Join the third installment of Boston’s queer Valentine’s themed open mic hosted by Julissa Emile and Jasper Sanchez!
Dearest Gentle Readers,
Third time’s the charm! It is with great excitement and an abundance of queer love that we invite you again to a most splendid gathering of poetic brilliance and heartfelt expression. On the evening of Friday, February 28, 2025, we shall be hosting Sonnets for Loverbois Volume 3: A Queer Poetry Open Mic.
Voices shall rise in verse—whether you are a seasoned poet or a tender soul wishing to share the musings of your heart, this soirée is a welcoming embrace for all who have ever experienced queer love. Come forth, dear friends, and let the art of spoken word dance through the air, filling the room with gayness—in both senses of the word.
We entreat you to join us at Isenberg Projects as the night unfolds in a celebration of queerness, creativity, and camaraderie. All are invited to listen, to perform, and to bask in the radiant diversity of the human spirit. We are especially grateful to Boston Art Review and Isenberg Projects for their patronage of this annual Valentine’s Day themed event, which will close out this chilly month with warmth and abundance.
Yours most warmly,
Jasper A. Sanchez & Julissa Emile (your humble hosts of revelry and verse)
P.S. Kindly bring your most dazzling self, for the evening promises to be one of revelatory poetry and unbridled joy!
Please RSVP to ensure your spot at this sonnet affair. This event will sell out!
Community Guidelines:
— Reading is open to all on a sign-up, first-come basis. BIPOC voices, or those of folks from groups that have been historically marginalized and underrepresented, will be uplifted and at the forefront.
— You don’t have to read! Guests, dates, secret crushes, polycules, and more are encouraged to attend
— This space is LGBTQ friendly. Love knows no bounds…unless you’re into that. (No kink-shaming!)
— Marginalizing and oppressive language is not ok. This means any language that is racist, transphobic, homophobic, sexist, ableist (including language that stigmatizes those navigating mental illness), sizeist, ageist, classist, victim-blaming or slut-shaming that is directed toward a specific person or group is unacceptable.
— Respect the mic & respect the space. Readers are asked to take no longer than 3–5 minutes on the mic to ensure others have time to read, and all are expected to be supportive of one another during readings. The crowd creates the vibe!
Masking Policy:
Although masking is not mandatory, we ask that folks be considerate of our community’s health and those who are immunocompromised. We encourage wearing a mask when not actively on the mic, eating, or drinking. If you are feeling ill, do not attend!
About Our Featured Loverbois:
Julissa Emile (known affectionately as juju) is a transplant and chaos baby from the United States Virgin Islands. Their writing focuses on the intersections of blackness, softness and “if that were a garden, what kind of magic would grow from it”. They served as the FEMS slammaster from 2018-2020, and have been featured in Button Poetry, Teen Vogue, BET, and Buzzfeed. All of their passions are an extension of their love of poem. With skills in Tarot, herbalism, and event planning and nesting, Julissa Emile is a poet of many shapes.
Jasper A. Sanchez (he/they) is an independent curator, queer art historian, and public art enthusiast. A Venezuelan-Colombian raised in Miami, FL, immersion in transnational art since their youth inspired them to focus their studies on topics ranging from queer diaspora to public art. Their exhibitions have been reviewed in The Boston Globe and WBUR, while their writing has been featured in the Boston Art Review and the Boston Hassle. He currently works as Assistant Curator of Now + There, a non-profit public art curator aiming to make Boston a more open, equitable, and vibrant city for all.