About

Queer and trans authors come together to share original poetry works at Chicago's lesbian lounge. Join us for an evening of queer poetry at Dorothy! This showcase features queer and trans authors sharing sparkling and vulnerable poetry about love, heartbreak, desire, and how we knit our communities together. All our readers will have books, chaps, zines, and other merchandise for sale after the show! FEATURING Bridget Gordon Aunty Calhoun Sam Herschel Wein Talie M Zrihen Doors open at 6pm and our event begins at 7pm. Dorothy remains open after the event until 11pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Dorothy is 21+ and requires physical or mobile ID for all to enter. Dorothy is also ADA accessible with elevator access on Campbell Ave. If you are a guest who requires elevator access, please wait by the black doors with our logo in the window and call our staff to assist: 773-770-3799 Please note: refund requests are only available until 24h before the show (9/28, 7pm). No other refund requests will be honored. --------------- ABOUT THE POETS Bridget Gordon (she/her, fae/faer) is a queer trans woman and emerging poet living in Chicago. A former MFA student and current healthcare worker, her poetry, songwriting, and short-form prose is enraptured with queer longing, identity, liminality, and desire. She has past or forthcoming publications in Moist Poetry Journal, TRANS MAG, Pink Poetry Club, Coin-Operated Press, Pitymilk Press, and Red Rock Review. Fae is the author of the self-published chapbook, the rest is up to you, love, released in Summer 2026. Her debut full-length poetry collection, if you know the color of their eyes it’s already too late, will be published by Raging Opossum Press in Fall 2026. Fae lives with her husband, metamour, cats, a blue electric guitar named Evie, and an ominously large TBR pile. Aunty Geraldine King Pennycandy-Calhoun (they/she) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago.With a creative practice that toes the line between community service and cathartic exploration, Aunty uses emotional self-critique as a foundation for projects that seek to engage and amplify community. She also insists that you not take her too seriously. Aunty publishes Sisyphan, a laborious poetry & arts zine, via their exploratory project pennycandybuildingco. They have also had work featured in Fruitslice, Unwoven Literary Magazine, Aquatic Panda Distro’s Hallowzine, and elsewhere. Usually, though, they are just around. Sam Herschel Wein (he/they) is a lollygagging plum of a poet who specializes in perpetual frolicking. Residing in the best city in the world, CHICAGO, Sam has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tennessee and was the recipient of a 2022 Pushcart Prize. They have published four chapbooks, most recently Love that For Us, a collaboration with Chen Chen, with & Change Press. He co-founded and edits Underblong. Sam has recent work in Electric Literature, Third Coast, and Puerto del Sol, among others. They can be found in the cheese aisle of most stores, in the middle of a hug, or editing poems at your local coffee shop. Talie M Zrihen (they/them) is a queer, trans, first-generation Moroccan American artist and poet from Chicago. They’ve been published in a few places, but who cares? They make zines in their parents’ basement and sell them for zero dollars, with a few titles including: HER; not, not a boy, not, not a girl; from seeds to full bloom; and begging for a handful. Talie’s work addresses both the political and spiritual aspects of their existence, but mostly, it’s poems about their exes.

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