Queer Author Expo 2023: Meet the Exhibitors!

Andrews Artistry (they/them)

Andrews Artistry is a creative partnership focused on helping artists and creators elevate their brand with beautiful imagery and design. We support artists and creators by elevating their brand and vision so they can continue to follow their passions. As artists ourselves, we are constantly learning and growing. With the services we offer, we give our creative partners the opportunity to do the same.

Shannon K. Brady (she/her)

Shannon moved to Denver in 2017 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a playwright, screenwriter, and comic author and artist. Shannon is relatively new to the world of comics, but loves them most of all. Who says we can't stay kids forever?

Mari Anne Christie (she/her)

Mari Anne Christie is an author of historical fiction and historical romance when she isn’t writing technical documents for an engineering firm. In addition to her own, she has worked with many other authors to bring their books to market. Mari holds a bachelor’s degree in writing from the University of Colorado Denver, summa cum laude and With Distinction, and a certification from the Denver Publishing Institute at the University of Denver. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Paper Lantern Writers.

Brendan R. Colquitt (he/him)

Brendan was closeted for most of his life. He had friends that helped him learn how to be himself and now uses the name Rigs to represent the new and open him. He's always been an empath who was very connected with mythology. He always wondered why all gay stories had to focus on the stress of being LGBTQIA+; why not have just regular stories that include LGBTQIA+ characters like they are any other person? Now he has a chance to make stories for those who feel they haven't been represented as they should.

Dylan Edwards (he/him)

Dylan Edwards is an award-winning queer & trans comic artist, best known as the creator of TRANSPOSES and VALLEY OF THE SILK SKY. His work has been published in anthologies from Dark Horse, Fantagraphics, and Oni Press, and has been featured on The Nib, PEN America, and Splinter News. He also creates a monthly comic for OUT FRONT Magazine.

Rick Evans (he/him)

Rick Evans is a writer and speaker whose work focuses on themes tied to the expansion of human consciousness. He is adept at presenting paradigm-shifting ideas in a clear, crisp, accessible way, with humor. His writing draws on his personal experience, including his spiritual path, of over thirty years. His first book, Loosening Ego’s Grasp, was published in 2017. His second book, Into the Flames, was published in 2022. Mr. Evans is currently writing short stories focused primarily of gender issues.

Meg Gibbs (she/they)

Meg Gibbs is a Somatic Spiritual Guide, Certified Coach, and Author. She has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, LGBTQ+ leaders, and creatives over the last 10 years. She helps people get in touch with their intuition, body, and Spirit. Meg has studied shamanism since she was young, which has led to a lifelong journey of spiritual exploration with various healers and teachers from the US and South America. When not contemplating the mysteries of the Universe, Meg loves dancing, having deep conversations over high quality ice cream, and spending time with her dog.

E.J. Gravis (he/him)

EJ is a transmasc Colorado transplant originally from Texas. He's been drawing and writing since he could hold a pencil, and now spends most of his free time creating graphic novels that center around queerness and queer experiences. To date, he has four self-published volumes from two different in-progress series. He also has two cats who would prefer all of EJ’s free time be dedicated to them.

Holistic.Homosexual (he/they)

Holistic.Homosexual (Jess Proia) is an LGBTQ+ Specialized Therapist. His writing is informed by his clinical experience as a therapist, his lived experience, along with his previous career in Queer community organizing. Queer mental health, LGBTQ+ community wellness, and social justice is his passion. He has dedicated his life to serving our community through his therapy practice, writing/research, and community outreach projects. The core motivation for his writing is to disseminate empowering information to queer populations in efforts toward liberation. Much of his writing centers around information that he wishes his therapy clients had access to prior to us working together. Writing is also a great way to get out supportive information that is usually shared in his therapy sessions with folks who are not interested in or cannot access therapy.

Q Publishing House

Q Publishing House is OFM's publishing arm, providing queer authors a chance to tell their stories since 2001. We publish fiction, nonfiction, anthologies, and collections that highlight the queer community with a focus on Denver authors. We have already published erotica, queer short stories, a vaginoplasty guide, sci-fi, and a young adult novel.

90 Day Designs by Johanna Klikier (she/her)

My name is Johanna, I’m a Colorado native, trash TV enthusiast, pet mom to 2 dogs and 1 turtle, and I spend a majority of my free time pursuing creative outlets! My bread and butter is making food themed earrings and trinkets. What started as an idea to make burger earrings one night with friends has turned into a passion to make silly little creative goods that I hope will make you smile!

Leah Nieboer (she/her)

Leah Nieboer grew up in rural Iowa. She is a poet, deep listener, PhD candidate in English and Literary Arts at the University of Denver, a graduate of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers, the winner of the 2022 Mountain West Writers' Contest in Poetry, and the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Denver, and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Her first collection of poetry, SOFT APOCALYPSE (UGA Press 2023), was selected by Andrew Zawacki for the 2021 Georgia Poetry Prize, and her work has appeared in Oversound, the Brooklyn Rail, Poetry Daily, Interim: A Journal of Poetry & Poetics, and elsewhere. Overall, her work explores queer, disabled embodiment strategies for livable futures.

Beyond the Veil Press

Beyond The Veil Press is a queer-owned indie press, publishing poetry & art anthologies and chapbooks on the theme of mental health awareness and marginalized voices. We donate 10% of anthology sales to non-profits.

David R. Slayton (he/him)

David R. Slayton grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging, and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver, Colorado and writes the books he always wanted to read. His debut, White Trash Warlock, was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. In 2015, David founded Trick or Read, an initiative to give out books along with candy to children on Halloween as well as uplift lesser-known authors or those from marginalized backgrounds. David is a regular speaker and panelist at fan cons and writing conferences.

Lewis Thompson (he/him)

Born of a mother who desperately wanted a daughter as her only child and never let me forget it for the duration of my childhood. My Dad travelled 10 hours a day over the state of Kansas for Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co. helping farmers get the funds they would need to maintain the operation for the foreseeable future. He was out of the house before I was out of bed and didn't come home until evening. I write because by telling my story I give myself the only love I've ever felt.

We hope you’ll come out to support local queer authors and creatives this weekend at the Queer Author Expo. Visit the event page to RSVP to this free, public event!