Each day I sing and perform I count as victory over blatant favoritism and over all a system built to fail us.   Something setup to remind us we are other. Wrong. Ugly. So much that we have to fight to learn a history hidden. And love how we are made while everything around us screams change. Straighten your hair. We tan you bleach....She was a warm brown. Blue undertones. I remember her.   She sang to me. Her favorite thing was to make me sing along to the Reading Rainbow theme song when I was little. When she was still here.   Her absence hangs over me like an overcast sky. Pushing my feet down harder with every step. The coming rain is pressed to my temples and crowding my mind. Making my knees buckle. Crying in the shower where no one can hear me but God. Father. Silent. Always listening. Watching me slam into emotional walls, stand up and covered in new scars. Where is she?   Forgiveness is not for them. It is for you. Tha...

And I'm calm Untouchably separate from others' actions Continuously giving love despite others' retractions Unexplainable the sense of peace that follows presence A powerful sense of self has taken up full residence A flow reconnecting the soul to potential energies Untapped centers of perceived external synergy Asymmetry balanced within no longer limits me Acceptance a voiceless, timeless remedy I pass ethereal through the swords of imagined enemies In my perception, long held perspective has shifted to one of constant movement Acknowledging the inevitability of my imperfections, I embrace inner improvement  

 

 

 

I’m sorry, Mom,
for the days I stay buried beneath my sheets,
while sunlight begs at my window
and your voice echoes down empty halls of memory.
You gave me all the light you had left—
but I was born with shadows in my bones. I’m sorry the night light of your love
no longer keeps the monsters at bay.
They’ve learned my name,
they sleep beside me,
they wear my face when I look in the mirror. You fought so hard to raise me in peace,
to silence the screams you swallowed for years.
But I inherited more than your eyes,
more than your soft hands a nd fragile hopes—
I carry your ghosts like heirlooms
I never asked for but can’t let go. I know you dreamed of more for me—
a life where laughter comes easier
than breathing through grief.
But drinking the pain away
only makes me thirsty
for the last handful of dirt dropped on my casket.
I sip sorrow from cracked glasses,
searching for something that feels like escape
but always tastes like drowning. I’m sorry I couldn’t always be the son
you belie...

I..... Waited, waited, & waited Until the silhouette of my patience Was left lingering on the window panes..... Sitting in emotions of defeat But this seat...... Was my only attachment to you..... A connection between your soul and my heart Yet, we departed ways In the middle of our days Where the sun would try to hold on to that last lingering cloud Before the moon would break through the shadows..... Neither could fathom the reason why They kept seeing my face day after day..... I Waited..... On you to break the silence Of this dark disposition Wondering where the moments of wondering where you are Were nothing, but wonders pondering on what to think next Yet, nothing was left to think of But you made your decision And I couldn't believe I sat waiting on you to appear Then disappear then re-appear like ain't shit happened That chair should have crumbled beneath me To let me know our foundation wasn't even sturdy enough For me to lay my emotions on..... Waited Un...

 

 

 

  It was wonderful and created an ache in me to see kids with two parents play on sports teams. They got to be in dance and have endless toys. Sing in shows I only heard about at the last minute. I saw so much wealth while I had to follow my grandmother, helping her polish silver and scrub floors . She was unhappy at home but turned on a cigarette stained smile for them. She raised their kids. Cleaned up after their dogs. Nursed a dying mother. We got their leftovers for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I got presents like cassettes and nail polish. Some of them remembered my mother and told me how exciting my birth was. It’s so bizarre hearing so much about a woman you only knew for the first 5 years of your life. Would her friends care to know how many times she came into my room sweating, shirtless, mumbling comforting words and scaring the hell out of me? How I hated waking up in places I hadn’t gone to sleep in? What about the times when she wrapped me in a blanket, carried me ...

In those long ago and far away days I was a little girl, a child fed on romance and fairy tales, In those long ago and far away days The scraps of some kind of imaginary adult life That I pieced together From songs and folklore and encyclopedias My own little dreamed up future With Prince Charming and babies And magic and beauty and comfort A Perfect Life. I idolized him because he sang of love and pretty girls Yet he had the roguish airs I recognized From the handsome True Loves I found between the worn covers of my library books I was convinced with all the seriousness of a young girl That he was my destiny, my future, And no one could have told me otherwise. As with any young girl's dreams, Mine did not so much die as were replaced By other, more mature longings For someone else, most likely even more unattainable When I hear those songs now, as an adult, I am reminded of my childhood adoration And remember that little girl fondly Because even though her dreams may have been Lof...

