Retrospective Reading (and Write-in) with Amber Dawn

Location: UC253
Please RSVP to sexual.diversity@utoronto.ca

In her novels, poetry and prose, Amber Dawn has written brazenly on queer femme sexuality, individual and systemic trauma and sex work justice, themes drawn from her own lived experience and revealed most notably in her award-winning memoir How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler’s Memoir.

Contrary to notions of the writer’s life being solitary, the crux of Dawn’s writing practice is rooted in community-based collaboration and lower-barriers peer-to-peer mentoring. Throughout her decade-plus long career, she has remained close to sex worker, criminalized poor and survivor-identified creative communities. Join her for a retrospective reading of her collected works and a discussion on uplifting literary arts and expression into under-served communities.

Dawn’s visit will include a hands-on writing exercise from her community toolkit. Please bring pen and paper, laptop, or other writing device.

**Due to the UC Revitalization Project Construction, there will be no wheelchair-accessible entrance to University College until further notice. Since the UC Quad is a high-traffic construction area during the project, the entry must be restricted as a safety precaution. We hope to have accessible entrance re-opened as soon as possible.  If you plan to attend Retrospective Reading and need accessibility assistance, please notify sexual.diversity@utoronto.ca to arrange an escort through the construction zone.