Michele-Jessica Fievre performs "How To Be a Dangerous Girl" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!" 

Michèle-Jessica (M.J.) Fievre is the founding editor of Sliver of Stone Magazine. She obtained her MFA from the Creative Writing program at Florida International University. She’s a writer whose fiction and poetry in English have appeared in Haiti Noir (Akashic Books, 2011), The Beautiful Anthology (TNB Books, 2012), and 15 Views of Miami (Burrow Press, 2014). Her novels in French are read widely in Europe and the Caribbean. 

How to Be a Dangerous Girl by Michele-Jessica Fievre

Yaddyra Peralta performs "Stella" for O, Miami/Reading Queer's event "O, Hi There!" 

Yaddyra Peralta is a poet. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, Jai Alai, Abe’s Penny, Tigertail, The New Poet, Sliver of Stone, and Hinchas de Poesia. In 2013 she was a Visiting Writer at the Betsy Hotel’s Writer’s Room in South Miami Beach, Florida and one of six collaborative Helen M. Salzberg Artists in Residence at Florida Atlantic University’s Jaffe Center for the Book Arts where she contributed to the artists' book Conversation, Too. 


Stella by Yaddyra Peralta

Yaddyra Peralta performs "Shenandoah Nights" for O, Miami/Reading Queer's event "O, Hi There!" 

Yaddyra Peralta is a poet. Her work has appeared in Ploughshares, Jai Alai, Abe’s Penny, Tigertail, The New Poet, Sliver of Stone, and Hinchas de Poesia. In 2013 she was a Visiting Writer at the Betsy Hotel’s Writer’s Room in South Miami Beach, Florida and one of six collaborative Helen M. Salzberg Artists in Residence at Florida Atlantic University’s Jaffe Center for the Book Arts where she contributed to the artists' book Conversation, Too. 


Shenandoah Nights by Yaddyra Peralta

Stephen Mills performs "Imagining Your Brain In Someone Else's Hands" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!"

Imagining Your Brain In Someone Else's Hands by Stephen Mills

Jonathan Duckworth performs "Why I Don't Trust Centos" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's "O, Hi There!" event.

Jonathan Louis Duckworth is a current MFA student at Florida International University in Miami, where he works as a teaching assistant. He also serves as a reader and copy-editor for the Gulf Stream Literary Magazine. His work appears in or is set to appear in Hermeneutic Chaos Literary Journal, Mount Island Magazine, the Kudzu Review, and Sliver of Stone Magazine.

Why I Don't Trust Centos by Jonathan Duckworth

Jonathan Duckworth performs "Bonobo Braggadoccio" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's "O, Hi There!" event.

Jonathan Louis Duckworth is a current MFA student at Florida International University in Miami, where he works as a teaching assistant. He also serves as a reader and copy-editor for the Gulf Stream Literary Magazine. His work appears in or is set to appear in Hermeneutic Chaos Literary Journal, Mount Island Magazine, the Kudzu Review, and Sliver of Stone Magazine.

Bonobo Braggadoccio by Jonathan Duckworth

Jonathan Duckworth performs "The News is Musical Chairs" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!"

Jonathan Louis Duckworth is a current MFA student at Florida International University in Miami, where he works as a teaching assistant. He also serves as a reader and copy-editor for the Gulf Stream Literary Magazine. His work appears in or is set to appear in Hermeneutic Chaos Literary Journal, Mount Island Magazine, the Kudzu Review, and Sliver of Stone Magazine.

The News Is Musical Chairs by Jonathan Duckworth

Jonathan Duckworth performs "Superego" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!"

Jonathan Louis Duckworth is a current MFA student at Florida International University in Miami, where he works as a teaching assistant. He also serves as a reader and copy-editor for the Gulf Stream Literary Magazine. His work appears in or is set to appear in Hermeneutic Chaos Literary Journal, Mount Island Magazine, the Kudzu Review, and Sliver of Stone Magazine.

Superego by Jonathan Duckworth

Laura McDermott Matheric reads "Ode to Spork" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!"

Laura McDermott Matheric, a true native of South Florida, was born and raised in Broward County, Florida. She is the founder and executive director of the Orange Island Arts Foundation and also a tenured assistant professor of English at Broward College where she was the recipient of the 2014 Wells Fargo Endowed Teaching Chair. Laura studied creative writing at FSU and received her MFA degree in poetry from FIU. Because of her dedication to higher education and writing, Laura received recognition as a 2008 Conference on College Composition and Communication Professional Equity Project Grant Recipient and was awarded the 2012 Paragon Award by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. She is the 2014-2015 Writer-in-Residency of Girls'Club. As a member of the Miami Poetry Collective, her poetry is regularly featured in its Cent Journal Series. She also won honorable mention in the 2013 Poetry Society of Virginia’s annual poetry contest.



