LGBTQ+ literature celebrated at Gulfport festival

Novelist Ellen Kushner is the keynote speaker at the 2025 edition of ReadOUT, a literary festival celebrating LGBTQ+ literature, Friday through Sunday in Gulfport.

Sponsored by the nonprofit OUT Arts & Culture, formerly the LGBTQ Resource Center of the Gulfport Library, the event will include will feature panel discussions, readings, keynote addresses, author meet-and-greets, book signings and entertainment. The 2025 theme is “Queering the Narrative.”

It’s the eighth year for the festival; most events take place at the Catherine A. Hickman Theater, 5501 27th Avenue S.

“We’re expanding our audience by centering trans, non-binary and BIPOC authors this year in numbers we have not been able to in the past,” executive director Paul Raker said in a prepared statement.

Comedian Poppy Champlin performs Saturday night. Publicity photo.

“It speaks to the growth of our organization, the growth of our audience and the panels are sure to be applicable to present day LGBTQ+ literature. We could not be more excited to see it come to life in a time where diversity and inclusion are under attack, we are thrilled to be moving the work forward.”

Other participating authors include J.J. Arias, Georgia Beers, Virginia Black, Melissa Brayden, Nan Campbell, Sheree Greer, Elle Ire, Sandra Lambert, Gale Massey and Angela Yarber.

Kushner, known for her fantasy books (Swordspoint, Thomas the Rhymer, The Privilege of the Sword) is is actively involved in the interstitial art movement.

“Interstitial fiction’s time has come,” she said in a 2022 interview. “I was one of the people instrumental in coining the word. We needed a term to best describe what we do: writing and song and art between the recognized categories.”

The full schedule of events is available at this link. Tickets ($10) are on sale here.