OUTSpoken is a fifth-year program from the Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) that will take place in April of 2018. Our goal is to create a platform for the LGBTQ community of Knoxville, Tennessee, and its surrounding areas to record and perform the experiences of sex- and gender-diverse individuals in the South.

OUTSpoken begins with a series of writing workshops in January where community members will develop their experiences into poems, monologues, narratives, or other literary forms. These pieces are then revised and eventually performed in a staged reading. Participants will have the option of working with actors to bring their writing to life or of performing their writing themselves. It is our sincerest hope that this project will continue to illuminate the struggles of Southern LGBTQ persons and celebrate sex and gender diversity in East Tennessee and beyond.