We Do Not need permission to rise

When I was much younger, I used to go to Barnes & Noble in Freehold, NJ and search the shelves for gay books. At that time, there was half a shelf of literature for us, by us. I was so hungry for voices that spoke to me. I’m still hungry, though relieved that we fill entire bookstores with our stories, our poetics, our art, our survivals.

Thank you to Beyond the Veil Press for encouraging LGBTQ+ writers and artists to submit their work and for adding another book to the shelves, “We Do Not Need Permission to Rise”. We need more! This is how we continue to take up space and RISE.