The nonprofit, at 215 S. Tyler St. in Oak Cliff, occupies an upstairs space that almost resembles a garret. Working with businesses in Bishop Arts and North Oak Cliff such as The Wild Detectives, Whose Books and Oil & Cotton, the organization hopes to foster a literary community while expanding what that mission even means.
“In modern culture we place a lot of emphasis on writers, and writing a book, and getting your book onto a list, or your book winning awards," says Aaron C. Glover, executive director. "But for so much of human history, we didn’t actually have books. We were telling stories, and we were engaging language in different ways.”
The organization employs an expansive definition of the word "literary," challenging the idea that literary arts can take place only between authors and their readers.
“When you think about the population of Dallas, but also the United States and the globe, there are so many people for many reasons who are not a part of the reader-book-authorship relationship," Glover says. "We want to bring those people into this conversation as well.”
This event is the first of its kind for The Writer’s Garret and offers a diverse array of programming. The Hear Me, See Me poetry performance takes place at 7 p.m. on May 12 and will be performed in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. Glover says, “40% of the population speaks Spanish [in Dallas], so why wouldn’t we have programming in Spanish?”
The programming also caters to people of all ages and expands on some of the organization's previous events, such as the Common Language Project competitions.
“Seeing high-school sophomores and septuagenarians reading poems with the same words is really special to me," Glover says.
Similarly, Inner Moonlight, a monthly poetry series, will be a part of the festival. In honor of its fifth anniversary, the series will present some well-known names.
“There is going to be an insane amount of talent,” Glover says.
Dallas Is Lit! will also present The Writer’s Garret’s first drag story time for kids.
“Personally I think it is an important thing to happen, aside from the fact that it is fun because drag is fun and storytelling is fun,” Glover says.
This event takes place amidst an influx of restrictions on drag performers emerging throughout the country, such as a bill that made it through Tennessee legislature regulating “adult cabaret performances.” The Texas Senate committee also recently advanced legislation from Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, that would levy a fine of $10,000 on business owners who host sexually explicit drag performances in front of children.
The Writer’s Garret understands this current climate.
“I think it’s important that organizations, as they can, take their stand against that," Glover says. "We are not a political organization by any stretch of the imagination. But it is important, as an organization that deals with creativity and power of language, we make ourselves known.”
“In modern culture we place a lot of emphasis on writers, and writing a book, and getting your book onto a list, or your book winning awards ... But for so much of human history, we didn’t actually have books. We were telling stories." – Aaron C. Glover
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For The Writer’s Garret, drag is simply another example of the transformative powers of storytelling.
“It is really important that we are visible, and that we make space for people to participate in these events," Glover says, "and show that an organization like The Writer’s Garret that is a community-serving organization wants to be supportive of … the creativity that goes with drag. I think drag is a transformative thing. And I am so excited for everyone who comes to that event to have the delight of hearing that story and being a part of that performance.”
Glover sees the outrage about drag as a testament to the art form’s extraordinary storytelling power.
“It relates to a broader conversation where you see people are trying to legislate language, or they’re trying to legislate what books certain kids have access to," he says. "I think that’s indicative of how powerful these things are. … The possibility of the creative power of drag, that possibility of what language can give you, teach you, and open up for you, the possibility of what these ideas that are shared in books across time. All of these [restrictions] are trying to confine and bind people, and especially young people.”
The event will be free but require attendees to RSVP ahead of time. As with the entire festival, the drag story time aims to broaden the definition of storytelling and invite new people into the literary arts. Dallas has a significant literary festival already, The Dallas Literary Festival in March at Southern Methodist University.
“[The Dallas Literary Festival] is really about putting authors in front of readers, and the panel conversations that happen with that, and selling books, signing books," Glover says. "It is around that traditional idea of authorship. Dallas Is Lit! is working to expand what that means.”
The organization's interest in other forms of storytelling like drag queen story time comes from a broader aim to decentralize authorship and present community-generated programs. The Writer’s Garret serves an array of people: business professionals who write as a hobby, professional writers and even kids with an early passion for writing. With this festival, the group is looking to reach even more people.
“We are really trying to get people who have not thought about being a part of this organization and, in fact, maybe the literary conversation to consider [being a part of] that,” Glover says. "This is a community and neighborhood festival. We are partnering with several great businesses that are a part of the Bishop Arts and adjacent communities that are a part of the Dallas community.”
Tickets for Dallas Is Lit! events range from free to around $35. Most events also require attendees to RSVP ahead of time.
