Queer Bedtime Stories at The Garden

What bedtime stories were you told as a kid? How many of them were queer? Did you grow up wondering if there were others like you? When all the stories you hear are about straight protagonists, it's hard to know where you fit into the world.

Queer Bedtime Stories is your chance to re-seed the fertile ground of the imagination through oral re-tellings of LGBTQ+ poetry, memoirs, fiction, and history from cultural ancestors and contemporary creators. Together, we'll uncover the richness of our shared heritage and catch a glimpse of the blossoming future. We gather at , a dreamy new outdoor event space in Shelby Park.

Bring a reading to share, or simply come to listen! Readings should be 1-8 minutes long, any genre, and be written by an LGBTQ+ author or center on queerness. Original work is more than welcome!

Doors open at 7:30pm, and the event starts at 8pm. Please arrive before 8:10, when the doors will be closed.

This is a sober event, but you are invited to bring your own seltzer, iced tea, lemonade, etc.

All queer adults are welcome to attend. Each attendee is asked to donate at least $2, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. As we like to say, "donations keep our candle lit." So, persons with bountiful means are encouraged to share generously. Thank you!

Accessibility:

• ♿The Garden is wheelchair accessible, though there is some uneven concrete that be a bit challenging for those using other mobility aids. You are welcome to reach out in advance if you may want an escort from the door to the seating area.
• 😷Mask-wearing is welcome, and optional.
• 🕯️Wood-free incense is usually burned near open doors -- contact us in advance if you want to know more, or to request that we skip it while you attend.
• 🐈‍⬛The Garden is home to one cat, named Sweet Potato.
• 🐞The Garden is an outdoor venue! Please bring what you need to protect yourself against mosquitoes.
• ☔️ in the case of rain, Queer Bedtime Stories will move inside the Galerie Hertz art gallery

Queer Bedtime Stories at The Garden is facilitated by Amelia Pantalos, a bodyworker, birthworker, musician, and gardener rooted in the Louisville community. They believe deeply in the power of words as seeds to grow the world we wish to live in.

Queer Bedtime Stories was created in 2020 by Scott Sessions, a San Francisco-based teacher and facilitator of transformative events. The QBS community gathers in the Bay Area each month (check the Linktree for upcoming events). To stay up-to-date with all upcoming events shared by the community, sign up for the Queer Bedtime Newsletter!

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Community Values Statement

We gather at Queer Bedtime Stories to:

⭐ witness one another in our human wholeness.

⭐ feel cozy, connected, refreshed, affirmed, and (somehow) both grounded and elevated at the same exact time.

⭐ reveal the too-often-hidden truths about our queer ancestors, queer contemporaries, and queer selves.

⭐ fertilize our individual and social dreamscapes with new possibilities.

We invite queer readings of all forms, artistry, genre, and at all stages of creation.

We celebrate queer persons of all forms, artistry, genre, and at all stages of creation.

We treat each other with kindness, curiosity, and respect.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Scott Sessions, spiritual life coach