The Minnesota State Arts Board funded me to work on what I call the “Not My First Pandemic” project. In the last year I have been working on a poetry manuscript titled “My First Pandemic” about my experiences during the AIDS crisis. This is a story that is told through the lens of living through the recent, my second, pandemic. I held workshops across the state to gather stories from the LGBTQIA+ community about our experiences with AIDS and Covid. Everything that I write, and all the stories that I collect, will be donated to the Tretter LGBTQ Archives at the University of Minnesota for posterity.

This finale at Open Book is the concluding event for the grant, although the work will likely continue. I will read from my new writings related to this project, and invite past workshop participants to join me to tell their stories. There will be music and a reception.