The YYC Queer Writers is a group of (you guessed it) queer writers that get together about twice a month to share ideas, write to prompts, and get those creative juices flowing. The group has put out several holiday themed anthologies so far, including one for Christmas and two for Valentine's Day, Screw Chocolate and Screw Chocolate 2. This Halloween anthology is the newest addition to the collection and features some of the scariest storytelling of all - writers who write about writing, haha.
The collection features:
- A poem about the horrors of dating apps.
- A clown serial killer loose at a college party.
- Vampires hunting vampires.
- The Devil visiting the child of a Satanist family.
and more.
As mentioned, all proceeds from book sales will be used to send kids from lower income families to Camp fYrefly, an arts and leadership camp for 2SLGBTQ+ youth. I'm so proud to help out this camp in any way I can - they do incredible work. When I worked in the child welfare system, I worked with several kids who were able to attend this camp through initiatives like this, and they had nothing but positive things to say. Even kids who never had anything positive to say about anything still liked this camp. The camp is run through the University of Alberta and uses evidence-based and Indigenous led programming, with Indigenous Elders running the camp's ceremonies and some programming. They also provide mental health supports, an artist in residence, and it's located in the mountains of Kananaskis Country. The camp also keeps its doors open to cis, straight, questioning or curious youth, which helps to educate allies as well as empower queer youth.
Check out Nightmare on Queer Street and the YYC Queer Writers Group through the links below.
