BIANNUAL LITERARY JOURNAL & PRESS
CREATED BY AND FOR LGBTQ+ WRITERS & READERS
Amina Cruz
- recent news & events -
- 2025-2026 Start A Riot! Winner & Finalists -
Reggie Edmonds-Vasquez (photo credit @lupepac_)
Winner
Ecology of the Hood
Reggie Edmonds-Vásquez (they/them) is a poet, educator, and cultural curator from Richmond, CA. Their work explores Black, queer, and gender-diverse identities and has earned recognition from Nomadic Press, Afro Urban Society, and the Museum of the African Diaspora. A two-time Berkeley Grand Champion and national finalist, they direct programming at Rich Oak Events.
finalist
I Wonder If Boys Can Sing
Artie Patel (they/them) is a trans nonbinary mixed South Asian American born and raised in Santa Clara County. They attended UCLA, where they were on the senior staff of FEM Newsmagazine. They are currently a graduate student and teacher at San José State University in the English department.
Artie Patel
finalist
Bakla
Eden Julia Sugay (they/them) is a QTPOC writer and editor based in Oakland. They hold a BA in Creative Writing from Mills College and MFA in Writing from University of San Francisco. Their work has been supported by Kearny Street Workshop, Berkeley Poetry Festival, The Writers Grotto, Folkways Press, Four Leaf Collective, Kissing Dynamite, and The Walrus.
Eden Julia Sugay
Thank you to our judges, Dani Putney, Grayson Thompson, and Zara Jamshed, as well as our partner, Still Here SF. Please be on the lookout for Ecology of the Hood, coming June 2026.