There鈥檚 an uptick in celebrations of queer art this Pride month, and for the second year in a row, LGBTQ+ writers are getting their time to shine at the Missouri History Museum.
Joan Lipkin, founder of That Uppity Theatre Company, hosted the first Queer Writes in 2023 to uplift queer writers from or living in the region during Pride month. She told St. Louis on the Air that she also wished to celebrate St. Louis鈥� rich literary history and to push back against the censorship of books and content that focus on LGBTQ+ experiences.
鈥淎ccording to the , which is a 65% increase over last year. A lot of these are either books by and about people of color or about LGBTQ+ writers,鈥� Lipkin shared. 鈥淭here's a tension right now, and that鈥檚 such a reactionary move. But the other thing is that we have incredible writers, and it excites me to help provide space to amplify and give visibility to their varied talents.鈥�
This year鈥檚 Queer Writes line-up features eight writers, including comedians, singer-songwriters, poets and playwrights. They will perform their works Thursday, June 27 at the Missouri History Museum鈥檚 Lee Auditorium as part of Gateway to Pride and Thursday Nights at the Museum programming.
Among the performers is veteran actor and playwright Michael Kearns. Born and raised in St. Louis, Kearns is credited as one of the first openly gay actors and the first working actor openly living with HIV in Hollywood. He will be performing monologues from his solo stage play 鈥淚ntimacies鈥� in which Kearns writes vignettes about the many personalities he got to know while living in Los Angeles.
Kearns said that showcasing queer storytelling and performing on stage in his hometown is 鈥渏oyous.鈥�
鈥淚t's a bit religious, this experience of witnessing. You have to have the people there breathing, alive, and heartbeats joined with the performer, right?鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat's joy, whether the material is downtrodden or sad, that still doesn't erase the fact that we're there in that room together, sharing something.鈥�
Though Queer Writes intentionally centers queer writers and storytellers, Lipkin said that anyone can enjoy the program.
鈥淲e're trying to offer our audience a different window in [queer experience],鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, allies, people who have LGBTQ+ people in their family, their friends, their colleagues, people who are interested in good literature 鈥� this is a program for everyone.鈥�
For more on Queer Writes, including a teaser of Joan Lipkins and Michael Kearns鈥� performance, listen to St. Louis on the Air on , , or click the play button below.
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What:
When: June 27, 5 - 8 p.m. Performances begin at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Missouri History Museum (5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112)
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, , , , and . Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
