Queer Slam

Today's episode was recorded live on March 31st, 2022 over Zoom. We begin with a touching open mic– then we get into our lovely headliners. First, is Brian Sonia-Wallace, he currently serves as the West Hollywood City Poet Laureate, and is a Laureate Fellow for the Academy of American Poets for LGBTQ+ poetry activism. He curates Pride Poets, which brings queer poets on typewriters to write for the public at Pride in June. Check out his book, The Poetry of Strangers: What I Learned Traveling America with a Typewriter, a memoir of his career as a poet-for-hire across the country. Rounding out the entire series is the incomparable Hank Henderson. He is a writer & performer whose work has been produced by the WeHo Pride Festival and Highways Performance space. He curated the LGBTQ+ reading series homo-centric for over 12 years. A 2018 Lambda Literary Fellow, he was most recently published in the anthology, Under the Belly Of the Beast.

Today's episode was recorded live on April 25th, 2022 over Zoom. We begin today with a short and sweet open mic before getting right to our headliners. First, Gabriel Carnick is an award winning Poet, Film Director, and Cinematographer. Her works have been published in Calliope Magazine as well as Scholastic Art and Writing multiple times. She has two manuscripts currently in competition, the latest being ‘A Cacophony of Silence'. Gabriel's film work concentrates on queer and social justice oriented stories and is available on Amazon and Youtube and you can find out more about her on IG at @GabrielCarnick and at her website GabrielCarnick.com. Then, is Kyle Sanders, he is a Kentucky native, a Chicago resident, and a National Treasure. He's an alum of iO Theater's School of Improv and a contributing writer for the Chicago Independent Radio Project, who also writes one two-line joke a day to keep some semblance of sanity. He has performed at other storytelling events such as Outspoken and Do Not Submit, and hopes to live long enough to be considered the "Fran Lebowitz of Chicago."

We begin with a wonderful set of open mic performers before jumping into our headliners— first is Charles Jensen (he/him) is the author of the poetry collection Nanopedia and six chapbooks of poems. His third collection, Instructions Between Takeoff and Landing, was published by the University of Akron Press in 2022. He hosts The Write Process, a podcast in which one writer tells the story of crafting one work from concept to completion. He lives in Los Angeles and directs the Writers' Program at UCLA Extension. Then, Ryan L. Gosling , a multi-hyphenate theater artist, poet, and model based in West Palm Beach Florida, with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and African- American Studies, he attributes his competitive background in forensics, or speech and debate, as well as his deep dive into the Pan-African experience as the catalyst for his literary achievements. Ryan's Debut project BlackBoy Magic is a short collection of poetry divulging the experiences and perspectives of a Black, Fem, Gay, Christian coming of age. Following the author's mental and spiritual journey using the written language to reckon with the intersections of two marginalizing identities, Black and Queer.

Today's episode was recorded live over Zoom on February 28th, 2022. We start with a healthy open mic before we get into our headliners. First, is David Pevsner an LA-based actor, writer, and personal organizer. His diverse stage career ranges from regional theatre to Broadway, and he has appeared in many network TV shows and films. He continues his anti-shame, anti-ageism, pro-nudity and sexuality mission with his first book Damn Shame: A Memoir of Desire, Defiance, and Show Tunes which was recently published by Random House Canada. Then we hear from Gabriel Ramirez, a Queer Afro-Latinx poet, activist, and teaching artist. He has performed on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, United Nations, The Lincoln Center, Apollo Theatre and has been featured in Huffington Post, VIBE Magazine, Blavity, and Upworthy. His electrifying writing and performance are catalysts towards healing and brings awareness to mental health, Afro-Latinidad, the African Diaspora, self love, masculinity, and social change.

Today's episode was recorded live on January 24th, 2022. We begin the show with a stacked open mic, before our two amazing headliners. First, is Sister Unity, a gay orange Hindu drag nun and one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with whom she has corrupted the corrupt and upheld Queer dharma for the last 26 years. Then, we have Baruch Porras-Hernandez, who has featured and competed in Poetry Slams all over the country, and in Montreal, Canada! He is a queer gay Mexican living in San Francisco who runs the Latinx variety literary showcase “Donde Esta Mi Gente?” often sponsored by KQED!

