Devyn Springer

Devyn Springer (Goin’ In Interview)

“I shade people from love,” says Devyn Springer, who asserts that the library is always open for a free reading–to educate them about themselves, of course.??

“I have this theory–it’s part of being both queer and Black,” he explains: “We need to be read to filth every now and then and told about ourselves and only a queer Black person can do that correctly.”

 

It’s a chilly weeknight and we sit in the middle of a long stairway that leads from the street into what’s probably a block of renovated lofts or a “modern office space.” The small Atlanta street sees a few cars passing by every now and then, and passersby are either on their way to a show across at the local theater or leaving the bar next door.

Devyn Springer is an artist-activist and educator from Atlanta whose dedication to all people in the Black diaspora has not gone unnoticed in local communities. A student at Kennesaw State University, a teacher, a photographer, a poet and artist, Deyvn has enough titles to make a Game of Thrones monarch blush.

But that’s what happens when you’re poppin, amirite?

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As I sit down with Devyn and talk about all things Black, queer, intersectional and occasionally shady, I find myself super impressed with the dude. He’s someone who regularly attends Black Lives Matter protests and blocks highways as an act of civil disobedience, but he’s under no illusions: He believes that protesting is something that shouldn’t be glamorized. In fact, to hear him tell it (and you can), protest can be prayer.

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Devyn also deconstructs toxic cis-patriarchal masculinity and hegemony in the media and in collective spaces. Drawing from a peer, Zoe S., he says “A lot of people in the diaspora and a lot of people with this toxic nationalist perspective, they weaponize Pan-Africanism.” He goes on to talk about intersectionality as a method of work, as opposed to the way it’s wrongly used in the mainstream to be a fancy synonym for diversity.

We talk for an hour, and honestly I’m energized enough to keep going on–even if only to talk about silliness–but the cold keeps getting colder and the day trudges on. We end the interview talking about Devyn’s awesome book Grayish Black and the upcoming lecture he’ll give in Syracuse. Honestly, the whole conversation was magical. Check it out below!

LISTEN TO THE WHOLE PODCAST

#1: “Protest as Prayer/Shade as Love” Devyn Springer (HalfAtlanta)

 

Also, check out Devyn’s website, cop yourself a copy of Grayish Black, and support Contemporary Queer so we can widen our scope and keep bringing you great moments like this!

trigger, venus selenite, trans writer, contemporary queer, l

trigger by Venus Selenite | CQ Interview

venus selenite trigger, poet, artistVenus Selenite, DC-based poet and social critic from Baton Rouge, Louisiana  and self-described lesbiqueer has been in the poetry circuit since her early to mid teens. So it should come as no shock that she’s harnessed everything she’s learned and experienced to focus it into her debut book of poetry: triger.

And yes, the ‘t’ is lowercase, thank you very much. *Nail polish emoji*

A Black nonbinary trans woman who’s words can bring comfort or start fires, Venus agreed to let me conduct this interview on behalf of Contemporary Queer in celebration for trigger’s grand debut! Read More

what does cafucu mean in english

What Does Cafuçú Mean?

Brazil is one of those places where even when you’ve learned the language (or are learning, as is my case) there will always be some new expression that isn’t in your handy copy of “Everything You Need to Know About Brazilian Portuguese and Then Some.” Brazilian Portuguese is an immensely rich language with new phrases coming into the mainstream everyday. Multiplied by the fact that queer co-cultures create their own meanings and understandings… [Insert your deity here] have mercy! Today we’ll look at Cafuçú.

What does Cafuçú mean?

“Cafuçú” (pronounced: kah-foo-SOO) used in common Portuguese gay vernacular is a word that many queer Americans might understand as “trade”, or a masculine “straight-acting” and well-built man.  My initial understanding of cafuçú is that of “sexy gardener” or “sexy pool boy” or “sexy construction worker who arrives conveniently when someone’s partner isn’t there for some knock-knock-nookums.” Turns out I wasn’t far off. Read More

gay microphile, macrophile, what is macrophilia, vore, crush

Interview with Microphile Erotic Artist Drevon the Colossus

drevon the colossus, giant man, shrunken men, gay, macrophile
Drevon the Colossus and a lucky (or unlucky–depending on your POV) partner.

With a name like Drevon the Colossus, there’s little room for ambiguity in what you’ll be getting when you click on one of his erotic videos. But if you’re thinking you’re going to find your run-of-the-mill big-dicked man and that’s it, you’re thinking far too small.

Drevon is a microphile, a man for whom the ideas of dominance and towering over teensy-weensy partners brings sexual arousal. Unlike macrophiles, who prefer to see themselves as the tiny ones who are dominated, The Colossus puts himself on top, expansive as the the horizon and as tall as a tower.

Read More

blown covers by ryan thomas

CQ Interview: “Blown Covers” by Ryan Thomas

Ryan Thomas“Finally! I get to read more than the first few chapters!” I exclaimed when a close friend of mine (Ryan Thomas) sent me the novel he’d been working on since college. I start reading the first few pages of Blown Covers and then I only emerge when day has turned into night, weekend into Monday, and everything I loved has turned into ashes in my mouth because the main character–*doesn’t add spoiler*.

Blown Covers, the coming of age story that follows three teens sharing an apartment while working the same literary internship, is something I wish I had read when I was younger. Written in three languages (and translated into English), it takes us through the trials of David (White American-Enlgish), Chrstiano (Spanish-Spanish), and Lena (German-German) as they deal with their inner turmoil and each other.

I sat down with the author Ryan over coffee (several thousand miles apart) and asked him to talk more about the book and his role as its author. Read More