Breaking the Silence: Queer Life in NE Ohio

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Anthology

Friday, April 9, 2021, Literary Cleveland published a new online anthology called "Breaking the Silence: Queer Self, Life, and Love in Northeast Ohio." The anthology features original poems and essays by 14 local writers and highlights the wealth of perspectives in the queer and trans community of Greater Cleveland.

"Breaking the Silence" was designed and led by Literary Cleveland intern and Oberlin student Alexander Saint Franqui as part of Literary Cleveland's new Amplify Projects series, which is designed to empower, uplift, and celebrate communities by giving them the platform to tell their own stories on their own terms.

Franqui was inspired to create this anthology by the national Day of Silence, an annual student protest again the harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ2 students in schools. On this day, usually observed on the second Friday of April, students around the country and the world take a vow of silence to draw attention to the voices we lose when LGBTQ2 individuals are forced to silence themselves. At the end of the day, participants Break the Silence by attending various rallies and events to share their stories. For this reason, Literary Cleveland’s new anthology was published on April 9th, the traditional Day of Silence.

Read anthology here.

This project is presented in partnership with The Buckeye Flame, The Cleveland Street Chronicle, GLSEN Northeast Ohio, and TransFamily Cleveland.