"Ode to Spork" by Laura McDermott Matheric

Sarah Trudgeon reads "Whenever You Go to Rehab" and "Beach Day" for O,Miami/Reading Queer's event "O, Hi There!"

Whenever You Go to Rehab and  Beach Day by Sarah Trudgeon

Laura McDermott Matheric performs "Sunlight of Florida" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's "O, Hi There!" event.

Laura McDermott Matheric, a true native of South Florida, was born and raised in Broward County, Florida. She is the founder and executive director of the Orange Island Arts Foundation and also a tenured assistant professor of English at Broward College where she was the recipient of the 2014 Wells Fargo Endowed Teaching Chair. Laura studied creative writing at FSU and received her MFA degree in poetry from FIU. Because of her dedication to higher education and writing, Laura received recognition as a 2008 Conference on College Composition and Communication Professional Equity Project Grant Recipient and was awarded the 2012 Paragon Award by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. She is the 2014-2015 Writer-in-Residency of Girls'Club. As a member of the Miami Poetry Collective, her poetry is regularly featured in its Cent Journal Series. She also won honorable mention in the 2013 Poetry Society of Virginia’s annual poetry contest.

Sunlight of Florida by Laura McDermott Matheric

Chloe Firetto-Toomey's poem "The Travelators" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's "O, Hi There!" event. 

Chloe Firetto-Toomey published a collection of poems in 2001, by, Loebertas Publishing, in her hometown, Bristol, England. She graduated from the University of Surrey, London, in 2003 with a Bachelor of the Arts in Creative Writing and moved to Miami in 2008. She is currently a first year MFA candidate of poetry at Florida International University and has recently been published in online literary journals, Every Writer’s Resource, Fish Food Magazine and Penumbra Review. 

The Travelators by Chloe Firetto-Toomey

Chloe Firetto-Toomey's "Tranny Cat" for Reading Queer/O, Miami's "O, Hi There!" event.

Chloe Firetto-Toomey published a collection of poems in 2001, by, Loebertas Publishing, in her hometown, Bristol, England. She graduated from the University of Surrey, London, in 2003 with a Bachelor of the Arts in Creative Writing and moved to Miami in 2008. She is currently a first year MFA candidate of poetry at Florida International University and has recently been published in online literary journals, Every Writer’s Resource, Fish Food Magazine and Penumbra Review. 

Tranny Cat

Hedwig the cat 
is Transgendered.
Hungry in the hollow 
hall I hear the thin 
desolate 
cry.

A reoccurring 
urinary tract infection
left no option 
but Sex Reassignment Surgery,
having the smallest 
bladder the vet had ever 
seen.

Watching, Hedwig and the Angry Inch
the Cat comes out the closet 
overweight in his dinner 
jacket 
high on Prozac

& rocking 
socks that are too small
proud on the prowl  

flirtatious, once the meds 
kick in.
In that 
tragedy/comedy 
mask
like he’s just had 
the cream.

He waits for 
David Bowie with 
his Ziggy Stardust 
face, 

in catnip clouds. 
Hedwig, is Queen 
of the Cat-baret show. 



Tranny Cat by Chloe Firetto-Toomey

Dini Karasik's "Borderline" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!"

Dini is a Mexican-American lawyer and writer whose work has appeared in Crack the Spine, The Más Tequila Review, Red Savina Review, Kweli Journal, Zombie Logic Review, Sixers Review, Bartleby Snopes, Mary: A Journal of New Writing, and Wild Quarterly. Her story "Amalia on the Border" was a finalist in The Texas Observer's 2013 short story contest judged by Dagoberto Gilb. Her latest short story, "Ghosting on the Rio Grande," is forthcoming in Abundant Grace, the 7th volume in the Paycock Press series of anthologies of fiction by Washington, D.C.-area women.

Borderline by Dini Karasik

Dini Karasik's "You and the Government Cheese" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!"

Dini is a Mexican-American lawyer and writer whose work has appeared in Crack the Spine, The Más Tequila Review, Red Savina Review, Kweli Journal, Zombie Logic Review, Sixers Review, Bartleby Snopes, Mary: A Journal of New Writing, and Wild Quarterly. Her story "Amalia on the Border" was a finalist in The Texas Observer's 2013 short story contest judged by Dagoberto Gilb. Her latest short story, "Ghosting on the Rio Grande," is forthcoming in Abundant Grace, the 7th volume in the Paycock Press series of anthologies of fiction by Washington, D.C.-area women.

"You and The Government Cheese" by Dini Karasik

Sarah Trudgeon performs “Whenever You Go To Rehab” and “Beach Day” for Reading Queer/O,Miami's "O, Hi There!" 



