Two gay writers who were raised in Western Massachusetts discuss how growing up here deeply informs their creative work. In both poetry and fiction, Steven and Gerard will share work and engage in a lively dialogue with LGBTQ history students about how our community’s literature affirms the truths of our lives.

Gerard Cabrera is the author of short fiction, poems, and the novel Homo Novus, published by Rattling Good Yarns Press in 2022. His writing has appeared in literary journals such as the Acentos Review, JONATHAN, Kweli, Apricity, Digging Press and Angel Rust. A “Massarican,” Gerard hails from the Puerto Rican community of Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of Dr. Seuss, basketball and the first American dictionary. He lives and works in New York City.

Steven Riel is the author of two full-length collections of poetry: Edgemere and Fellow Odd Fellow. His chapbook Postcard from P-town was published as runner-up for the inaugural Robin Becker Chapbook Prize. His poems have appeared in The Minnesota Review and International Poetry Review. He edits the Franco-American journal Résonance. Recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant, Riel was also named the 2005 Robert Fraser Distinguished Visiting Poet at Bucks County (PA) Community College.