Incite: Queer Writers Read – May

Vinnie’s love for books began in the second grade, when he worked with his fellow students to write and illustrate a story about the adventures of an ice-cream-loving giraffe. Since then he has worked as a writer, editor, book designer, publisher, workshop presenter, and college instructor. He is the editor of Fashionably Late: Gay, Bi, and Trans Men Who Came Out Later in Life and the author of A Little Bit of Advice for Self-Publishers.

Pronouns: any/all

Jennifer (JP) Perrine is the author of five award-winning books of poetry: Beautiful Outlaw, Again, The Body Is No Machine, In the Human Zoo, and No Confession, No Mass. Their other recent work appears in Best Small Fictions, A Mouth Holds Many Things: A De-Canon Hybrid Lit Collection, and Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, and Poetry. A two-time winner of Arts and Culture Diversity and Inclusion Awards from the Asian American Journalists Association, Perrine lives in Portland, Oregon, where they cohost the Incite: Queer Writers Read series, perform stand-up comedy, and work as the equity and racial justice program manager for Metro Parks and Nature.

Liz Asch is an author and artist based in Portland, Oregon. Her book, Your Salt on My Lips (Cleis Press, 2021) is an ode to eros in queer bodies across the spectrum of sexuality and sensuality. Her podcast, Body Land Metaphor Medicine, is a free archive of over 40 guided visualizations designed to help listeners self-regulate using creative imagery. Her stop-motion animation film, The Love Seat, played in LGBT film festivals in the US and Canada. Liz has published in various journals and anthologies, earning her a Pushcart nomination, a RACC grant, a PLAYA residency and several essay prizes. She teaches embodied surrealism and salutary storytelling, with an emphasis on earth activism, creative expression, and public health. 

Aliya Bree Hall is a lesbian author, freelance journalist, and founder of Sapphic Stories Book Club: Queer & Feminist Tales. She writes long- and short-form sapphic romance and horror, primarily in rural settings. Her short story, “The Forest’s Call” was published by Quill & Crow Press and her bylines have been featured in Authors Publish, The Oregonian, Portland Mercury and Portland Monthly.

Sara Jaffe is a writer, educator, and musician living in Portland, OR. Her short story collection Hurricane Envy is forthcoming from Rescue Press in 2026. She is the author of the novel Dryland (Tin House Books). Her short fiction has been published in Joyland, Fence, BOMB, Catapult, The Offing, and elsewhere. Her essays and criticism about literature and music have recently appeared in Hanif Abdurraqib's 68 to 05 project and in Third Man Records' Maggot Brain. She teaches creative writing at Reed College and organizes for justice in Palestine with Jewish Voice for Peace.