We are very excited to be hosting this evening of readings with a wonderful group of writers.
Janeth A. Benjamin is a freelance writer, poet and author, podcaster living in the Bronx, New York. She has two published poetry collections, Bloom by 30, The Miki Chronicles and April Showers. She has been published online and in print on varying topics related to her Jamaican culture, motivation and general observations with the intent to inspire and motivate her readers. An avid reader, Janeth also considers herself a storyteller. Through her poetry and writing she hopes to inspire and motivate her readers to find themselves through rediscovery and reflection. She recently published an anthology called, I Am My Father’s Daughter, A collection of stories about father-daughter relationships. All books can be found Amazon and you can keep up with her on social media @themikichronicles
At 17, Perry Brass hitchhiked from his birthplace, Savannah, GA, to San Francisco in 1965, in order to be openly queer. He joined the Gay Liberation Front in November, 1969, shortly after his 22nd birthday: a complete turning point in his life. The last 3 issues of Come Out!, the GLF newspaper, were published from his New York Hell’s Kitchen apartment. In 1972, he co-founded the Gay Men’s Health Project Clinic, the first clinic specifically for gay men on the East Coast, now Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. He has published 20 books, ranging from poetry to self-help to science fiction. His latest is A Real Life, “Like Mark Twain with Drag Queens,” a memoir. He has lived in Riverdale for 30 years and loves it. He can be reached through his website perrybrass.com
Orlando Ferrand is a poet, writer, translator, and multidisciplinary artist. He’s currently working on a collection of short stories and creative nonfiction. He facilitates creative writing and arts workshops for the New York Writers Workshop and the Bronx Council on the Arts. A graduate of Columbia University, City College and Parsons School of Design, he’s the author of the award-winning poetry collections Star Witness, Citywalker, La Otra Isla, Anatomy of Birthdays, and the memoir Apologia: Cuban Childhood in My Backpack. Ferrand is a contributing writer and artist to several online and print publications and art director of CreateTank Press. His featured TED talk and recital, “Underneath the Accent of My Skin,” establishes poetry and visual arts as his innermost identify ritual. Ferrand’s multidisciplinary work has been showcased at The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Miller Theatre, Sunday Salon, The Miss Manhattan Reading Series, and The New York City Poetry Festival, among other landmark venues and reading series. OrlandoFerrand.net
Lee Huttner lives in Riverdale by way of (mostly) Pennsylvania. His writing has appeared in several publications, including At Length, Hippocampus, and Palimpsest. His essay "The Stone Grows Without Rain" was a finalist for the Southeast Review Narrative Nonfiction Prize, and his essay "Once We Were Snow" (The Pinch) received a 2020 Pushcart Prize Special Mention. His hybrid work "The Wrecking Ground" was serialized online by Spectrum. He is a proud NYC public schools teacher.
Michael Steigman is a poet, writer and comedian who has performed at open mic nights at Art in the Basin at Mon Amour Coffee & Wine, BAPHTA Open Mic, Inqueery and The Comedy Cellar. Michael's work is published in the Bronx Memoir Project Volume IV. Michael headlined 'Words with Michael Steigman' at Wahizza Pizza with poetry and mixed media. Most recently, Michael was a featured reader at “Summer Nights, An Evening of Poetry” hosted by Thrash Press in partnership with Poets & Writers Magazine.
