ReadOUT 2021 Workshops

ReadOut 2021 Workshops and Special Events

ReadOut 2021 continued the party each month with ongoing events from April through November. Details can be found below; all events were held virtually.

ReadOut 2021 Festival of Lesbian Literature Revisited: Pearls
November, 2021: Premiered Each Week on Youtube

Join us in revisiting the Pearls from 2021’s ReadOut Festival of Lesbian Literature. We will be premiering different pearls each week on Youtube throughout the month. The schedule for premieres is below. If you miss one of the premieres, don’t worry — the Pearls videos will remain online for viewing on demand.

ReadOut: Putting the LGBTQ in P.I. Crime Fiction with Cheryl Head, Kristen Lepionka, and J.M. Redmann
Saturday, October 30, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm EDT

​Cheryl Head, Kristen Lepionka, and J. M. Redmann discuss their work as queer authors who write private investigator (P.I.) series with LGBTQ protagonists, including their writing process, how they choose series themes, how they select stories, and what their stories and protagonists bring to the genre. Audience members will be able to ask questions. This event is for those interested in literature by, for, and about lesbians across the spectrum of social identities.

ReadOut Writing Workshop with R. J. Samuel
Wednesday, October 20, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EDT

​ReadOut writing workshop focused on character development within the structure of writing. For those interested in literature by, for, and about lesbians of all ethnicities and across the spectrum of social identities. Interactive & participative. Event opens at 6:45pm for meet & greet.

ReadOut Workshop with Sonja Franeta & Winn Gilmore
Wednesday, September 8, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EDT

​ReadOut writing workshop with prompts and sharing. Workshop is for those interested in literature by, for, and about lesbians of all ethnicities. Interactive & participative. Event opens at 6:45pm for meet & greet.

​ReadOut Writing Workshop with R. J. Samuel
Wednesday, September 15, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EDT

​ReadOut writing workshop focused on structure and form. For those interested in literature by, for, and about lesbians of all ethnicities.  Interactive & participative. Event opens at 6:45pm for meet & greet.

ReadOut Presents: Celia Lang and Reading Your Work Aloud 
Saturday, September 25, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm EDT

​ReadOut workshop on how to effectively read your work aloud in-person and on Zoom. This workshop is interactive and participative and is for those interested in literature by, for, and about lesbians of all ethnicities. Come prepared to exercise your voice. If you can, bring a 1 minute piece to share for practice and feedback. Tips will be included for making a recorded submission for the 2022 ReadOut Festival of Lesbian Literature.

ReadOut Presents: Betty Jean Steinshouer: “Long Road from Red Cloud: Life Lessons from Willa Cather”
Saturday, August 28, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm EDT

​Betty Jean Steinshouer will talk with author friend Edie Daly about how the conclusions she reached in the book have informed her ongoing feeling and understanding about Willa Cather, whom she has spent her life studying and portraying. Steinshouer will show us short videos about Cather’s rightful place in history and culture. Participants can ask questions by raising their hand and through the chat. Zoom opens for meet & greet at 2:00 pm EDT.

​ReadOut Workshop with Sonja Franeta and Winn Gilmore
Wednesday, August 11, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EDT

​Interactive participant writing workshop with prompts and sharing. Zoom opens for meet & greet at 6:45 pm EDT.

ReadOut Writing Workshop with R. J. Samuel
Wednesday, August 18, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EDT

​Interactive participant writing workshop with sharing. Zoom opens for meet & greet at 6:45 pm EDT.

ReadOut Workshop with Sonja Franeta and Winn Gilmore
Wednesday, June 9, from 6:45 to 8:30 pm EDT

Writing workshop by, for, and about lesbian literature, with prompts and interactive sharing. Meet and greet at 6:45 pm, and event starts at 7:00 pm.

ReadOut with Jane Fleishman
Wednesday, June 16, 2021, from 6:45 to 8:30 pm EST

Jane Fleishman, author of The Stonewall Generation: LGBTQ Elders on Sex, Activism & Aging, presents an interactive discussion with participants on lesbian issues including sex, activism, and aging. Meet and greet at 6:45 pm, and event starts at 7:00 pm.

