Gay City Arts presents: How to Love THIS Queer Body of Color: An Unapology

In this spoken word series of performances, poets will tell the story of their body as a Queer of Color, dissecting not only their bodies in relationship to love, but self-love and the relationship to the color of their skin.  This series will go in the cycle of a relationship (i.e. attraction, dating, open relationships, monogamy/marriage, therapy, arguments, breaking up/divorce) but in reverse.  These themes are not only calling for a story about a relationship between people but the story about relationship to oneself.

As Queer folks, our bodies are always in question, from our brains, to our hearts, right down to our genitals. The rest of the world believes they are entitled to understanding our bodies or telling us how we should live in our bodies; this series of shows will invite the audience to listen to the story of our bodies and how it came to be.

As People of Color, we are always in question.  Our culture is questioned and then co-opted, our skin is a target of violence and our lives are a series of metaphorical hurdles, mountains and barriers. Our bodies are marked, fetishized, criticized and shamed.  This series of shows will invite the audience to listen to the story our bodies of color and uncover the true strength and resiliency it takes to live in the skin of a Person of Color.

Participating Artists:

Ela Barton
Donte Johnson
Nikkita "KO" Oliver
Queen Jasmeen/Jasmine Schlafke
Michelle Young

Art is the voice, spirit and conscience of every community and is a vital tool for community reflection, dialogue and pride. Through Gay City Arts, Gay City collaborates with local LGBTQ artists to galvanize an audience for queer arts, foster the development of LGBTQ artists, and facilitate artistic excellence that is accessible, including the promotion of new works. Gay City Arts is committed to presenting challenging, dynamic and excellent queer art across a wide range of disciplines, including theater, music, dance, film, spoken word, literary and visual arts. More info: gaycity.org/arts-season