Open Mic on March 21 To Celebrate Issue 1 Launch Of New NY Queer Publication

The first issue of InQueeryMag | Photo: Queer on the Street

A New York based queer publication, InQueeryMag, is launching Monday, March 21 with an open mic to celebrate the first issue.

The event will be hosted at Alewife Brewing, 41-11 39th Street in Queens, with doors opening at 7 p.m. The event is free and anyone is welcome to sign up for the open mic.

InQueeryMag highlights the voices and original work of queer people living in New York State. The publication accepts flash fiction to poetry, photographs, images of art, and even music. The latter is published with QR codes to bring the viewer to the musician or band’s music.

Native New Yorker and founder of InQueeryMag, CM Cancel (they/them), told Queer on the Street that when they were younger, they found themselves fascinated with the stories their teacher, Mr. Sicklein, told during class about his endeavors protesting wars through underground zines and other forms of literature.

Zines are typically self-published though are sometimes published through publishers. This form of literature has historically allowed marginalized people to amplify their voices in a way that is a workaround mainstream publications routes.

Every issue will have a two page spread with a piece written by a mental health professional, with a different topic each time.

Cancel has been submitting and publishing their own work in various publications over the last several years but wanted to create something of their own. They said that because queer people are typically “put into a box,” InQueeryMag is to “show how multifaceted LGBTQ+ people are.”

They are excited about the launch and where InQueeryMag will go in the future. “Here’s to new strides,” Cancel said.

InQueeryMag will publish quarterly and accepts submissions from people of all ages. For more information, visit InQueeryMag’s website.