Queer Memoir: PETS

New York’s only queer storytelling event is back with a special guest curator, the amazing Sassafras Lowrey, editor of the Kicked Out anthology and nationally known storyteller.

Announcing the amazing line-up of storytellers:
Jessica Pabón
Julie Blair
Colten
Kelli Dunham
allisonjoy
Sassafras Lowrey

Jessica Pabón received her MA in Women’s Studies with the completion of the project “Girls Unchained,” a mural by Claw, Dona, Lady Pink, and Miss 17. Now ABD in Performance Studies NYU, her dissertation analyzes the strategies of resistance employed by female graffiti writers navigating presence and belonging in a male-dominated subculture.

Julie Blair is a hack of all trades, a closeted musician, and ex-vlogger. She loves the internet so much she wants to live there. She works as a web developer, and runs a weekly drop-in internet development class that is 100% free for self-identified trans women.

Colten is an event planner, production manager, licensed barber, pet photographer and all-around dog-obsessed individual. He has been known to plan entire vacations around hitting all the right dog parks and dog boutiques and thinks this is totally normal behavior. Colten lives in Upstate New York with his partner and their dogs and identifies as a genderqueer transmasculine dog dad. For the past ten years, he has worked with his partner to create sex education films, present workshops around the world, and produce events. He has presented workshops about kink, trans sex, and service—this will be his first time talking about his life shared with animals. He is combining several of his passions to launch a new business venture in 2012, Dogged Pursuit Photography

Kelli Dunham is everyone’s favorite ex nun genderqueer nerdcomic., She is busy promoting her CD recording show in San Francisco and will submit a relevant bio as soon as she’s done.

Place “fierce” + “kind” in the same sentence & you’ll probably find allisonjoy. Their continuous work is a demonstration of their passionate commitment to social justice, whether it was as National Recruiter for ACORN, Co-Founder of media justice coalition R.E.A.C.Hip-Hop, National Organizer/touring member of We Got Issues, or Road Manager and performer for Mango Tribe. They have organized, created events, facilitated leadership & empowerment trainings and anti-oppression workshops with youth, women, & people of color all about North Amerika. As a Reiki Master Practitioner through their own practice, and with the Audre Lorde Project’s 3rd Space Wellness program, allisonjoy seeks to make holistic health care accessible to the LGBTSTGNC POC community. This queer pin@y believes in the strength in all of us, community building, art as activism, grassroots organizing, linking arms with all oppressed peoples, and manifesting visions of liberation! But, perhaps allisonjoy is most proud to be a dog-parent, a positive reinforcement trainer, and a member of the international Association of Pet Dog Trainers. This is where they’ve found that building healthy relationships, radical politics & practice, healing, joy, supportive learning, and transformative justice can reside. When they’re not geeking out teaching dog training classes, reading training & behavior books, and watching training science documentaries, they can be found playing with, learning with, and cuddling with their rescue dog, Cornbread Siopao who they co-parent with their partner, Kay. allisonjoy says, “But really, my dog rescued me.”

Sassafras Lowrey is an internationally award-winning storyteller, author, artist, and educator. Ze is the editor of the two time American Library Association honored and Lambda Literary Finalist Kicked Out anthology, which brought together the voices of current and former homeless LGBTQ youth. Hir prose has been included in numerous anthologies and ze regularly teaches LGBTQ storytelling workshops at colleges and conferences across the country. Sassafras is a lifelong dog lover and lives in Brooklyn with hir partner, two dogs, and two cats. To learn more about Sassafras and hir work, visit www.PoMoFreakshow.com