“Whenever You Go To Rehab” and “Beach Day” by Sarah Trudgeon

Geoffrey Philp performs "Exile" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's "O, Hi There!" event.

Geoffrey Philp (born in 1958) is a Jamaican poet, novelist, and playwright. He is the author of the novel Benjamin, My Son, and five poetry collections: Exodus and Other Poems, Hurricane Center, Florida Bound, Xango music, and Twelve Poems and A Story for Christmas. He has also written a book of short stories, Uncle Obadiah and the Alien; a play, Ogun's Last Stand, and a children's book, Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories.
His work has been mainly influenced by Derek Walcott, Kamau Brathwaite,[2] V. S. Naipaul, Bob Marley, and Joseph Campbell and contains some elements of magical realism. Many of his short stories focus on the dilemmas facing fatherless children in the Caribbean, the disruptive effects of the Jamaican diaspora on family and community life, and the spiritual and political dimensions of reggae and the Rastafari movement. Benjamin, My Son, in particular, examines Caribbean life within the context of established Christian religions and African Yoruba-based traditions, while using the framework of Dante's Inferno.
Philp’s awards include an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Florida Arts Council, an artist-in-residence at the Seaside Institute, Sauza "Stay Pure" Award, Canute Brodhurst Prize and James Michener fellowships at the University of Miami, where he earned his Master of Arts in Creative Writing. His reviews, articles, poems and short stories have also appeared in Small Axe, Asili, The Caribbean Writer, Gulf Stream, Florida in Poetry: A History of the Imagination, Wheel and Come Again: An Anthology of Reggae Poetry, Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root, The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories, and The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse. He lives in Miami, Florida.

Exile by Geoffrey Philp

Connie Mae Oliver performs "Chandelier Store" for O,Miami/Reading Queer's event "O, Hi There!" 

Chandelier Store by Connie Mae Oliver

Ariel Francisco's "Jay Gatsby on Karaoke Night" for Reading Queer/O, Miami's "O, Hi There!" 



Jay Gatsby On Karaoke Night By Ariel Francisco

Laurel Nakanishi performs "A Pleasing Fear" for O,Miami/Reading Queer's event "O, Hi There!"

A Pleasing Fear By Laurel Nakanishi

Parker Phillips and the Kate Bush cover band White Lady Modernisms perform "Here's A Little Story"  for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!" 

Here's A Little Story by White Lady Modernisms (Parker Phillips)

Parker Phillips and the Kate Bush coverband White Lady Modernisms performs "Ghosts" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!" 

Ghosts by White Lady Modernisms (Parker Phillips)

Marci Calabretta performs "Your Mouth is Full of Birds" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!" 



Your Mouth Is Full Of Birds - Marci Calabretta

E. Parker Phillips performs "Amalfi" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!" 

Amalfi by E. Parker Phillips

Hector Duarte Jr. performs "Definitely" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!" 

Definitely

maybe there was a time when I was
with it.

It’s definitely 
not now.

Now is when I show everyone
what It is.

What I’m with now is not
whatever would have mattered 
then.

Maybe despite my $39000 a year,
I’ve paid some societal dues,
recommended both a good seasonal
beer and tapas place.

If you’re lucky,
you’ll pass me outside the movie theater,
with nothing more than a look,
recognition.

In 10 years, maybe there was a time
when you were with it.


Definitely by Hector Duarte Jr.

Veronica Suarez performs "A Romance in Letters" for O,Miami/Reading Queer's "O, Hi There!" event. 

Veronica Suarez worked as editor-in-chief for online issue 11 of Gulf Stream, the literary magazine of Florida International University. She is currently writing a book for her M.F.A. creative thesis. She was a contributing writer for the Miami New Times, the editor-in-chief of U&me Magazine, a music editor for OutLoud Multimedia, a contributing writer for Miami-Dade Parks, a contributing writer for The Beacon newspaper, and a communications intern for Mun2 television

A Romance in Letters

I don’t write to you with postage stamps or papyrus skin. My letters aren’t driven by carriages or horsepower. They are not dipped in Indian ink or sealed with wax, scribbled with goose quills or scratches of pencil. They are not delivered by couriers, coaches, or Roman chariots. They are not fossilized in the mahogany hide of parchment. 

They are sent from the comfort of a bed and digitized by the Internet. Sent through the synapses of electricity, like telepathic thoughts posting through my head. Received at your fingertips: immediate, instantaneous. The dancing, flickering cursor on the screen like the electricity dancing in my being. Tongue-free and muting of my vocal chords, these postal wanderings synch with every inbox declaration. The tilling in my brain merging with the blue electricity of email. 

I don’t write to you with the ancient romance of letters. But every inch of the flickering cursor synchs with every inch of me, till the keyboard becomes my fingers, coursing through the muttering beeps of your smartphone. Even missing the tangible fibers of paper, I write these tethered words hoping, just hoping, that these black-and-white symbols can seduce every tangible fiber of your being, so that I can finally touch every winding follicle of your curly hair. 


