queerness

Shannon Cain reads a story from her collection The Necessity of Certain Behaviors (2011) as part of the University of Arizona Prose Series. This reading was originally given with Lydia Millet.

Trish Salah reads from Wanting in Arabic (2002), If a child is a land you may not own (2013), and Lyric Sexology Vol. 1 (2017, Canadian edition) at the 2017 Thinking Its Presence conference.

Urayoán Noel presents a talk titled "Is Queer Afro-Latin@ Poetics a Thing?" as part of the 2017 Thinking Its Presence conference. He also performs an improvised poem with smartphone accompaniment.

Aisha Sabatini Sloan, an alumna of the UA MFA Creative Writing program, reads from her book-length essay Borealis (2021). In this excerpt from the book, Sabatini Sloan details her travel to Homer, Alaska, and how the stark landscape interacts with her identity as a Black, queer woman. Sabatini Sloan's writing also incorporates references to pop culture and Black artists. This reading was originally given alongside Cara Blue Adams and Alberto Ríos to celebrate the MFA program's 50th anniversary.

Thomas Dai reads an essay from his first book, Take My Name But Say It Slow (2025). The essay considers the beginning of a romantic relationship alongside lovers' marks—initials or other signs left in public as declarations of love. This reading was originally given alongside Josh Riedel.