Pride & Prejudice: Writing from Outside the Margins ($25)
There’s something unique about the LGBTQ imagination. We know about being hated, being made fun of, being endangered in some countries. We know about losing friends, losing our churches, losing our families. Those of us who are writers know the haunting questions: Should I mention this? Will anyone want to publish this? Will coming out carry consequences I won’t be able to bear?
When I first started writing books in the late 80s, the publishers encouraged me to stay in the closet. “We’ll lose the Catholics” they’d say, or “we’ll lose the Methodists,” depending on who the publishers were. They had no idea what it felt like to be told “tell the truth about everything but that.” It was like telling a painter they can use every color but yellow in their painting.
Times have changed but many of us are still living with questions—who is my audience for this? How is my writing a cultural contribution? What power has my differentness given or taken away from me?
This 90 minute seminar is a chance to share our victories and struggles as marginalized writers, to receive resources on queer-friendly publishers, and to respond to writing prompts that open doors to our inner spaces.
Jan Phillips is a queer feminist writer who connects the dots between spiritual intelligence, evolutionary creativity, and social transformation. She is the author of eleven award-winning books, has taught in over 25 countries, and has published work in the New York Times, Ms., Newsday, People, Parade Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, New Age Journal, National Catholic Reporter, and Sun Magazine. Her memoir, Still On Fire—Field Notes from a Queer Mystic, was released by Unity Books in October 2021. Her books have been endorsed by Gloria Steinem, Jean Houston, Barbara Marx Hubbard and Joanna Macy.
Jan has produced three CDs of original music, several videos, and a seven-hour audio program called Creating Every Day. Her chapbook Born Gay is available for free on her website, www.janphillips.com
