Tour stop #11: Spoke on the WeHo Reads authors panel organized by the City of West Hollywood to commemmorate National Coming Out Day and read two excerpts from A Family, Maybe.
Together, as part of our discussion about creating and writing about queer families and communities, writers Meliza Bañales, Hazel Kight Witham, the moderator Cody Sisco, and I explored the following questions:
- How do we give and receive love in the families we build or choose?
- How do we navigate pathways to LGBTQ+ parenting?
- What power does storytelling convey for queer families and folks in the margins?
We reflected on the evolution of coming out with the rise in equality and visibility of LGBTQ+ individuals and families. Our conversation addressed giving and receiving love in the families we build or choose, pathways to LGBTQ parenting, as well as the power of being out, the power of community, and the power of storytelling for families and folks in the margins.
Through sharing our writing, stories, and insights, I felt that our experiences added up to something bigger than us, a wider, more vibrant vision of family and community.
WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood and produced by BookSwell, a literary events and media company dedicated to lifting up writers from historically excluded communities. Additional support is provided by media partnerships with Book Soup (where I had spoken on Father’s Day this year) and the Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB).
Thanks for inviting me, WeHo Reads, and Happy Coming Out Day!
Watch the complete recording of the panel here and drop me a note or comment!
Lane Igoudin | Author, Professor, Dad 