By Josh Hughes
The Queer Writers Club at Western is putting on an evening of live readings on Friday, October 7 from 8 – 9:15 p.m. in VU 552. The club itself functions as a safe space for queer and gender nonconforming students to share their writing. This marks their first event of the school year.
The event will feature students in the club reading some of their work.
“It’s an open mic for queer individuals to express their writing, and that includes bi, pan, and other individuals that people think are in a straight relationship, when by their own sexuality, their writing is queer,” club leader Joel Martirossian said.
The club meets in Miller Hall 135 every Friday at 6 p.m., and it also gives students an entry point to learning about queer and gender nonconforming writers throughout all genres. Martirossian also says that the club provides a great environment for writers to better themselves and their work by hearing and reading work written by other students. The open mic will serve as a perfect introduction to what the club does as well as give writers a chance to perform for a larger audience.
In addition to the Queer Writers Club, Western also has a Queer Club, which is another safe space for LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) students. It is a resource for students to talk about and deal with issues, as well as a place where LGBTQIA students and allies can learn about current events and history related to the community. While the Queer Writers Club is putting on the live reading, Queer Club hosts WWU Pride Week and WWU Pride Con, both of which will occur later this year.
Talking about the club, Treasurer Matthew Paige says that Queer Club plans to be more active on campus this year than ever before. Previously they’ve hosted bake sales as fundraisers for LGBTQIA awareness. They plan to continue providing a space where students can discuss contemporary and historical issues dealing with sexuality and gender, as well as a resource where students can confidentially talk about their sexuality and gender.
The Queer Club and the Queer Writers Club are only some of the resources available for students on campus that deal with inclusivity towards sexuality, gender, and awareness of both. The Queer Resource Center and the LGBT Advocacy Council are also on-campus organizations that provide non-judgmental and unbiased programs for students.
Want to get involved? Visit one of the club meetings or go online to Western’s website to learn more about the programs, clubs, and resources available. Or, make your way to the Queer Writers Live Reading on October 7!
