{"id":119377,"date":"2022-04-26T14:22:21","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T19:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=119377"},"modified":"2022-04-26T14:22:29","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T19:22:29","slug":"glitterary-festival-at-ole-miss-examines-boundaries-of-literature-and-gender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/glitterary-festival-at-ole-miss-examines-boundaries-of-literature-and-gender\/","title":{"rendered":"Glitterary Festival\u00a0at Ole Miss Examines Boundaries of\u00a0Literature and\u00a0Gender"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Organizers hope to spark community conversation surrounding race,\u00a0class\u00a0and intersectionality<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Members of the\u00a0University of Mississippi<\/strong><\/u><\/a>\u00a0and Oxford <\/strong>communities can listen and learn about queer ideas and representation in literature by attending the Glitterary Festival<\/strong>, a queer literary festival with a broad definition of what is literature and what is queer.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival, set for Friday, April 29 in the Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom<\/strong> at The Inn at Ole Miss<\/strong>, is intended to spark conversation about boundaries surrounding queer identity and about race, class and issues of intersectionality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beth Ann Fennelly<\/strong>, UM professor of English and co-founder of the festival, is ready for community members to celebrate the university’s queer writers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I founded the festival with one of the graduate students in our MFA program, Kate Leland, to celebrate the robust population of queer writers in our communities,” Fennelly said. “Unlikely as it seems, Oxford has become a place where important and soulful work is being done in the intersection of queer studies and literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We want to create a space for these nontraditional conversations to take place.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hosted by the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies<\/strong> in conjunction with Oxford Pride<\/strong>, the festival will feature roundtable discussions with renowned writers, including Pulitzer Prize<\/strong>-winning poet Jericho Brown<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We were delighted to partner with Beth Ann Fennelly to organize the Glitterary Festival as part of this year’s Oxford Pride,” said Jamie Harker<\/strong>, director of the Isom Center. “One of our core goals at the Sarah Isom Center is the creation of inclusive spaces, both on campus and in the larger community.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have been expanding events, with community and university partners, over the years as part of Oxford Pride. A literary festival focusing on LGBTQ+ authors was a welcome addition to our broader array of events, including the Pride parade, Lavender Graduation and an annual drag show at the Lyric.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The festival schedule includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n