Roy Guzman, “Restored Mural for Orlando/Mural Restaurado Para Orlando” (Queerodactyl Press, 2016)

After the enormity of our loss had been calculated, Guzman started writing. Drawn to the page to process his grief and to understand in the best way poets know how, through their art. This chapbook does more than encapsulate the memory of a community, it links that community to a single life and to a larger struggle.

/I am afraid of attending places

that celebrate our bodies because that’s also where our bodies

have been cancelled/ when you’re brown and gay you’re always dying

twice/

We are kicking off our chapbook celebration with a call to remembrance to preserve the memory of the 49 people killed and the 53 injured at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL. This is also a call to celebrate art in the face of loss, in spite of loss, and the enduring need of the human spirit to express fear as hope.

If this wasn’t enough of a reason to click on the link and order the collection, 10% of all proceeds will be donated to Pridelines. The rest of the funds will be used in the continued production of the chapbook, including donating copies to places focusing on queer and trans lives as well as overall support of the production of the chapbook.

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