 

 

 

  Gabi Miller reads her poem, "Starry Night," for the Louisiana Words Tour 2026 at Cavalier House Books in Lafayette, LA.

  I chose not to lead the way or be the focus of intent yet here I reside, all on display for all to see as I repent I cannot be a perfect spirit as long as I am bound in sin I hence feel I’m deemed unfit for a fight I can’t, alone, win I pray with passion to see a promising path of grace where my people can live free and our holy father, embrace Give me strength not to fall on grievous acts against you help me hear my lord’s next call and know your words, alone, are true I follow where you lead my heart I give myself to absorb your love and from evil, set myself apart I patiently await your guidance from above

Is my skin too dark for this job? Do I have the right smile for this gig? Am I the right height for this show? Is my hair too coarse for that hat?   My body, my eyes Imperfection I despise These questions, these lies I’m all caught in compromise   Should I change up this stanza? Don’t bring attention to the art, fool Wait, am I a boy caught in beauty? No, you’re a girl caught in brawn   The voices from my pen speak Many of them care what you think Both friends and foes, I seek I hope I have what it takes not to sink    Do they see my pretty insecurities? Should I ask them what’s my worth? My insides brought outside for auction I want to hold my breath, but can I?   My cab to tomorrow has arrived I’m not sure I can pay the fare On life, I don’t think I’ve thrived But do you really even care?

 

  Purchase here: https:// https://marsandpanbooks.com/store/the-lovers-universe                                                                              The Lovers Trilogy Book 1 Summary: Lovable loner Casey Isaac thinks romance isn’t for him. Not since extraordinary events left him with supernormal powers and a great deal of trauma. But when Oscar Kenzari looks at him, he can’t help but change his mind. As Divinators, Casey and Oscar have used their psychic powers to defend humanity from sentient, extradimensional storms for one hundred years. But a storm more powerful than any before is brewing. MaalenKun , prince of the maelstrom, conqueror of countless realities, plans to turn the tables by infecting Casey’s mind. MaalenKun is not the only...

  Nick Perere reads his poem, “Sonnet No. 47,” for the Louisiana Words Tour 2025 at George's Place in Baton Rouge, LA.

Sam Harty reads her poem, "Scream on Paper," for the Louisiana Words Tour at George's Place in BatonRouge, LA.

Purchase here:  https:// marsandpanbooks.com/store/p/ the-st-charles-bible Summary Sixteen-year-old Ree Osterberg is drawn into the fading grandeur—and dark secrets—of his grandmother Margarethe’s ancestral home on New Orleans’ famous St. Charles Avenue. According to family legend, Emperor Napoleon himself entrusted her ancestors with a priceless treasure hidden somewhere within Maison de l’Ange. And only Margarethe’s tyrannical father Henri Delacoeur II knows where. When the cruel patriarch dies under mysterious circumstances while celebrating his hundredth birthday, Ree believes the worst of the Delacoeur legacy has finally ended. But Henri’s final act is one last cruelty: he leaves Margarethe nothing, willing the crumbling mansion she has lived in for forty years to a rival niece. With eviction looming, Ree vows to help the grandmother who has proven his only ally in his struggles to understand his own emerging identity as a young gay man in a world that feels increasingly hosti...

 

Please support Siniša Jančan's novel, Silence in the Quiet of Peace . Info for the novel and how to purchase is here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfadx6w/ Summary For years, Bosnia drowned in blood and tears as Serb forces ravaged our land, razed our homes to the ground, and forced us into concentration camps, servitude, and hiding. The ethnic cleansing resulted in tens of thousands of deaths of innocent civilians and the displacement of several million people from their homes. From the siege of Sarajevo to the Srebrenica Massacre (the second greatest loss of life on European soil since WW2), the world watched as they laid waste to everything we knew, but in the ashes of their hate we found the strength to survive in the place we once called home!

  Noah Tapper reads his poem, “Untitled,” for the Louisiana Words Tour 2025 at Allways Lounge & Cabaret in New Orleans, LA.

Nick Perere reads his poem, “Coach O,” for the Louisiana Words Tour 2025 at George's Place in Baton Rouge, LA .