On today's episode, we take a look back at some of our favorite pieces from 2021. You'll hear from open micers, headliners, and our wonderful host Tony Soto with his reflections on the past year.

Today's episode was recorded live on November 22nd, 2021-- we start with our open mic and then jump into our headliners. First is, Raven Daniels, a Brooklyn bred, New Orleans based artist, poet and teacher on a quest to understand themself and the world they live in. Using analog photography and poetry as a tool to question the nuance and parallels of identity, spirituality and ancestry. Then we hear from Ray, an 18 yr old youth poet from the city of Miami. Her work tries hard to reflect the world around her. She writes on blackness, queerness, religion, and having a body. She recently performed a piece at the Perez Art Museum in answer to their newest art exhibition The Artist as Poet. She continues to be as active as possible in the poetry community and is a part of a local poetry collective called "Voices: Poetry for the People."

Today's episode was recorded live on October 25th, 2021 on Zoom. We begin with some new voices at our open mic before this month's headliners. First, Queer author, activist, and grassroots historian Owen Keehnen. His newest book, Voices in Isolation: 4 Queer Plays at a Social Distance, comes out next month. He is a cofounder of the LGBTQ history, arts, education organization, the Legacy Project and was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2011. He is part of the founding group dedicated to making AIDS Garden Chicago a reality. He lives in Chicago with his husband Carl and their two dogs. Then, Kai Davis, she is a Black Queer writer, performer, and teaching artist from Philadelphia. Her work explores Blackness, Queerness, womanhood, and the many ways these identities converge. In 2017 Kai received the Leeway Transformation Award for her art for social change work in Philadelphia. She is currently a Co-Organizer for The Philly Pigeon poetry slam and retreat, Poetry Editor for Apiary Magazine, member of The Philadelphia Poet Laureate Committee, and the 2020 NextFab x Leeway Art and Technology Artist-in-Residence. Kai has performed for TEDX Philly, CNN, BET, PBS, and NPR, and her work has been published in The Offing (2018), The Shade Journal (2019), and Mouths of Rain (2021) among others.

It's our Three Year Anniversary! Today's episode was recorded live over Zoom on September 27th, 2021. First, James Sie is the author of the YA novel All Kinds of Other, which was listed by Kirkus as one of “Eight YA books that Could Change Your Mind.” His debut novel, Still Life Las Vegas, was a Lambda Literary Award nominee for Best Gay Fiction. An award-winning playwright, he has had productions performed in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and across the country. He has contributed essays to Pen America, The Rumpus, and The Advocate. In addition to writing, James is also a voiceover artist for many cartoons and games, including Stillwater, Jackie Chan Adventures, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, where his excessive love of cabbages has earned him immortal fame. James lives in Los Angeles with his husband and son. Then, Kennon B Raines was a member of LA's first poetry slam team to San Francisco in '93. She is an actress & performance poet having performed her poetry in: London, Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, NYC and Los Angeles. Her poetry was presented in a one-woman show at LaMama E.T.C. in NYC, at the Toronto Film Festival, and in several independent films. She's lived in Virginia, Georgia, NYC, and Los Angeles. Yet no matter where she lived throughout her adult life, to paraphrase Tennessee Williams, she has always been nurtured by the kindness of gay men.

