Letters to James Baldwin: A Pride Month Reading & Celebration

Join Gemini Ink on Thursday, June 27th, to wrap up Pride Month 2024 with a timely and intimate literary discussion around the life and work of James Baldwin. 

We will celebrate the genius of Baldwin, a black, queer writer and civil rights activist, and create a space for other writers to draw inspiration from and interact with his work.  This event will feature authors Georgie Lee, Aminah Decé, and Aaron Deutsch, who will each share a piece of work written in response to Baldwin’s concepts and ideas. Come join the community conversation. Following the program, we will have a community open mic. Light refreshments will be served.

Please visit our social media pages during the month of June. We’re sharing writing prompts and quotes from James Baldwin that mayinspire you to write something new for the open mic!

Instagram: @sa_geminiink
Facebook: @GeminiInk
Twitter: @GeminiInk  

Aminah Decé is a Teaching Artist from Mississippi. She was trained at the World Combat Academy, Institute of Martial Science, and maintains degrees in The Humanities, Fine Arts & Art History/Criticism from UTSA. She began her artistic journey as a slam poet in Killeen, Texas. Aminah discredits concepts of race and supremacy through her art and empowers the public to do the same through art education.

Aaron Deutsch received his MFA in poetry with distinction from Texas State University, intending to acquire a lexicon to answer the wild, mystical questions the world around him seemed to be asking. That journey led him to become a senior program manager with the United States Department of Defense, where he works to build regional security across South America and the Middle East alongside international partners. To establish and maintain effective communication, he uses poetics and linguistics to build shared goals across cultures. He loves teaching creative writing classes, working on that ever-elusive first book, and spoiling his Boston Terrier, Hamlet. 

Georgie Lee (he/they) is an award-winning and internationally published poet from South Texas. By day, Georgie is the healthcare form designer for all Baptist Health System hospitals in the San Antonio area. By night, Georgie is heavily involved in the local performing arts scene. From acting in community theater productions to playing the clarinet in symphonic bands, Georgie hopes to inspire others to explore the power of recovery through creative activity. Their work is centered around self-love, grief, overcoming addiction, and queerness as a celebration.