Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Trans poet H. Melt releases new collection
by Liz Baudler
2015-11-25

This article shared 4845 times since Wed Nov 25, 2015
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Chicago poet/artist H. Melt, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, is releasing their new collection, The Plural, The Blurring at Women and Children First at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3.

It chronicles H. Melt's experience as a trans artist in spaces both deemed queer and straight. They talk about being misgendered at a queer art exhibit, threatened in gay bars and rendered powerless on SAIC campus; they find homes in Quimby's bookstore, in friends, shaving a pink triangle into the back of their head and attending informal dance parties. The December event will features poets Britteney Black Rose Kapri and Bea Sullivan-Knoff ( who is in the book ) performing alongside H. Melt, who will read and sign copies of the collection.

The following interview is condensed and lightly edited from email.

Windy City Times: What resonance do you think there is between your trans and poet identities?

H. Melt: Those two identities are not separate for me. It was actually through poetry and writing that I first started exploring my trans identity. I think it's important to write about being trans, especially from a non-binary and queer perspective. So much of the information about trans people out there is focused on medical transition. I'm interested in reading and writing trans stories that explore the wholeness and complexity of our lives.

WCT: You write, "If we want to free ourselves and others, we must speak to as broad an audience as possible." How do you aim to achieve this?

H. Melt: I do that by writing in a style that I hope is accessible to readers from a range of backgrounds. I try to perform and publish in spaces with audiences that do not all look like me or share the same beliefs. I make my work available in a variety of formats and try to keep it at an affordable price. It's hard though, as a queer and trans writer, to reach outside of our own communities because a lot of times, people who are organizing events, editing journals, writing reviews or publishing books don't always want to include us.

WCT: Talk a little about your arrangement of the collection.

H. Melt: The collection is arranged roughly by theme, with poems and essays mixed in with each other. Some of those themes include queer parties, trans activism, family and education ( though they are not explicitly labeled this way ). I wanted to group pieces based on their relationships to one another, but also leave room for readers to make their own connections.

WCT: The collection includes poetry and prose: Which medium seems appropriate when?

H. Melt: I think that the poems and essays serve similar functions in the book of documenting Chicago's queer and trans culture. I found it easier to get essays published as opposed to poems. A lot of the essays were also easier to write because I had more of a general idea of what I was trying to say while I was writing them. When I'm writing poems, I tend to not know how they're going to end up or what idea I'm trying to express. While most of the essays have some personal element in them, I find that the poems tend to be a bit more personal and emotional. There's something really freeing about writing poetry, even though it's harder for me to write.

WCT: A lot of pieces discuss safe queer space ( and unsafe queer space ). What feels like the safest space for you in Chicago right now and why?

H. Melt: Honestly, the inside of my apartment is the place where I feel most safe. Pat Parker has a great and heartbreaking stanza in the poem "My Brother" that reads, "What world is this we have? / Is my house the only safe place / for us?" One of the ideas in my book is that the feeling of safety can change at any moment. Even places and people that I wrote about in the book as being safe have now changed. We need to admit that no space will be space for everyone, and focus on accountability.

WCT: Have you shared the poems about certain subjects with the subjects themselves? Why or why not?

H. Melt: I have made a substantial effort to share my writing with the people and places that I mention in the book. I have a deep personal connection to many of them and I hope the work doesn't feel exploitative in any way. It's my way of celebrating them, of showing that I love and care about them. These are the people and places who have helped shape me into who I am. Overall, I'd say the reactions have been pretty positive. Some of the more critical pieces have shifted people's behaviors and institutional policies. It's hard to know what people really think of the writing, though.

WCT: In a previous interview you mention Chicago writers being a muse, and this collection has you finding inspiration in Langston Hughes and Patricia Smith. What do writers of color say to you?

H. Melt: Patricia Smith's "What It's Like to Be a Black Girl ( For Those of You Who Aren't ) and Langston Hughes' "Theme for English B" inspired two of the poems in my book. I was taught those poems in workshops and these are my responses to them. What I found inspiring in both of these works was not only their poetic skill on the page, but how they talk about their identities on their own terms, in a way that is painful, empowering, and critical all at once. Both are very much poems about coming of age and recognizing that you are different from the people around you.

WCT: I find your poetic language throughout refreshingly direct. Why does this style appeal to you?

H. Melt: I'm not trying to hide anything behind the writing. I want people to read and understand my work. I want to communicate with people and this is the best way that I know how to do that. It goes back to your question about accessibility. It's important that the way that I'm writing is accessible for people. It's intentional, but it's also just the way that I know how to write.

The Plural, The Blurring was published by Red Beard Press, and is available for purchase here and at select independent bookstores around the country.

Note: The article's writer volunteers with and runs an event at Women and Children First Bookstore. H. Melt is also an employee of the bookstore.


This article shared 4845 times since Wed Nov 25, 2015
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Lambda Legal Launches "Speak OUT" awareness campaign uplifting trans, nonbinary voices
2024-03-28
--From a press release. VIDEO BELOW - (NEW YORK, NY — March 28, 2024) In advance of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest and largest legal nonprofit working to achieve full equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with ...


Gay News

Nex Benedict's autopsy report released
2024-03-27
The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)—a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fight—has been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...


Gay News

An interstate trans healthcare crisis: Illinois prepares for influx of people seeking gender-affirming care
2024-03-26
With hard-won rights, such as access to hormone replacement therapy or permission to use one's chosen pronouns in school, breaking down in states across the country, trans residents of all ages are left with a choice: ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event
2024-03-25
Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

JP Karliak morphs into non-binary character for Disney+'s X-Men '97
2024-03-22
series X-Men '97, a revival of the popular X-men: The Animated Series that's both continuing the ongoing mutant storyline and breaking new ground along the way. The character of Morph now looks more like the comic ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar'
2024-03-21
Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

RuPaul finds 'Hidden Meanings' in new memoir
2024-03-18
RuPaul Andre Charles made a rare Chicago appearance for a book tour on March 12 at The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Presented by National Public Radio station WBEZ 91.5 FM, the talk coincided with ...


Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies
2024-03-15
Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals
2024-03-15
It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.