A Romance In Letters by Veronica Suarez

Jennifer Maritza McCauley performs "La Vida Es Un Carnival Celia Sings at the Underground Mall"  at O,Miami/Reading Queer's "O, Hi There!" 

Jennifer Maritza McCauley is a writer and teacher living in Miami, Florida. She is the recipient of a James L. Knight Fellowship in fiction from Florida International University, where she earned her MFA. She is a contributing editor at The Florida Book Review, a reviews editor at Fjords Review and a staff member at Gulfstream Magazine. Her work can be found in Deep South Magazine, The Boiler, First Inkling, Squalorly, The Blue Lyra Review and Miami’s WLRN.org amongst other outlets.



La Vida Es Un Carnival Celia Sings At The Underground Mall By Jennifer Maritza McCauley

Yosie Crespo performs "En Las Calles Hay Mujeres Que La Historia Inventa"  for O, Miami/Reading Queer's "O, Hi There!" at 2015 Poetry in the Park

Yosie Crespo –Cuba, 1979.  
Reside en Miami desde los 10 años de edad.
Poeta y narradora, obtuvo el Primer Premio "Nuevos Valores de la Poesía Hispana" (2011) de la IV Convocatoria de Ediciones Baquiana y el CCE (Centro Cultural Español) por su poemario Solárium, publicado en Abril 2012 en Miami. Primer Premio del IV Concurso Juvenil de Poesía Federico García Lorca 2011, en España, Premio Internacional de Cuento 2010 de la Feria Internacional del Libro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ha publicado los libros La ruta del pájaro sobre mi cabeza, Ediciones Torremozas con sede en Madrid, España (2013) y Solárium (2012) por Ediciones Baquiana, Miami, Florida. 

El Diccionario By Yosie Crespo

JAN BECKER is from a small coal mining town in Pennsylvania. She didn’t stay there very long. She grew up in a Marine Corps family, on military bases all over the United States. She is currently an MFA candidate at Florida International University and has taught courses there in composition, technical writing, creative writing and poetry. Her work has appeared in Emerge, Brevity Poetry Review, Sliver of Stone Magazine, and the Florida Book Review. She was recently selected as a recipient of the 2015 AWP Intro Journals Project Award in Nonfiction, the winning essay is forthcoming in the Colorado Review.

Half-Life By Jan Becker

The Morning After The Fire by Jan Becker

Doc Suds performs "Oyster" for Reading Queer/O,Miami's event "O, Hi There!"

Doc Suds - Oyster

Doc Suds performs "Vulture" for O,Miami/Reading Queer's "O, Hi There!" event. 

Vulture - Doc Suds

Julie Balter performs "Girl in Cardboard Box" for Reading Queer's  "O, Miami" event "O Hi There!"

Girl In Cardboard Box With Dog by Julie Balter

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH @ THE OLYMPIA THEATER @ 6:00 PM. 
Reading Queer & Miami Book Fair co-present PARIS IS STILL BURNING with David Tomas Martinez, Dawn Lundy Martin, Justin Phillip Reed and Danez Smith In The Lobby Lounge at the iconic Olympia Theater. Wednesday, November 18th @ 6:30 pm.

Inspired by the legendary documentary film “Paris is Burning” and the queer counterculture it documents, Paris is Still Burning showcases some of the most prominent contemporary queer poets of color whose work reveals and explores various forms of social, racial and economic injustice. Originally produced by Patricia Smith at AWP 2015, PARIS IS STILL BURNING is a reading and performance by LAMBDA Literary Award Winner Danez Smith, Justin Phillip Reed, David Tomas Martinez & Dawn Lundy Martin.

The reading will be followed by a mini “ball”—a mix between a drag pageant and a queer performance competition—featuring members of South Florida’s own bourgeoning ballroom scene. Performers will compete for grand prizes in two categories–realness and voguing. Legendary entertainer Kitty Meow (Shawn Palacious) will judge the “Paris Is Still Burning” mini-ball immediately following the inaugural reading. Grand prizes have been generously donated by the Hotel Gaythering-South Beach.

Danez Smith

Dawn Lundy Martin

David Tomas Martinez

Justin Phillip Reed

Reading Queer promotes queer literary culture in South Florida through an annual week-long literary festival, creative writing workshops led by nationally and locally recognized queer writers, a literary salon series and a literary archive. We are partially funded with a Miami Foundation-National Gay & Lesbian Task Force GLBT Community Grant and a Knight Arts Challenge Grant. The Knight Arts Challenge Grant is a Miami-based initiative to draw the best and most innovative ideas out of local organizations and individuals seeking to transform the community through the arts.

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