Today's episode was recorded live on August 23rd, 2021 on Zoom.this month we are featuring and raising money for the LA Writer's walk team participating in AIDS Walk LA which funds the critical work done by AIDS Project Los Angeles . Some of the walk team members are here for the open mic and will be sharing some beautiful stories with us. Our first headliner is Gordon Blitz. After spending forty years as an accountant, Gordon retired in 2017 and became a writing machine. During 2020, Gordon had published work in Wingless Dreamer, Two Hawks Quarterly, The Doctor T.J.Eckleburg Review, Issue #22 of Really Systems, Gay Wicked Ways and Emeritus Chronicles. On January 1st 2021, his novella Shipped Off was published as part of the Running Wild Press Novella Anthology Volume four, book one. He's a standup comic who has performed at Canter's and The Blackbox Theater at the GLBT Village in Hollywood. He was also a contestant on “Hear My Story” that was featured on IMRU. His blog URL is: https://culturecritique.blog/ Finally we hear from C.R.U.S.H., a literary and spoken word artist who has performed internationally and is a nationally ranked slam poet. They are the15th ranked female poet in the nation (Women of the World Poetry Slam 2020) and the 30th ranked poet in the world (iWPS). They are a member of the Dallas Poetry Slam Team where they took 1st place at Southwest Shootout 2019 Team Competition and 2nd Place at SoFried 2019 and IPS 2021 Regional Poetry Team Competition Their purpose is merging poetry, art, and positive energy to help others find healing and inner power to create their desired realities.

Today's episode was recorded live on July 26th, 2021. This week we have a stellar open mic for you filled with familiar voices and some new ones. Then we have two amazing headliners--first is Cody Sisco, he is an author, editor, publisher, and literary community organizer. His LGBT science fiction series explores mental illness and stigma in an alternate world. He publishes and serves as a co-editor for the Made in L.A. Writers fiction anthology series. In 2017 he founded BookSwell, a literary events and media company to amplify the voices of writers from historically excluded communities. Then we round out the night with Don, he is a queer black male born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City. Don holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Wells College and a master of arts in public relations from Syracuse University. His educational background and life experiences have allowed him to become educated in the societal struggles of the intersectionality of the queer black person. Don writes poetry for Queer People of Color (QPOC) and black people to feel empowered when they feel exhausted because of societal oppression. He wants people always to remember that nobody can stop a mind that's already made up.

Today's episode was recorded live on June 28th, 2021 on Zoom. Tony Soto is back as our host after a short sabbatical. We start with our open mic and then get right into our headliners. First, is Anthony Aguero, a queer writer who currently lives in Los Angeles. His work has been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize and his first collection of poetry, Burnt Spoon Burnt Honey, is to be published in January 2022 with Flower Song Press. Then we have Adrian Silbernagal, a queer and transgender writer and educator in Lousiville, KY. He is the writer of the blog "Thinking Queerly" for the publication Queer Kentucky and facilitates inclusivity workshops through the organization as well. Adrian has published two books of poetry - 'Transitional Object,' published in 2019 with The Operating System, and 'Late Style,' published in 2021 with Nanny Goat Press.

Today’s episode was recorded live on May 24th, 2021 on Zoom. Drag queen extraordinaire, triple-threat, and co-host of IMHO: The Show on YouTube, Alexis P. Bevels, steps in for Tony Soto and presides over an open mic that spans the globe! Then, our headliners: 2019 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow, Dare Williams (he/him) is a Queer HIV-positive poet and artist, rooted in Southern California. He is a co-producer of both of the reading series Word of Mouth and West Hollywood Literature fest. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and Best American Poets 2021. Then we have Anya Lee— she is a transgender rapper, online cyber bully, and comedian. You can find her column The Bussy Beat on QueerKentucky.com.

Today's episode was recorded live on April 26th, 2021 on Zoom. Casey Ley steps in as guest host! He starts with our open mic and then we get into our headliners. Craig Rafael Parish is a longtime Film Festival Programmer for Outfest LA and Slamdance, he started at Sony Pictures Entertainment writing taglines for movie billboards and directing behind the scenes docs. For the past 6 years, Craig has worked as the Lead Creative Producer and head writer for Spectrum Originals. He is currently busy working on a follow up installment to his short form novel- The Glitter Pit (a bitter look at fame's failure). Finally we have Jin-Soo Huh, who has spent his career working in education as a teacher, administrator, columnist, independent consultant and now as an employee at a non-profit. He grew up in Rancho Cucamonga in the 909 and crisscrossed the country a few times before returning to his favorite city, Chicago. He's an educator, tennis player, sweet tooth, napper, and storyteller.

