Wicked Woman Award by Brickhouse to prestigious lesbian from Vt.
WASHINGTON—The Arts Club of Washington will host poet Linda Quinlan for a luncheon and poetry reading on September 12, 2019, at noon.
Quinlan won the Wicked Woman Poetry Prize with her manuscript Chelsea Creek, a series of poems reflecting on her upbringing in a blue-collar New England town. The prize is awarded by Brickhouse Books and will be presented by contest judge Rose Solari.
“As a working-class lesbian poet who has been writing for many years, I am honored to receive the Charlene Kushner Wicked Woman Literary Prize,” said Quinlan. “It is a pleasure to receive an award for breaking the mold and challenging expectations.”
Long-time LGBTQ activist and poet, Quinlan grew up the daughter of union parents, a factory worker, and a carpenter. As the lesbian mother of two sons, Quinlan explores issues of gender and motherhood while also observing the particularities of the past and present cultural landscape.
“Linda Whalen Quinlan renders the rough terrain of working-class New England with a lush beauty that pulls no punches, letting the brute hardness of a place and its people coexist with longing and love, finding the tenderness hiding inside tragedy,” PEN Award winner Michelle Tea said of Quinlan’s work. “I love these poems.”
Currently residing in Montpelier, Vermont, Quinlan also cohosts a cable access LGBTQ news show.
“In my life and work, I hope to continue the Wicked Woman tradition of joyful transgression,” Quinlan added.
The Arts Club event consists of a poetry reading followed by a luncheon and opportunity for an informal discussion with the poet. It is open to the public, but a reservation is required. Please RSVP to https://artsclubofwashington.org/events/.
[From a News Release]
