For two hours once a month, queer individuals (and non-queer allies) of any identity can enjoy the spoken word at Queer Poetry Night at Salt Lake’s queer bookstore, Under the Umbrella.

A Space For All

Poetry night takes on a loose meaning, as participants can share any form of written literature, from traditional poems to slam poetry to flash fiction. Works can either be written by the reader or taken from literature that moved the reader in some way. Last Sunday, Feb. 26, participants heard original works, pieces written by friends and some beautiful poetry from existing works. Anything that relates to the queer experience in some way can be read aloud before an audience of fellow queer folk.

With no need to register beforehand, anyone who wanted to share was welcome to come up as they felt inspired to and read their poetry aloud as ASL interpreters translated the work for deaf and hard of hearing audience members. The rather small room became rather packed as dozens of queer folk scrambled into accessible seating or squatted across the floor.

“I am the rib left behind by God”

Each piece shared was unique and meaningful in their own way. Alexis Perno, a communications major at the University of Utah, shared an original piece titled “I Am” that begins, “I am the rib left behind by God.” The piece was inspired by how their Catholic upbringing complicates their gender identity. They began writing it in 2019 after recognizing how their relationship with religion paralleled emotional abuse, but they didn’t finish the poem until last fall when they decided to officially begin their gender transition and start testosterone.

Ripe with carefully conceived religious metaphors, the slam poem’s exploration of gender identity, existing within femininity but craving masculinity, brought a tear to my eye — as did many of the poems that followed. Though I’m currently studying literature, I never considered myself much of a poem person. But hearing the experiences of so many queer folk, youth, adults and even seniors, expressed in such beautiful language, having a space to express emotions that can’t always be conveyed through prose, that require language as complex and open to interpretation as themselves, felt real. It felt important. 

Queer Abundance in a World of False Scarcity

Perno was able to put my reaction to the event into words as poetic as their literature, saying, “I think, especially with queerness, visibility is a double edged sword. It is so needed and it is also so hard to be visibly queer. That is exactly why it is needed, because it is hard. I think spaces like this that prioritize not only queer visibility but queer joy and queer expression and queer grieving and healing, like poetry, I think that’s really, really important, and I think that’s very therapeutic in a world where we’re told to be a palatable type of queer. Spaces like this one are so important to encourage abundance when all we’re told is to accept scarcity.”

Under the Umbrella certainly showcases the abundance that queer folk can enjoy, from their instant accommodation to their overt acceptance and even their overflowing stock of queer literature that is typically relegated to one dark corner hidden from view. Reject scarcity, and come listen to, or share, some beautiful art at Queer Poetry Night. 

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