  Louis Toliver Jr. reads his short story, “Sincerely George,” for the Louisiana Words Tour 2025 at George's Place in Baton Rouge, LA.

The Louisiana Words Tour 2026 comes to Allways Lounge & Cabaret in New Orleans, LA on Sunday, July 5th at 5:00pm! LouisianaWords.com is the home of Louisiana's LGBTQIA+ writers and our allies! We help market new and seasoned writers for FREE! We primarily promote poetry and fiction! Our featured writers will include TQ Sims, Fritz Westenberger, Paige McRae, Sam Ray, Khary Wilson, Chris Anton, J. Michael Norris, and Louis Toliver Jr. We will also have an open mic for anyone who attends the show and has the passion to read any of their work. If you are interested in doing an open mic, all you have to do is show up! Fritz Westenberger will be reading from his new novel: The St. Charles Bible. Info for the novel and how to purchase is here: https://marsandpanbooks.com/store/p/the-st-charles-bible TQ Sims will also be reading from his 1st novel: Godspeed, Lovers - from his The Lovers Trilogy. Info for the novel and how to purchase is here:  https://marsandpanbooks.com/store/the-love...

  Get an up-close-and-personal look into the life of Ted A Richard - Author/Activist, who survived homophobia, addiction, abuse, and HIV/AIDS, in THE 16th SECOND: https://bit.ly/3VEpsLV . Summary: The 16th Second is the autobiography of a small-town gay boy from Deep South Louisiana who survived homophobia, alcohol and drug addiction, sexual abuse, rape, and HIV/AIDS to become somebody that no one, not even he, expected.   The story winds through his childhood, where Ted had become accustomed to coming in second. Weaving a tale of drama, heartache, and failure to the path led him to figure out what it takes to come in first and why it mattered.   His childhood recollection of “never being good enough” morphs into a world of delusions of grandeur as his search for fame seems never to materialize, which causes him to create his own definition of fame.   It is a story of redemption and success after years of searching helped him realize that he had to let go of th...

  The Louisiana Words Spring 2026 season is officially over and we are on summer break! No worries though, because we'll still be posting lives readings from last year's Louisiana Words Tour until we get to July 3rd - 5th! The Louisiana Words Tour 2026 is coming July 3rd - 5th, 2026! Please keep following us as we provide more promotions and information as we get closer the the tour! New content for Louisiana Words starts later this summer: July 19th!  

The Louisiana Words Tour 2026 comes to George’s Place in Baton Rouge, LA on Saturday, July 4th at 3:00pm LouisianaWords.com is the home of Louisiana's LGBTQIA+ writers and our allies! We help market new and seasoned writers for FREE! We primarily promote poetry and fiction! Our featured writers will include Sam Harty, Sinisa Juncan, Nick Perere, John Chenvert, Lance Wise, Khary Wilson, J. Michael Norris, and Louis Toliver Jr. We will also have an open mic for anyone who attends the show and has the passion to read any of their work. If you are interested in doing an open mic, all you have to do is show up! Siniša Jančan will be reading from his novel: Silence in the Quiet of Peace. Info for the novel and how to purchase is here: https://tinyurl.com/bdfadx6w/ All shows of the Louisiana Words Tour 2026 will be recorded and shared online for your friends, family, and the world to see! If you have any questions, please e-mail us at louisianawords@gmail.com; or message Louis Toliver Jr....

 

 

  The Louisiana Words Tour 2026 comes to Cavalier House Books in Lafayette, LA on Friday, July 3rd at 4:30pm!  LouisianaWords.com is the home of Louisiana's LGBTQIA+ writers and our allies! We help market new and seasoned writers for FREE! We primarily promote poetry and fiction! Our featured writers will include Gabi Miller, Laura Gary, Ted A. Richard, J. Michael Norris, and Louis Toliver Jr. We also will have an open mic for anyone who attends the show and has the passion to read any of their work. If you are interested in doing an open mic, all you have to do is show up!  Ted A. Richard will be reading from his novel: The 16th Second. Info for the novel and how to purchase is here: https://bit.ly/3VEpsLV All shows of the Louisiana Words Tour 2026 will be recorded and shared online for your friends, family, and the world to see!  If you have any questions, please e-mail us at louisianawords@gmail.com; or message Louis Toliver Jr. and the Louisiana Words FB page dir...