Queer Storytelling and Poetry Workshop with Katherine Bahena-Benitez

What is the origin of your name? You have 2 hrs to live, what would you do in those two hours?

These are some of the writing prompts KSP students and community members answered this past Tuesday, Oct. 17, during our queer storytelling and poetry workshop led by Katherine Bahena-Benitez. Katherine talked about her works and journey as a Mexican Indigenous Queer Femme and exposed participants to queer spoken word. She shared several performances and talked about how queer writers and performers are carving out spaces in the literary, art, and performance world. How can silence, word, and voice be used to find a rhythm that tells your unique story? Our workshop participants experimented with different prompts and had a time of sharing after.

Explore a time of creative writing by trying out the writing prompts Katherine shared:

• What comes to mind when these three words come up? (Freedom, Love, Queer)

• Describe yourself as a fruit

• You have two hours to live, what would you do in those two hours?

• Imagine a world where everyone is liberated, how would that look like?

• What is the origin of your name

• What does “where do you come from?” mean to you?

To see more from Katherine, follow her on Instagram @_imjstlivin