Taking Pride in Our Stories (And Ourselves)
Creating Safe Spaces Where LGBTQ+ Writers Can Authentically Share Their Stories
In my very first year working for Project Write Now, I experienced one of the most significant teaching moments of my career. I was facilitating a class called The Macabre & Supernatural for teenagers—a creative writing class focusing on sci-fi, fantasy, and horror.
We were a few classes in when one student raised their hand and asked if they could share something personal with the group. Though we were writing fiction, our truths often came out between the lines.
“Of course,” I replied.
“I’m not straight,” they said.
Without missing a beat, the rest of the class snapped their fingers, accepted and celebrated this truth, and then moved on.
But I’d like to pause here for a moment. Do you see the significance I felt? This was essentially a group of strangers—young people who had never met before—who came together week after week over a shared love of storytelling. And that student, Nyla, had never before shared this truth out loud. Not until that moment. In my classroom.
Almost ten years later, we are still in touch with Nyla, who is now thriving in college.
Recently, they shared this note with us:
“PWN was my first safe haven as a queer person, and I know that you guys are continuing that legacy for all the young queer writers to come. Thanks for always being a supporter of me as a writer and as a person. The experiences I had at PWN are still impactful to me today.”
To be seen is to be loved. At Project Write Now, we always do our best to keep our eyes open. We listen. We do not judge. We hold space for you to come as you are—no matter who you are or what program you participate in.
On a personal note, as a bisexual person, I, too, have never felt more loved in any other workplace than here. I understand why Nyla felt safe enough to come out in my classroom. It is easy to be comfortable being your true self in a space where everyone is not only allowed but encouraged to authentically write and share their stories.
Project Write Now doesn’t do gimmicky Pride Month—we don’t change our logo to a rainbow for likes. Instead, we continue to deepen meaningful connections in our community by participating in and hosting as many Pride-themed community events as we can.
This June, for our third year, we marched in the New Jersey Pride Parade, handing out rainbow pencils and bookmarks as we strolled down the streets of Asbury Park. One of the highlights was seeing so many PWN students of all ages in the crowd, smiling and waving at us. One even ran to us as we marched to give us all hugs.
The following weekend, we were at Pride in the Park in Red Bank, inviting people to decorate mini journals with stickers and spin a wheel for prompts at our table in Riverside Park. We loved having the time to chat and hear stories from everyone who stopped by.
At our monthly Write Out Loud event at Asbury Book Cooperative, we guided writers to craft and share pieces about their own lives, how they feel about Pride Month, their loved ones, and the hardships they have faced.
We also hosted a virtual author reading and Q&A with memoirist Penny Guisinger in conversation with Laura Julier. Guisinger read from her memoir Shift, which explores identity transformation and family complexities through an innovative, non-linear narrative that weaves in quantum physics and music theory.
As always, we were intentional about bringing LGBTQ+ voices into all of our in-person programs—including at Red Bank Middle School, Lunch Break, and The Mental Health Association of Monmouth County—as well as our virtual programs, including Lunchtime Write-In and PWN India.
And for the third year in a row, we are thrilled to invite queer artists between the ages of 13 and 18 to submit to Rainbow Ink, our special Bridge Ink issue in collaboration with the Let’s Say Gay literary journal. (The deadline is August 1, so young writers can still submit!)
At PWN, Pride is not just one month—it’s every month. We support LGBTQ+ voices in all of our programs. Always.
We see you exactly as you are, and we are proud to honor your story.
As first published by Project Write Now.