This episode was recorded live on March 22nd, 2021 on Zoom. We start with a particularly moving open mic hosted by the wonderful Tony Soto, before getting into our two talented headliners-- first we hear from upcoming Lambda Lit Fellow, Dale Corvino, with his essay on kink for The Rumpus and an essay on the growing constraints around adult online content. Finally, is Molly Thornton, a Los Angeles based, queer, femme, multi-genre writer and writing coach. She is a Lambda Literary Fellow and City of West Hollywood Pride Poet. You can hang with her on socials @molly__parton.

This episode was recorded live over zoom on February 22nd, 2021-- we start with a lovely open mic before we get to our headliners. First is Terrell Green, he is a poet, podcaster, playwright, cat dad, and designer of creative cultural communities. His podcast, "Finding My Faith, Forgiving My Fear" and his poetry audio ebook, "Dharma: Recovering Terrell'' both focusing on his spiritual journey to self through sobriety, can be found at www.tmgreen267.com. Then we round out the night with Ramy El-Etreby, a queer, Muslim, Arab American writer, performer, storyteller and educator based in Los Angeles. His story, “The Ride,” appears in the 2014 anthology Salaam, Love: American Muslim Men on Love, Sex and Intimacy. Ramy later developed “The Ride'' into a solo theatre piece, which he has performed in New York and Los Angeles. You can find him on IG and Twitter at the handle @dramarams.

We are thrilled to be back and to be bringing you another year of slams! We start today's episode with our lovely host, Tony Soto and our open mic, before jumping right into our two wonderful headliners. Ryan Dale is a husband, father, teacher, and writer. After being haunted by the fictional history of fictional characters for more than eight years, he hopes to “finish” his first novel before his next birthday. Asher Phoenix, is a non-binary freelance photographer, writer, mental health advocate, dog dad, and self-proclaimed tiktoker. They are a Midwest to LA transplant of 3 years, and are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Previously featured at Homo-centric, and with artist & activism organization, Be More Heroic, Asher deeply values the power of artistic expression through words and sharing the lived neurodivergent transgender experience through their poetry and prose.

In a year beset with grief and chaos, we are bringing you the pieces that stuck with us. That gave us hope, made us chuckle, made us weep. We are grateful to every writer and performer who came across both our actual and digital stages this year. Your words have been a refuge.

This episode was on November 23rd, 2020. We kick off the episode with a lovely open mic before our headliners-- first is freelance writer Skylar Baker-Jordan. His work has appeared in a number of publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including Salon, Huff Post UK, and The Advocate. He is a former contributing editor for The Gay UK Magazine, where he lead their coverage of the 2017 UK general election. More recently, he has been regularly featured as an opinion writer for The Independent, one of the UK's most esteemed newspapers. He currently resides in East Tennessee, where he is writing his first novel, which he describes as Game of Thrones meets Charles Dickens. Then we hear from returning headliner, Roger Q. Mason. They are an award-winning writer, performer, educator and podcast host. Their writing has been performed on Broadway through the Circle in the Square Reading Series, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway and regionally. Mason is the recipient of the Chuck Rowland Pioneer Award for excellence in queer playwriting, an honoree of the Kilroys List and the inaugural celebrant of the Obie-winning Fire This Time Festival's Alumni Spotlight program. They hold degrees from Princeton University, Middlebury College, and Northwestern University.

This episode was recorded live on October 26th, 2020. We begin with a lively open mic, hosted by Tony Soto, before our two wonderful headliners. First, from Salem, Massachusetts, Noah Griffin is a florist and filmmaker based in East LA. A creative at heart, they enjoy telling stories through poetry, dance, and other mediums. Their work often centers around themes of identity, race and of course, love. Then is Casey Ley, a pre-covid Comedian, co-host of The Gay Power Half Hour, and one of Time Out LA’s Comics to Watch.

