Julian Talamantez Brolaski

Editors Crisosto Apache and Julian Talamantez Brolaski are seeking poems as part of a volume of contemporary Indigenous LGBTQ2SIA+ poetry.  It has been over a decade since the publication of a book dedicated to two-spirit literature (Sovereign Erotics, 2011).  Before that, only a couple existed: Living the Spirit: A Gay American Indian Anthology (1988) (before the term  “two-spirit” was coined), and the Fall 2010 edition of the Yellow Medicine Review: A Journal of Indigenous Literature and Art and Thought. Many exciting authors have emerged since, attesting Native activism, land, food, sovereignty, and language revitalization which have become increasingly successful.  Along with the project concept is a growing awareness that people outside the gender binary have always existed with traditionally respected roles within Native communities.  Poetry has a crucial part to play in Indigenous activism and language revitalization; poetry in the form of song is also at the center of our religious traditions.  To give a sense of the scope of two-spirit poetry, the goal is to present a mix of established and emerging writers.  To create a space for young poets,and unpublished poets, and represent the various regions and sovereign nations within the U.S.  This collection will begin and reflect the current movement into a powerful futurity, guided by the voices of Indigenous poets whose genders and sexualities are fluid and expansive.

The book is slated to be published by Litmus Press in Spring / Summer 2025.   The deadline to submit is December 15th.  Here is the link to the call on the Litmus Submittable page.  

Artwork by Gregg Deal.  Used with permission from the artist.