Never fear, if we run out of book launch tickets, we have a bunch of other great events coming up, including this Saturday’s Indie Lit Fair, May 2, from 12noon to 6 pm in Washington Square Park South, between Sullivan and Thompson Streets.
Come visit Poets of Queens at Table 12B (with Pink Trees Press). Stop by, say hello to Olena Jennings (12-3) or ME (3-6), and check out Prom Queens and more books from Poets of Queens!
Presented by PEN America and the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), with support from the New York State Council on the Arts.
No, YOU Tell It!, in partnership with Poets of Queens, is proud to announce the forthcoming anthology, Prom Queens: Celebrating Prom Poems & Stories by Queens Writers, coming in the spring of 2026.
Prom Queens team. Photo credit Sachyn Mital.
Supported, in part, by a Queens Art Fund: New Work Grant, the anthology stems from a series of Prom Queens: Prom Story and Portrait Trading Workshops held around Queens in May and June of 2025.
During these free, generative workshops, participants were invited to share their prom story through a series of written and visual prompts provided by Zach Rothman-Hicks (Gabbing with Gays) and me.
I also read from my memoir After After Prom, which served as the inspiration for the Prom Queens workshops and anthology.
Reading from After After Prom. Photo credit Sachyn Mital.
Sharing stories about going or not going to prom allows us to find commonalities within each other’s unique cultures and identities. This anthology aims to help people, including future prom-goers, celebrate each other’s prom stories instead of feeling pressured to live up to what pop culture has taught us prom is supposed to look like.
What better place to give voice to a diverse range of prom stories than The World’s Borough!
For the first time, our four NYTI storytellers participated in this Queens community event about a month before the show. All the participants generated and shared personal stories inspired by the life and music of Astoria legend Tony Bennett from the Greater Astoria Historical Society archives.
Watch these highlights and contact kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com if you want a unique team-building event for your school, company, or organization in 2025.
What an unforgettable No, YOU Tell It! “Hell Gate” show!! Thank you to everyone for such an amazing evening of Hell Gate Bridge history, storytelling, art, poetry, and music.
Special thank you to: ~Our storytellers, Alicia, Jackie, Mia, and Ashley, for sharing such beautiful stories and giving incredible performances. ~Everyone who came out to see the show! ~Grove 34 for the space to have such a special evening. ~Ashley, for creating your Hell Gate-inspired art and music to inspire us all. ~Greater Astoria Historical Society for teaching us so much about the history of Hell Gate and our neighborhoods. ~Bob Singleton for his poetry and insights into the history of Astoria. ~Natalia ‘Saw Lady’ Paruz for her special, beautiful *birthday* performance. ~Brooklyn Book Festival for including us as a Bookend Event once again. ~Flushing Town Hall, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York Foundation for the Arts, and New York State Council on the Arts for making this possible. ~Our amazing creative team, Erika, Kelly Jean, Chenda, and Tim, for everything to make this possible.
Stay tuned for more photos and clips from the show and to hear what we’re up to next season.
I’m excited to announce that No, YOU Tell It! is a 2024 Queens Arts Fund recipient!
This project-based grant will enable us to bring NYTI “Left My Heart” in partnership with the Greater Astoria Historical Society to Grove 34 in Astoria on June 5 and a second show in September.