This episode was recorded live on September 28th, 2020 on Zoom. We begin our two year anniversary show with two open micers before getting into our two headliners. First, Adam Swanson. He is a writer and works as an advocate specializing in public health equity. His writing has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, the Lambda Literary Review, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. He works full-time at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, and is a master's student in the Creative Writing Program at Emerson College in Boston. Then, we have Bobby Miller. He is a performance poet, writer, actor and photographer. He is the author of 23 books of photography and poetry and all books are available at Blurb.com. He has performed his original material at Lincoln Center, The Smithsonian Institute, New York University, and was also a winner in The National Poetry Slam as a member of The Nuyorican Poets. He has been seen on television on the PBS program City Arts and the BBC/PBS produced program The Clive James Hour. Mr. Miller also curated and hosted Verbal Abuse, a spoken word evening, the first Sunday of each month at Jackie 60 & Mother Nightclub in New York City.

This episode was recorded live on August 24th, 2020 on Zoom. We begin with a moving and personal open and then get right to our headliners. First, is Summer Doles Warner, the author of the poetry collection, “Dancing to Songs About Death.” She is an actress, a freelance writer, and a teacher. Her essays have appeared on sites like Scary Mommy and The Mighty. She is also a foster mom and provides child care for foster and adoptive parent support groups. Then we hear from Cornelius Lee-- an advocate for those who reside on the margins of society without their consent; a proud Black gay man; a conscientious objector; a work in progress; and a leader and learner of concepts related to diversity, inclusion, and equity. His passion projects include teaching people about wine through an equity lens and writing about issues related to race, class, and power.

This episode was recorded live on July 27th, 2020 on Zoom. We start with a lively open mic full of new and familiar faces before getting into our headliners. First, is Ever Mainard a non-binary comedian and actor that can be seen on Netflix as well as in the Conan O'Brian series, "Meet the Staff." You can follow them on IG & Twitter @evermainard . Then we hear from Arlo Weierhauser, a stand up comedian, actor, and all around pretty fun person. They can be seen in the Disney plus movie, Timmy Failure and on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

This episode was recorded live on June 22nd, 2020 on ZOOM. We start with a short and sweet open mic before getting to our two wonderful headliners. First, is Tyler Curth a queer poet and violist from Louisville, KY. He received his MFA from North Carolina State University in 2018. He recently took a position with the National Captioning Institute in Lexington, KY as a Live Voice Writer. Then, we have Isiah Fish-- a poet and performer also from Louisville, KY who wants you to be kinder to yourself. He holds an MFA in Poetry from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, where he worked as editor for Crab Orchard Review. His poems have appeared in Blood Orange Review, Miracle Monocle, & Foglifter.

This week's show was recorded live on Zoom on May 25th, 2020. We start with a word from host, Tony Soto, then we get into an open mic that is filled with familiar voices, before our headliners: First, is Alexis P. Bevels. She's a Chicago drag queen, winner of season 1 of camp wannakiki, and head intern for the hit YouTube network IMHO. Then, Jesus Valles, a queer Mexican immigrant, educator, storyteller, and performer from Cd. Juarez/El Paso. Their work has been published in The Shade Journal, The Texas Review, The New Republic, Palabritas, The Acentos Review. As an actor, they are the recipient of four B. Iden Payne Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama and Outstanding Original Script. They were nominated for the Mark David Cohen New Play Award for their play, (Un)Documents. Resources: The Trevor Project - 1-866-488-7386 The Trans Lifeline - 1-877-565-8860 Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1-800-273-8255

Today's episode is very special because it is our first Digital Slam. We opened the floor up to the entire world and recorded it live on Zoom on April 27th, 2020. We have a wonderful open mic that includes a few familiar voices and some new ones. Then we hop right into our headliners. First, is Adam Swanson, he is a writer and health equity advocate specializing in suicide prevention. He's a 2020 Writing by Writers fellow and a former Lambda Literary fellow. Adam works as the Senior Prevention Specialist at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. Then we hear from Boots McCann-- who is the woman she has always wanted to be. Her queer origin story involves a farm, a bug collection, ass shaking, international travel disasters, and becoming a bicyclist at age 40. Boots lives in Chicago with the woman of her dreams and wants to be on an NBA Senior Dance Team when she grows up.

