OUT LOUD

The beautiful array of voices compiled here give light to the world. The styles and visions are as varied as the artists this volume holds. Tears, laughter, joy, and pain are stitched together with love as the thread holding it all together. Painting the reader pictures of the Writers' worlds in stunning detail and careless glory. Out Loud takes the reader on a journey of the heart. Put your seatbelt on, sit back and enjoy the ride!

-DeAnn Hill (Ma Dukes), Poet

If you or a dear friend are scared to show the world your true self. Need some inspiration? Buy this book!! This book is full of talented poets who write about their personal experience of coming out. They tell us it's hard but you gotta let the light shine out. You gotta love yourself like nobody else because love is beautiful in any shape or form. I love the way these poets write down their personal and honest thoughts. Some of them write about personal past or present experiences dealing with being unique. Some experiences are tearful and some are inspiring. I believe this anthology is a flag to inspire others that it's okay to have these feelings and it's okay to express those specific emotions. It's okay because you're not alone and you are loved. I give it three thumbs way up!! Happy Pride Month!!

-Edward Foreman, Poet

Out Loud is a celebration of love and life, but one that does not shy away from the pain and struggles that come with loving and living. From raw and erotic verse to stories of coming out and first love, this volume speaks to what it is to be human and one’s authentic self in today’s world. Wonderful words and images make this an amazing read.

-Elizabeth Ouzts, Author of Was

Out loud. Lends you to do just that. Well it did to me. The words float off the page, into my head, and out my mouth. ( I like to read poetry out loud) This excellent collection of by poetry by writers of various backgrounds had me hooked from the very beginning. It was a joy reading the writings of those few years knew already, and a pleasure to discover so many new voices to me. From the very first piece to the last, I could feel their voices as I read their words.

-Fin Hall, Poet,Filmmaker, Producer, Publisher. Collaborator.

The works of art contained in the pages of Out Loud, are not only poems, but testimonies. In a world that quickly cancels and censors without seeking to understand, this collection becomes a breath of fresh air. The wholesome anthology takes the reader on a journey that is packed with fear, struggle, happiness, confusion and pride. Feelings that any reader can relate to while learning about the LGBTQ+ community through a poet’s vulnerability. Poems like “I Am Art” and “My First Rainbow” tap into the poet's autobiographical essence and journey to self-acceptance, but the entire anthology is not sunshine, rainbows and pride flags. Poems like “Bi Island”, “Trans Lives Matter” and “War Has Never Been This Way” scratch the surface of the issues within the LGBTQ+ community. The anthology is stacked with joy and journey as well as education on the sociopolitical issues circling the members and allies. As a cisgender heterosexual black male, this anthology is not only a collection for me, but a humbling opportunity to peak into the hearts and minds of the people I love who are LGBTQ+. Education in the capacity of hearing real stories from real people going through real life is what diminishes ignorance and liberates diversity. Out Loud is a wonderful piece of art that is on time and needed.

-Fresh Linen, Spoken Word Artist, TEDx Speaker, Author of Before the Streetlights Come On

Layered with love, inspiration, and insight into what it means to be queer in today’s world OUT LOUD is the premiere LGBTQ+ anthology leading the way in educating the masses while simultaneously giving voice to marginalized queer minorities and building community through the poetry art form. Collected from queer poets of all kinds, OUT LOUD showcases today’s top LGBTQ+ talent. This anthology is sure to enlighten, transform, and empower generations to come.

-Jacob Barnes, Author of TubLove: A Poetry Art Book

The collected voices of OUT LOUD offer a diverse representation of what it means to see the world through the unique and vast lens of a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in a way that only comes through the self discovery and work that is the path of coming out and learning to live out loud.

-Joey Paradise, Theatre-Artist

Out Loud is a collection of works from poets who identify as LGBTQ+ with poems of identity. love, loss, and where they stand in Queer spaces. From the closet to the desert to the middle of the ocean, we are transported through life experiences with powerful imagery and poetic diction. It’s colorful, and more than just rainbows and glitter, it is a depiction that humans are more than their gender or sexual orientation. While we are reminded that not all stories are the same, this book gives us a space to relate to the struggles and triumphs of our queerness. Some of us have spent our whole lifetimes coming out, and some of us will spend that long trying. Your space is here, in this book, amongst these poets.

-Kristin Patton, Poet

...OUT LOUD, is something different and very special. All the writers included are part of the wide and diverse LGBTQIA+ community and each brings their own sensibility and history to bear as they bare their gifts upon the page. Many of these artists have been speaking out proudly and publicly for decades, chronicling the changing face of the community in itself and in reaction to the swirling trauma of hatred and bigotry and to the healing possible through acceptance within and without. Their history of fragility, strength, and persistence is inspiring and emotionally overwhelming. In addition many young poets just beginning to find their voices and finding the fortitude to let those voices be heard bring a fresh, vivacious energy expressing the universal and specific aspects of their generation’s response and reaction to finding a way to be their own true selves and be comfortable in their own skin, including skin that has been transformed to better reflect that true self within. Stylistically, this volume runs the gamut from classical verse to rap-inflected spoken word style explosions of verbiage to intimate prose poems all full of grace and humor and brilliant insight. Sweet, gritty, gutsy, funny, horrifying, and heartbreaking – all of this is to be found in proud and honest documentation and haunting metaphor. This is an astonishingly diverse community and it is quite the achievement for an anthology to deliver such a vast, complex, and yet unified expression... Triumph over tragedy – how appropriate since so much of the LGBTQIA+ experience has been and continues to be just that... The richness of emotion and experience within these covers beats with a joyful heart full of verve, brilliance, and PRIDE. Whether the reader is a member of the community or an ally seeking to better understand and support their beloved friends, family, and associates or a lover of quality poetry looking for a good read above and beyond any limitations of genre there is a smorgasbord of delicious and nourishing literature here. Feast yourself upon it and give thanks to the many brave and talented contributors ...combined, and arranged into a lasting delight.      

–Michael Sindler, Poet

...Out Loud reads like a soothing balm starting the healing process of old and new wounds. Injuries inflicted by mankind's refusal to see the relevance of other humans and focusing on things which divide rather than bring together. The reader is invited into an intimate setting with each writer to experience a moment in their life. Each poet shares pieces of their souls which intertwine with each victory as well as defeat in overcoming obstacles. Remaining resilient in celebrating who they are while encouraging others to do the same, despite the ignorance of objectors...The melodies set off the alarm of the harsh realities of living an authentic life as a lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, trans-gender, queer, a-sexual, questioning, or intersex person, just to name a few, despite being mistreated by a world that doesn't seek to understand them or their suffering caused by the same. Equality is the goal and the crystal clear objective of the LGBTQIA community to achieve acceptance for who they are regardless of the circumstances. WARNING: There are side effects of reading this book! Self identification with the humanness that is in all of us, Desire to take up the cause and enlargement of the heart as it swells with love for new friends. I suggest readers get a copy for themselves and give one away. This book is for anyone who wishes to overcome stigma and generational barriers instilled in us by our well meaning families, friends and the world.

-Terri Rose Jertson, Author of Chameleon Chronicles: Words Never Spoken