Queer Author Salon
Overview
Join us for an evening of readings by queer authors from across the DMV for an intimate gathering of voices and stories.
Writers will share selections from their work, followed by time for conversation and connection. Work spans across a wide variety of genres, including poetry, graphic novel, memoir, and fiction. Authors will be available for book signings after the readings. Light snacks and drinks will be available
Registration is required to attend.
Featured authors include:
- Sunu P. Chandy (she/her) is a social justice activist, including through her work as a poet and a civil rights attorney. She is the daughter of immigrants from Kerala, India, and currently lives in DC with her family. Her award-winning collection of poems, MY DEAR COMRADES, was published by Regal House, and she is a Pushcart Prize nominated poet.
- Dominique Dickey (they/them) is a speculative fiction writer and game designer. As the creative director of Sly Robot Games, they’ve created Plant Girl Game and Tomorrow on Revelation III. Their short fiction has appeared in venues including Fantasy Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, and Nightmare Magazine. Their novella Redundancies & Potentials is now available from Neon Hemlock Press. They have stories included in Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity and This Side of the Divide: New Lore of the American West. They live in the DC area, where they’re always on the hunt for their next idea. You can find them most places as @DomSDickey.
- CK Gormally (they/them) is a cartoonist, researcher, and professor. Their comics have appeared in The Washington Post, Mutha Magazine, Spiralbound, and other places. CK is the recipient of grants, fellowships, and residencies from the National Science Foundation, the American Association of University Women, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They earned a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and are a professor at Gallaudet University. CK lives in the DC metro area. EVERYTHING IS FINE, I'LL JUST WORK HARDER is their first book.
- Jonathan Harper (he/him) is the author of the short story collection DAYDREAMERS and the novel YOU DON'T BELONG HERE. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from American University. His writing has been featured in numerous publications and anthologies including The Rumpus, The Rappahannock Review, Chelsea Station, East Jasmine Review, Big Lucks, and others. He has received residencies from The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and The Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow.
- Sarah Robinson / SC Nealy (they/she) is a Top 10 Barnes & Noble and Amazon Bestseller with over 250,000 books sold, and SC Nealy (also writes as Sarah Robinson, pronouns: they/she) has two Masters Degrees in criminal and clinical psychology and works as a mental health therapist by day, novelist and writer by night. They've written over 30+ romance and fiction novels and their first non-fiction book, a healing guide for those with religious trauma backgrounds, comes out August 2026. In their personal life, they identify as queer, gender fluid, and have three gorgeous kiddos with their wife in Arlington, Virginia.
- Beka Wueste (she/her/ella) is an author whose debut novel, “The Unsent Letters of Lucy Prior,” earned praise as a “deeply introspective and emotionally resonant novel” (-Kirkus Reviews) and whose second novel, “Fireflies in a Jar,” was lauded as, “original, deftly crafted, emotionally engaging.” (-Midwest Book Review). Her short story collection, “My Side of the Word and Other tales of Death, was described as lyrical and thoughtful…. a moving, imaginative, and unforgettable exploration.” (-Readers Favorite Book Reviews). The collection was named as a finalist for the 2025 Short Story Collections/Anthologies category of the Reader Views Reviewers Choice Awards. Beka is also an award-winning visual artist who exhibits her work frequently in regional and national shows.
Lineup
Sunu Chandy
Dominique Dickey
CK Gormally
Jonathan Harper
Sarah Robinson / SC Nealy
Beka Wueste
Good to know
Highlights
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- In person
- Free parking
Refund Policy
Refunds up to 7 days before event
Location
Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington
3550 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
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