Queer Creatives Fest

    The third annual Queer Creatives Fest will be held on October 25-27, 2024. This year's offerings are now live!

    The Queer Creatives Fest is open to writers of all genres and creatives of all types who identify as members of LGBTQIA+ communities. We also welcome folks who are questioning their gender or sexual orientation and are in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ communities. Our intention is to center LGBTQIA+ people at the festival. 

    Make sure that you sign up for our mailing list to be notified of updates and future programs and events. Stay connected by attending our online, monthly Queer Creatives meet-ups.

     

    2024 Catalog

    Check out all of the info for this year's festival including class and event descriptions, pass breakdowns, and more!

    Intensives

    The 2024 Fest will feature virtual and in person, three and two-day intensives focused on poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and hybrid genres. These intensives will be taught by Ashley Cornelius, Sarah Gerard, Sarah Elizabeth Schantz, and Dino Enrique Piacentini. Intensives are a great place to build community, hone your craft, and dive deeper into your favorite genre or writing style.

    Craft Seminars

    Craft seminar classes are one-time workshops that will focus on developing and learning about a specific skill or particular element of a genre or writing technique. Our 2024 craft seminar instructors include Cipriano Ortega, Kanika Agrawal, Maura Modeya, Alyse Knorr, William Haywood Henderson, Vanessa Mártir, Aerik Francis, Sasha Geffen, and Sydney Fowler

    Lunchtime Panels

    Join us for a series of exciting lunchtime panels at the Queer Creatives Fest, where local authors and Lighthouse instructors will guide you through essential steps in your writing journey and help us all celebrate our stories as LGBTQIA+ writers and creatives. We'll explore queer storytelling and expression through music with Lauren Dennis, Cipriano Ortega, and Sasha Geffen, learn about the top 10 places to submit Queer work with Nini Berndt, Alyse Knorr, and Dino Enrique Piacentini, and celebrate Denver's Queer history with LGBT Denver author Phil Nash. 

    Events

    This year's Queer Creatives Fest will feature a fantastic lineup of free and sliding-scale events ranging from an artist talk with Meow Wolf Denver, community market and vinyl DJ set, community dinner, trivia and board game night, and a closing party!

    Passes

    Passes are a great fit for creatives who want to take a two or three-day intensive and afternoon craft seminars each day or multiple craft seminars. Signing up for a Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Platinum pass will allow you to get the full experience of the festival at a discounted rate. While tuition assistance is not available for passes, we do encourage you to look at our payment plan options which you can find on our Financial Assistance page. We still offer Writerships for individual workshops. 

    Accessibility Guide

    Attending the retreat in person? Check out our Accessibility Guide for an overview of the space. Contact us if you would like to request specific accessibility accommodations or visit the info booth for staff/volunteer support.