is Literary Queeries, designed to showcase the value of LGBTQ literature one pitch at a time, celebrating published and emerging authors from across the LGBTQ spectrum – an expansion that falls more in line with the LGBTQ Resource Center’s mission.
“The Resource Center is committed to promoting awareness of the diversity of experiences, contributions and needs of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer,” Gore explains. “That’s what drove the decision.”
Over 80 new and returning authors will participate this year, with festivities kicking off Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. The first panel will be held virtually from 5:15-6:15 p.m., moderated by eight-time Lambda Literary Award finalist Radclyffe.
“ReadOut celebrates what has long been at the heart of the LGBTQ community: our literature,” she explains. “With our words, we create community, and events like ReadOut enable us to reach many who might otherwise never hear these messages.”
The first in-person panel will follow at 6:30 p.m., an exploration of LGBTQ themes in children’s literature. It will be moderated by Watermark Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent and feature authors Rob Sanders and Sarah Prager. On-site readings and announcements follow.
ReadOut will begin Feb. 18 at 9 a.m. with activities until 7:15 p.m. Topics include poetry, genres like mystery, suspense and romance, young adult works, fiction, trans men’s literature and the tools required to self-publish.
A benefit performance of “The Laramie Project” will then be held at the Catherine Hickman Theater at 7:30 p.m. A talkback co-sponsored by the LGBTQ Resource Center will follow the production.
Panels, readings and workshops will then be held Feb. 19 from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m., with a special keynote presentation at the library from author Brian Broome at 12 p.m. He will discuss his celebrated memoir “Punch Me Up to the Gods” and reflect on growing up Black and queer in Ohio.
Broome says he’s eager to attend, particularly against the backdrop anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and policies in Florida, like the state’s rejection of a proposed African American history course. Governor Ron DeSantis cited its inclusion of Black Queer History as one of the reasons why.
“Florida is interesting right now,” Broome says. “It’s quite Draconian what they’re trying to do and in a lot of cases, succeeding in doing. I’m excited to hear from people in Florida about what they think, and about what they might be doing to combat this kind of Draconian rhetoric.”
The day’s panels and readings will focus on speculative fiction, romance, poetry and much more, ending at 5:30 p.m. Registration is requested for all who plan to attend the free event, which organizers hope will set a ReadOut record.
“There has never been in my lifetime a more important moment for LGBTQ stories to be visible, to be heard and to be appreciated,” Gore says. “Especially in Florida.”
Participating authors agree. They share their thoughts below.
“The LGBTQ Resource Center’s ReadOut Festival is the out loud, out proud, literary response to the attempts at silencing LGBTQ voices and expunging LGBTQ culture in Florida and around the country. ReadOut is thus not only important, it’s a joyful celebration of Florida’s creative and courageous Queer community.” – Ann Aptaker
“ReadOut is important because it offers the public an opportunity to learn about LGBTQ+ life and art, a place for aspiring authors to meet others who are walking the literary path, and a nexus of communication for all of us to be inspired by the creativity and industriousness of working writers who can light up a room or a generation with their words. I am very proud to be a featured author at this year’s ReadOut Festival of LGBTQ+ Literature, and I look forward to meeting my contemporary wordsmiths in a context that celebrates the amazing richness and vibrancy of LGBTQ+ lives as reflected in books. – Jamison Green, Ph.D.
“We have stood the tests of time and hatred so no, we won’t be quiet and we won’t go away – not now, not ever. Your pitiful attempts just make us stronger.” – Penny Mickelbury
“Never before has visibility in the arts and conferences like ReadOut been more important when governors like DeSantis hijack state’s and civil rights with relentless efforts to discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community, in his case the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill and endless book bans. The arts increase exposure and show all Americans the incredible contribution made by LGBTQ+ authors and artists around the world. ReadOut and its devoted volunteers should be commended for highlighting the talent and values our community upholds.” – Melanie Mitzner
“As a native Floridian who had the opportunity to study queer literature at the University of Florida, the recent backwards slide into book banning and overt discrimination is breaking my heart. It’s so disorienting to see that high school kids aren’t being given access at school to books I read at school in the 90s. Events like ReadOut give teens the opportunity to connect directly with authors and access books that can feel affirming during a time when their very identities are being pathologized and legislated against. My contemporary debut, ‘The Immeasurable Depth of You,’ releases this March, and it’s surreal to consider that school librarians here in the city where it takes place will not be able to stock this book for teen readers. – Maria Mora
“Creating safe and expressive spaces like the ReadOut festival where queer arts and experiences are celebrated is paramount considering the challenges queer individuals still face in this country. For many of us who identify as queer, writing our stories is a way proving our existence and recording the queer histories that have been overlooked or erased.” – Lizbette Ocasio-Russe, Ph.D.
“ReadOut celebrates what has long been at the heart of the LGBTQ community: our literature. Our stories are our voices, reaching LGBTQ people of all ages who may be isolated, disenfranchised, or marginalized with messages of empowerment, affirmation, acceptance, and most importantly of all, hope. With our words, we create community, and events like ReadOut enable us to reach many who might otherwise never hear these messages.” – Radclyff
“I am a debut novelist and a first-time ReadOut participant. It’s especially important for new authors to meet fellow writers and others involved in the LGBTQ publishing community. I look forward to the readings, the panels and casual interactions with festival attendees. I’m from New Jersey, so this warm Florida venue is also something to look forward to!” – Kate Rounds
“ReadOut is not only an inspiration for LGBTQ+ writers, but essential for the continued growth and support of the community.” – Audrey Wilson
ReadOut: A Festival of LGBTQ Literature will be held Feb. 17-19 at the Gulfport Public Library and via Zoom. Reserve your free ticket and learn more at ReadOut.LGBTQGulfport.org.
