The Writing Barn is honored to present a brand new kind of weekend intensive to Austin’s literary community this month, one that celebrates the unique experiences and perspectives of LGBTQIAP+ writers. The Rainbow Weekend, an inclusive, in-community event, welcomes those who identify as LGBTQIAP+ to devote a weekend to their craft and connect with other writers throughout the process.
The weekend will kick off with a meet and greet and welcome dinner at the Barn, followed by “Building Better Worlds,” a lecture by YA author Amy Rose Capetta. Capetta believes that we will soon be entering the golden age of LGBTQIAP YA and wants to spread the message that the “gay YA” story is growing and expandable. Now is the time to write the story that will have your voice heard and explore ideas never directly discussed in this rising genre.
Friday and Saturday will consist of trailblazing, workshopping, and lots of insightful listening and writing with agent Jim McCarthy’s lecture, “I’m Here, I’m Queer, I’m a Writer; Now What?” and YA author Cori McCarthy’s talk, “Unique and Universal Identity Stories.” The Writing Barn and our visiting speakers want to encourage this community to embrace their path as a writer and an individual in a constantly evolving literary world.
“In the 15 years that I’ve had my own client list, I’ve often sought out queer voices, but I’ve never had the opportunity to spend time at a conference or workshop specifically geared to the full breadth of the LGBTQIA+ community,” says visiting agent Jim McCarthy. “I look forward to the opportunity to meet people who represent the fullness of that spectrum themselves and in their work. As the industry moves forward, albeit in fits and starts, I’m honored to be included in this event.”
YA authors and Rainbow Box creators Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy shared why this weekend is so important to them, too. “I’m looking forward to an environment tailored specifically for LGBTQIAP+ children’s writers,” says Cori. “As far as we know, this is the first time this kind of retreat has ever happened! We will get to talk openly about the pros and cons of publishing with predominantly straight, cisgendered gatekeepers, and we will get to build our community and support our unique and powerful #ownvoices identity stories. This retreat is largely about uplifting LGBTQ+ writers, through crafting our strongest stories and helping each other navigate the steps toward becoming authors.”
“Being marginalized means that your stories, your work, your concerns, your educational needs, your wild hopes and dreams, can often be pushed to the side, made harder to realize or even to give voice to,” Amy Rose says. “I’m thrilled that with the Rainbow Writers Workshop we can center LGBTQIAP+ writers, and that we were able to raise enough scholarship money to offer financial support to half of the attendees. There’s also the opportunity for connection—for meeting people and exploring ideas that will lead to the next step in a writer’s work. 
Even though writing appears solitary, writing craft is collaborative. We learn from others! This chance to learn from writers within the LGBTQIAP+ community is unique, and I can’t wait to see what kinds of change-fueled discussions and brilliant stories come out of it.”
Every artist has their unique story to tell, and as writers, we often consider the authorship of a piece—what makes a writer worthy of saying something important? Finding that validation is an important step in the process. Each of us has our own perspective to give, and with that comes insight that no one else could give quite like us. This challenge should be embraced by all writers, but especially those apart of our LGBTQIAP+ community during this intensive. What makes you who you are, and what story do you need to tell?
All allies of this community are encouraged to support those attending and contribute to the conversation of diversity and equality in literature and art.
Post by Writing Barn Intern Sophie Velasquez.