ReadOut: Writing Herstorical Fiction with Ellen Levy
Saturday, June 5, 2021, from 1:45 to 3:30 pm EDT

Celebrated author Ellen Levy reads from her book, Struggles in a Boston Marriage, followed by interactive participant discussion about writing on lesbian issues with a perspective that blends history and fiction. Meet and greet at 1:45 pm, and event starts at 2:00 pm.

ReadOut with Debra Gish and Crone Chronicles 20-20
Saturday, June 26, 2021, from 1:45 to 3:30 pm EDT

​Debra Gish, author and international lesbian feminist activist, reads from her book, Crone Chronicles 20-20: Intimately Inspiring Glimpses into the Lives of Wise Women 52+, and facilitates the 90-minute, interactive participants’ discussion by, for, and about lesbians. Meet and greet at 1:45 pm, and event starts at 2:00 pm.

Writing Workshop with Sonja Franeta and Winn Gilmore
Wednesday, May 12, 2021, from 6:45 to 8:30 pm EDT

Sonja Franeta and Winn Gilmore, authors, offer a woman-focused writing workshop for 90 minutes. Workshop participants are asked to send through our website contactor on our FB page a brief statement about yourself and what you would like to gain from this workshop. Meet & greet begins at 6:45pm; event begins at 7:00pm.

ReadOut Pearl Divers: Lesbian Writing Discussions with Nancy Manahan and Becky Bohan 
Wednesday, May 19, 2021, from 6:45 to 8:30 pm EDT

​Join Becky Bohan and Nancy Manahan, from the ReadOut 2021 Pearl segments, as we all dive deeper with interactive discussions after a short reading from their works. 
Becky Bohan, reads from A Light on Altered Land, a finalist for the 2021 Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) best general fiction award, exploring finding relevance and accepting a changing world for retirees Ellie Belmont and Kathryn Kepler after suffering life-changing losses. Their chance meeting in a Minneapolis coffee shop sparks a friendship of awakening and renewal. Nancy Manahan reads from On My Honor, Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience, documenting lesbian Girl Scouts. Manahan wrote the first book to explore the contributions lesbians have made to scouting. Meet & greet begins at 6:45pm; event begins at 7:00pm.

ReadOut Celebrates Lesbian Butches: Butch Yesterday & Today: A Look From Three Generations
Presented by Rand Hall, Merril Mushroom, and Jean Zeeb
Saturday, May 29, 2021, from 1:45pm to 3:30pm EDT

​Readings, then interactive discussion between the featured authors and participants. Meet & greet begins at 1:45 pm EDT; event is from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm EDT.

Writing Workshop with Sonja Franeta
Wednesday, April 14, 2021, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EDT

Sonja Franeta, author, offers in April a woman-focused, writing workshop for 90 minutes.  Sonja Franeta will concentrate on prose writing tips, but all writers welcome; and participants are asked to share what you write.

ReadOut Pearl Divers: Lesbian Writing Discussions with RJ Samuel
Wednesday, April 21, 2021, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EDT

R J Samuel, author appearing in ReadOut 2021 Pearls, is leading in April a selected Pearl segment that includes her. We will broadcast 30 minutes of the prerecorded Pearl featuring R J Samuel and four other authors: Sandra Gail Lambert, A Certain Loneliness, Bonnie Morris, Earlier Households, S.W. Andersen, A Call to Justice, and Erin Zak, The Other Women. R J Samuel will facilitate one hour of interactive discussion about the writings, for 90 minutes total. 

ReadOut Poetry Workshop: “One Good Queer Line” with Monica Barron
Saturday, April 17, 2021, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm EDT

Monica Barron presents a poetry workshop focused on lesbians who are hoping they have one good line in them. What is a line? What is a queer line? Something that punctures, deflates, sets on fire, or causes the collapse of a received narrative? Bring a line to this workshop that we can share and discuss. Let’s use poetry to undo those “received narratives” by means of a good queer line, and open the door to more: more sounds, more images, more authentic worlds to inhabit.

ReadOut Poetry Workshop: “Song as Embodied Speech” with Beth York
Saturday, April 24, 2021, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm EDT

Beth York, composer/lyricist who performed at ReadOut 2021, presents a songwriting workshop, pairing words with musical elements such as harmony, and including forms such as the blues and ballads. 

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