Listen To Your Skin is an erotic reading series that occurs every last Sunday of each month. The folks behind the series wanted to create a safe space for BIPOC and LGBTQ writers who include sexual themes in their writings. And thus, there is now a monthly meeting that is held on Zoom where anyone can join and participate in an open mic, as well as listening to the featured readers for that month.
The large majority of writers who have been featured are queer, which has been the norm for every month since January. The events are free to attend, but it is recommended that participants read the established guidelines before joining the Zoom link.
During the month of July, the theme was “original sin,” which focused on the effect that religion has on sexuality. This theme coincided with the collection of Amanda E.K.‘s anthology Take the Fruit, Flood the Desert. E.K., who is one of our staff writers here at OFM, participated in the reading series.
The features for July’s anthology were said to be incredibly moving, and had a deep impact on some audience members. The Zoom platform allows for audience members to send messages through the chat while allowing for the reader to not be interrupted and avoid too many people talking over one another. Since last month’s features dealt with such an incredibly personal and impactful topic that was shared by so many people, it was said that the readings were one of the most emotional so far.
This month’s anthology is titled Listen to Your Skin: Electric Sex and will feature many artists including Leah Noble Davidson from Portland, Oregon. The event will take place over Zoom on August 26, and will be held at 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
To register to attend or perform, go to the “about” page on their Facebook page and follow the link, or go to sisterrainbowscream.com. It is also possible to explore past themes by clicking though the “events” page on Facebook.