This week is a very special edition of Queer Slam. Due to the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 we were not able to record a new episode in March. So, we decided to do an episode we have been wanting to do for a while. Gordon Blitz is one our favorite and most consistent open micers-- he's attended nearly every slam. His humorous and heartfelt stories delight listeners and attendees every month and we thought this was a perfect opportunity to celebrate a writer that feels like part of the Queer Slam family.

This week’s episode was recorded live on February 24th, 2020 at Akbar in Silverlake, Los Angeles. We begin with our open mic before hearing two unbelievable stories from our headliners-- first is Oscar Montoya, his credits include the Spanish Aqui Presents Podcast, Inside The Disney Vault Podcast, and the FOX animated series Bless The Harts. Then we hear from Todd Masterson who runs the popular Instagram account Gay Fat Friend.

This week’s episode was recorded live on January 27th, 2020 at Akbar in Silverlake, Los Angeles. First on today’s episode, you'll hear from our lovely host Tony Soto, then we get right into it because this month we had a stacked open mic! Finally, we hear from headliner Jared Goldstein. He’s been seen on ABC’s Modern Family, is one of the New York Comedy Festival’s Comics to watch, and just performed in the CBS Showcase 2020.

Happy New Year from Queer Slam! This month we celebrate the very best of 2019 with some of our favorite pieces and performers. Thank you to every single person who shared their story with us last year-- we can’t wait for all 2020 has in store. We are back at Akbar in Silverlake, Los Angeles for our live show on January 26th at 8PM!

This weeks episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on November 25th, 2019. We begin with an open mic chock full of talent. We expected it to be full of holiday pieces but instead it was full of pieces about sex. Then we move on to our headliners-- first is Gabriel Carnick, a nationally recognized writer who has been published in magazines, books, and low-rent college pamphlets. She is currently finishing her first solo book of poetry. For her main hustle, Gabriel works as a freelance film Director and Cinematographer and has a passion for promoting the awareness of social justice issues and queer content. Finally, we hear from Philip Littell, a librettist who has written the books and lyrics for numerous works with a roll-call of modern American composers. He performs his own songs, has been in bands, and also written musical plays. His credits go back so far they are guaranteed to be meaningless to a modern audience, imperishable moments of tarnished glory in forgotten venues, horrible flops best forgotten, and very little in-between. But-- he says-- there is always tomorrow...and today.

This weeks episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on October 28th, 2019. We start with an open mic with new faces and halloween themed pieces before this month’s headliners. Ryan Opton takes a headliner spot for the first time to share some of his thoughtful poems, he is from Lubbock, TX, went to Pepperdine University, and is the winner of the 2019 Van Nuys comedy festival. Finally we end the night with the sometimes writer, sometimes actor, and star of the feature film Pig Hag, available on iTunes and Amazon, Anna T Schlegel.

This weeks episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on September 23rd, 2019. It's a very special show because it is the one-year anniversary of Queer Slam. Thank you for your support! We start with an open mic mostly filled with tried and true Queer Slam family-- before jumping into our two headliners. First, we hear another lyrical poem from Author Joshua Castro before comedian Pete Zias rounds out the night with a wild tale from his personal life.

This weeks episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on August 28, 2019. We start with a small but mighty open mic and get right into our headliners Shane Kalminski a writer living in Hollywood. He grew up near Detroit, Michigan. He loves movies and theatre, traveling and lazy nights at home. He’s already started decorating for Fall. Then, Michael Narkunski a Staten Island survivor with overly personal essays in Out, The Advocate, Narratively, and two LGBT anthologies. He is also a scriptwriter, with short plays produced in NYC and LA.

This episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on July 21st, 2019. This week we start with our fabulous open mic with a mix of familiar voices and some new ones. Then we move on to our headliners! Anthony AW is an LA-based writer whose work has been published in a myriad of lit reviews and poetry rags. His micro-chapbook, Pantoum'd!, will be published by Ghost City Press for their 2019 Summer Series. We close out the show with Rodnisha Ford. She is a young African American healer who often uses writing to connect to the deepest and most sincere parts of humanity. Determined to encourage and inspire everyone in her path, Rodnisha is dedicated to using her love of poetry and passion for change to help her connect and journey with all those wanting to dive into a better tomorrow.

This episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on June 16th, 2019 right smack dab in the middle of pride month. This week we hear from an incredible group of open micers with everything from reflections on pride to a poem about our very own host Tony Soto. Then we hear from comedian, writer, pianist & texan-- Daniel Rugg Webb. He has been featured on MSNBC & in the pages of Butt Magazine.

Today's episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake, Los Angeles on May 30th, 2019. We begin the episode with our open micers before getting right into our headliners. First, is Tai Farnsworth, a mixed-race, queer writer based in Los Angeles who earned her MFA in writing from Antioch University. Her work can be found in 'The Quotable,' 'CutBank Literary,' & 'The Evansville Review,' among many others. Then we hear from drag queen, Felony Dodger, a self-proclaimed art f*g from the Midwest living in LA. She is a cast member of the Dragula Franchise. She’ll sew your clothes, she’ll sculpt your props, she’ll take your portraits, and she’ll definitely meet you in the bathroom after the show.

This episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on April 21st, 2019. We start with our open-micers and then we hear from our headliners. First, is Charles Jensen-- he is the author of two poetry collections and six chapbooks. His poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Crab Orchard Review, Prairie Schooner, and others. He directs the Writers' Program at UCLA Extension. Then we hear from Larry Powell an actor, writer, and producer born and raised in South Central LA. He is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, and a Three-time NAACP theatre award nominee whose play Lost Dog will be premiering in Los Angeles.

This is the second half of our show recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on March 17th, 2019. First, we'll hear the rest of our jam-packed open mic, and then, from our second headliner, Mark Gindi. Mark is a writer and psychiatrist living in Los Angeles. His work has been featured in the Los Angeles Review of Books and the Hastings Center Report. Recently, he was the psychiatric consultant to the Netflix series Maniac.

This is the first half of our live show at Akbar in Silverlake on March 17th, 2019. First, Tony talks partying at 40, we have a jam-packed open mic, before hearing from our first headliner Rebecca Bendheim. She writes stories, songs, poetry, and too many text messages in a row.

This is the second half of our special two-part episode recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on February 17th, 2019. We pick up with the rest of our open mic and hear our second headliner, Ramy El-Etreby. He is a queer, Muslim, Arab- American, writer, performer and storyteller.

This is the first half of a special two-part episode recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on February 17th, 2019. Tony talks about creating a child, we have a diverse & incredible open mic, and Hank Henderson is our headliner. He is a writer and the curator of Homo-centric-- LA’s longest-running LGBTQ lit series.

This episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on January 20th, 2019. First, host Tony Soto explores the American Dream.Then, we hear an incredible series of open mic perfromers and end with poet Jeffrey Perkins and interdisciplanary multimedia artist, Jason Jenn.

We start with a lively LA story from host Tony Soto, hear an open mic with a wide array of performers, and end with two moving pieces from author Ricco Siasoco and playwright Roger Q. Mason. This episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on December 16th, 2018.

We start with a bewitching story from Tony, an open mic featuring Queer Slam’s very own Sam Probst, and round it out with headliners Venk Modur and Ryan Simantel. The episode was recorded live at Akbar in Silverlake on October 21st, 2018.

We start with a diverse group of open mic performers and end with one more piece by Nate Lovell. This is the second half of our live show from September 30th, 2018 at Akbar Silverlake.

We start with our open mic performers and finish up the show with pieces from this month's headliners: Provvidenza Catalano and Nate Lovell accompanied on the guitar and vocals by Humble. Recorded live at Akbar Silverlake on September 30th, 2018.