I Scream Social w/ Amanda Johnston, Sara Bawany, & Gaby Benitez

We are so grateful to have an incredible community of writers that move us into action. For January, we are featuring writer-activists who give us hope, guidance, and inspire us to write! We are honored to kick off the new year with an all-star reading, featuring Gaby Benitez, Sara Bawany, and Texas Poet Laureate Amanda Johnston!!!
Presented by Host Publications, I Scream Social is a monthly feminist reading series and ice cream party that takes place at Alienated Majesty Books. We aim to celebrate and empower historically marginalized writers and share incredible literature and diverse perspectives to an Austin-area audience. Hosted by Host Publications editors Annar Veröld & Claire Bowman! Free & open to all!

✦ Health and safety note: masks are required and will be provided for this month's I Scream Social

***********************Bios************************

Gaby Benitez (she/her) | @gabybeesknees on IG | loves eating ice cream in threes, but pistachio!

Gaby is a queer, xicanx writer in her perpetual-life-crisis living in her ever-gentrifying hometown of so-called Austin, TX; and is currently a co-organizer with Clear the Air ATX, an air-purifier lending-library that works to provide COVID-mitigation for local artists, performers, organizers, and events. Gaby loves a run-on sentence, and writes to make (non)sense of the ecology of all things, death and rebirth, ghosts, and the general chaos and grief of existing; and these days is mostly thinking about surviving under fascism in today's dystopia. Gaby’s work can be found in Moist Poetry Journal, Wussy Mag, Infrarrealista Review, Liminal Transit Review, and other scattered spaces.

Sara Bawany (she/her) | @sara.bawany on IG | loves pistachio, dulce de leche, & white chocolate raspberry ice cream

Sara Bawany is an award-winning poet, clinical social worker, and MFA Poetry student at Texas State University. She is the author of two poetry books: (w)holehearted: a collection of poetry and prose in 2018, and Quarter Life Crisis. She is the Managing Editor at Porter House Review and is a lead writing instructor at House of Amal, a school for Muslim writers. You can learn more about her work at www.sarabawany.com.

Amanda Johnston (she/her) | @poetamandajohnston on IG | loves butter pecan ice cream!

Amanda Johnston is a writer, visual artist, Texas Poet Laureate, and founder/executive director of Torch Literary Arts.

***********************Open mic ************************

Open mic details: sign ups for the open mic begin at 6:45pm.

The open mic is reserved for writers from historically marginalized communities.

Because slots are limited and we want to make room for everyone, we ask that you wait until 7:10 to sign up if you joined us for the open mic the previous month.

Host or Publisher Host Publications