From the Indigenous Feminisms Program:
"Intensely Indiqueer" is the second and last night of programming the Indigenous Feminisms Program will offer this academic year. Last fall, we offered a highly successful evening with two Indigenous queer poets Billy-Ray Belcourt and Joshua Whitehead for the grand reveal of a Louie Gong blanket dedicated to the Indigenous LGBTQ community.
This spring we bring our diverse communities together again to honor Chrystos. Chrystos (Menominee) is a renowned Indigenous Two Spirit feminist activist and poet. Chrystos has struggled for Native Treaty Rights as well as anti-war, anti-sexual violence, prisoner rights and Palestinian land rights. Internationally recognized, Chrystos's books include: Not Vanishing, Dream On, In Her I Am, Wilder Reis (German translations), Red Rollercoaster, Fugitive Colors and Fire Power (the latter two are still available). Chrystos was a contributor in two, now classic, Feminist and Indigenous Women's literature collections: This Bridge Called My Back and ReinventingThe Enemy’s Language. We gather this night to blanket Chrystos with Louie Gong's Two-Spirit blanket.
In honor of Chrystos and our Indigenous LGBTQ presence in the Pacific Northwest Storme Webber and Fabi Romero will also read topping off a memorable evening.
Storme Webber is a Two Spirit, Alutiiq/Black/Choctaw, internationally-nurtured poet, playwright, educator, and interdisciplinary artist. She creates blues-influenced, socially-engaged texts and images exploring identity, art activism, and the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, memory and spirit. Storme’s poetry collections include Diaspora, Blues Divine, and the forthcoming Noirish Lesbiana. Her solo theatre works include Buddy Rabbit, Noirish Lesbiana: A Night at the Sub Room, and Wild Tales of Renegade Halfbreed Bulldagger. She has been highlighted in numerous anthologies, documentaries (including Venus Boyz, May Ayim: Hope in Heart, What’s Right with Gays These Days?, (Living Two Spirit), and international performance tours.
Fabian Romero (Purepécha) is a two spirit poet, filmmaker, artist and Ph.D. student in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington. Fabian’s academic and artistic interests integrate settler colonialism, Performance Studies, racial capitalism with storytelling and poetry. Their work centers Purépecha people from Michoacán, Mexico to Seattle, Washington and beyond.
We look forward to seeing you! This event is free-no admission charged. Parking at the UW is free on Saturdays after noon. Please come on light rail or by bus if that is more convenient.