Help Launch Love & LiteraTea!

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive." - James Baldwin

LGBTQ+ folx have always found a way to connect, to love, to be - even in the darkest of times. 

This fall, we're launching Love & LiteraTea,  a safe and affirming digital space for LGBTQ+ youth to connect through literature and pop culture. Our mission is to empower, uplift, and provide community for LGBTQ+ youth by reading and discussing the work of LGBTQ+ writers and artists. Founded by queer teachers, shea martin and Dr. Cody Miller, Love & LiteraTea is a virtual community that aims to create connections in a space rooted in radical love, truth, and pride. 

Love & LiteraTea is open to all LGBTQ+ high schoolers. The group will meet twice monthly to discuss books, culture, and current events. While this is a literacy space, it is also a space of community for LGBTQ+ high schoolers to connect with one another AND a volunteer team of trusted LGBTQ+ facilitators. So far, we've received more than 60 applications from high schoolers from AROUND THE WORLD!!

For our inaugural curriculum/stack, we've chosen an amazing collection of books written by authors who identity as both LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Each participant will receive a physical or digital copy of all books along with guiding resources and materials. At Love and LiteraTea, one of our core goals is to support our communities so all books will be purchased from LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC-owned bookstores around the United States. 

This campaign will help us get this dream off of the ground. With $1000, we can provide...
- a copy of our first book, Juliet Takes a Breath, to each participant (through an Latinx-owned independent book store)
- digital resources accompany the book
- a safe password protected space for participants and facilitators to meet

Most importantly, your gift will give our participants a digital space where they can be authentic, proud, bold, loved, and passionate without expectation or reservation. You are helping us create community for the next generation of LGBTQ+ leaders and for that we will forever be grateful. 

More information about Love & LiteraTea can be found on our website.