Dominican Writers Association and Word Up celebrate the launch Pájaros, lesbianas y queers…¡a volar!: An LGBTQ+ Anthology of Dominican Transnational Writers with editors Yoseli Castillo Fuertes and Alicia Anabel Santos, in conversation with Charles Rice-Gonzalez, author of Chulito.

“Spanning genre, language, borders, and a multitude of interior worlds, this is an incomparable collection of Dominican letters. Powerful and bold, Pájaros, lesbianas y Queers… ¡a volar! is an expansive take that illuminates Dominican queerness from the mundane to the mythical.” – Elizabeth Acevedo, author of Family Lore.

Pájaros, lesbianas y queers…¡a volar! An LGBTQ+ Anthology of Dominican Transnational Writers is a bilingual compilation of poetry, essays, short stories, short plays and memoirs by out Dominican writers on the island and the diaspora. It is a powerful representation of some of the literary, social, political and cultural movements currently taking place in the Dominican community. The worlds, ideas, feelings and stories depicted in this book show how LGBTQ+ Dominicans both fit in and are alienated from the national dictum “Dios, Patria y Libertad”, all while navigating typical human traits such as love, family, identity, home, safety, courage, sexuality, faith, language.

Pájaros, lesbianas y queers…¡a volar! An LGBTQ+ Anthology of Dominican Transnational Writers es una compilación bilingüe de poesía, ensayos, cuentos, microteatro y memorias por escritores dominicanes en la isla y en la diáspora, auto-identificades como parte de la comunidad LGBTQ+. Este libro es una representación significativa de algunos de los movimientos literarios, sociales, políticos y culturales que actualmente transcurren en la comunidad dominicana. Los mundos, las ideas, los sentimientos y las historias encarnadas en esta antología muestran cómo les dominicanes LGBTQ+ se integran y a la vez se disgregan del lema nacional “Dios, Patria y Libertad”, al lidiar con rasgos tan típicos y humanos como el amor, la familia, la identidad, el hogar, la seguridad, el valor, la fe y el lenguaje.

Alicia Anabel Santos is an Afrolatina lesbian storyteller, writer, producer, playwright, speaker, activist, teaching artist, and priestess. Born in Brooklyn to Dominican parents, she is the founder of the New York City Latina Writers Group and a 2018 BRIO Award recipient in fiction. Her memoir, Finding Your Force: A Journey to Love, and her one-woman show, I WAS BORN, explore themes of identity, healing, and empowerment. Alicia co-produced the documentary series Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story and facilitates writing workshops that center on spirituality, feminism, and social justice.

Yoseli Castillo Fuertes is a bilingual Afro-Dominican lesbian poet, educator, and activist. Born in La Vega, Dominican Republic, she migrated to the U.S. at 16 and holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Spanish Literature. A Cave Canem alum, her work has been featured in anthologies across New York, Buenos Aires, Madrid, and Santo Domingo. Yoseli is the author of De eso sí se habla / Of That, I Speak and co-founder of the LGBTQ+ open mic series Noche Bohemia in Washington Heights. She is dedicated to creating spaces that uplift queer, immigrant, and Afro-Caribbean voices.

This event is a $5 suggested donation ticket with 50 max attendees. Please register in advance. 

In compliance with Word Up Community Safety guidelines, all attendees are encouraged to stay masked at all time.

Recirculation, a project of Word Up Community Bookshop, is located at 876 Riverside Drive (near 160th St.) in Washington Heights, NYC. You can take the 1 train to 157th St., A/C train to 163rd St., and the M4 and M5 to Broadway and 159/160th.