By presenting the work of Black queer writers, past and present, Other Countries' readings celebrate our voices, honor our ancestors, and foster reunions and new connections. Our early readings were hosted by The Studio Museum in 1989, The Lesbian and Gay Center, and other venues throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and were revitalized in the 2020s at the Gene Frankel Theatre, the CUNY Graduate Center, The LGBTQ Center, and now The Poetry Project. Celebrating Black Queer Expression, Other Countries’ 2024 Winter Solstice reading will feature invited wordsmiths and provide opportunities for open-mic readers selected on a first come, first sign-up basis.
Established in New York City in 1986 in response to the under-representation of Black gay stories, essays, biographies, and dramatic writing in LGBT literature, Other Countries is a Black queer men's writing collective. The threat of HIV and AIDS magnified the urgent and ongoing need for safe spaces where Black queer men can express, support, and validate each other. Numerous members and collaborators, such as Marlon Riggs, Colin Robinson, Donald Woods, Assotto Saint, and B.Michael Hunter, are now ancestors.
Other Countries Writing Collective’s initial core program was a weekly, peer-facilitated writing workshop. Semi-annual public solstice readings, and presentations and performances at colleges, universities, and community centers increased our visibility. In addition to writing, reading, and performing, Other Countries has published three anthologies of poetry, prose, illustrations, and photographs. They are Other Countries: Black Gay Voices, a First Volume (1988), Sojourner: Black Gay Voices in the Age of AIDS (1993), and Voices Rising: Celebrating 20 Years of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Writing (2007, Redbone Press).