Articles in Anchorage
“Debutante Balls”: A transgender one-man-show at Out North
Scott T. Schofield, an award-winning trans performer, returns to Anchorage this week with Debutante Balls, about his years as a debutante in the deep south.
Out North describes Debutante Balls as a “theatrical stand-up comedy dance through the fascinating culture of the Southern Debutante Ball. Schofield’s wicked sense of self-aware humor and poetic sensibility guide us gently (or is that genteel-ly?) through the many ways he “came out” into Southern Society: as a lesbian, radical feminist, and finally, as a transgender man.”
Schofield is an award-winning writer, performer, and educator creating theater about gender and sexuality. He tours internationally with his solo shows, and acts and writes for theater and film.
He was previously at Out North in March 2008 to perform Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps.
See Debutante Balls at Out North: Jan. 14-16 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20, available online or at the door.
Here’s a video clip of Debutante Balls from Schofield’s YouTube channel, undergroundtrans:
This Week in LGBT Alaska 1/8/10
Juneau
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar.
Juneau Pride Chorus rehearses every Friday, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Resurrection Lutheran Church. Marsha
Fairbanks
Greek Gods and Goddess: Toga Party 1/9, 7 p.m. An Imperial Court all-ages event with food, fun, fashion show, dancing and live entertainment. $12 in costume, $15 in street clothes, at the Carlson Center.
LGBT Call for Action with guest speaker Harriet Drummond on 1/10, service at 10:30 a.m., conversation at 12:30 p.m. at the UUFF.
PFLAG Meeting 1/10, 4 p.m.
Wednesday LGBTA Social at 9:30 p.m. Email Joshua for the current location.
Mat-Su Valley
Mat-Su LGBT Community Center in Palmer is open M-F 5-8 p.m. (except 6-8 on Wed.) The social group meets Wednesdays, 5-6 p.m. at Vagabond Blues.
Anchorage
Friday Divas Variety Show, 9 p.m. at Mad Myrna’s.
Sunday worship with MCC Anchorage, 2 p.m.
Gay, Joyous and Free AA Meeting on Mondays, 6 p.m. at the GLCCA.
Pride Festival 2010 Planning Meeting 1/13, 5:30 p.m. at the GLCCA.
Scott T. Schofield’s “Debutante Balls” 1/14-1/16 at 7:30 p.m. and 1/17 at 4 p.m. at Out North.
Memorials for Nicole Blizzard, tonight & Jan 31
Nicole Blizzard of Anchorage passed away on Dec. 30, and a memorial service is being held tonight, Thursday Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m. in Providence Hospital’s West Auditorium. Blizzard was an RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Providence.
The queer community is planning a second memorial later this month at Mad Myrna’s. Blizzard asked for a party instead of a funeral, so her friends are throwing a Birthday Party Celebration of Nicole’s Life at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday Jan. 31, which would have been her 52nd birthday.
In December, she was dealing with health problems and developed complications. Her close friends were with her when she passed away. They will spread her ashes in Cook Inlet this spring, as she requested.
Blizzard founded The Naked Ptarmigan, an LGBT literary journal for Alaska. She was a former editor of The NorthView, a former board member of Identity, and a co-host of RAW’s Celebration of Change.
She loved music, photography and writing, wrote online book and music reviews, and contributed to the web site TechnoDyke. A new book of her writings, Love and Other Mishaps: An Accidental Anthology, was published in early December, and autographed copies are available in the Local Interest section of Border’s Bookstore in Anchorage.
RAW is considering a last issue of The Naked Ptarmigan in honor of Nicole, and may set up a scholarship named for her. Details will be announced on March 27 at Celebration of Change.
Condolences to her friends and family. She was well-known and will be missed.
Dan Savage, Sherman Alexie, and Nikki Giovanni at UAA
Dan Savage, author of the wildly popular column Savage Love, is returning to UAA on Feb. 11 with his honest and funny question and answer session on everything sexual. Tickets go on sale today at UAA Tix.
“Boldly covering everything and anything related to sex and relationships, Dan Savage answers questions about virginity, orgasms, monogamy, and more. Not just an LGBT speaker, Dan Savage creates a space for all students to honestly discuss taboo topics. With the audience driving the discussion, the program can touch on any subject – from sexual problems to gay marriage to child-raising to sex education to the current political scene.”
On March 4, Sherman Alexie will be on campus to discuss “The Business of Fancydancing.” Alexie is an acclaimed Native American poet, and his movie Fancydancing won several gay & lesbian film festival awards. Tickets at UAA Tix.
Both events are free for UAA students, but they must have an event ticket and a valid UAA ID. Tickets can be picked up at the UAA Student Union Information Desk starting today.
Also, renowned author and poet Nikki Giovanni will present her work on Jan. 21 as part of UAA’s Civil Rights Month Celebration and Alaska Civil Rights Day. No word on tickets. Check the event page for updates.
Alaska’s lesbian short story contest, women’s art and music shows, call for contributors and performers *New Deadline*
- Each entry must contain a cover sheet with author’s name, address, phone number, email, story title, and word count.
- The short story must be between 250 and 5,000 words and contain some lesbian content. Stories should be on 8.5-x-11 size paper, double spaced, 1-inch margins, no less than size 10 font. Do not put author’s name on the story. The fiction and lesbian stipulations may be interpreted by the author, but we are not seeking poetry or non-fiction. Erotica is acceptable. Electronic submissions are not accepted. Unpublished submissions only.
- Author must be a woman living in Alaska as of January 2010.
- February 1, 2010 is the postmark deadline for entries.
- There is no entry fee.
- Winner receives $500 and the winning short story will appear on www.radicalartsforwomen.org and may also be published in the Alaska LGBT literary journal, Naked Ptarmigan.
- Honorable mentions will be given at the judges’ discretion.
- Winners will be announced at Celebration of Change on March 27, 2010. For list of complete list of winners, include a SASE with entry.
- Mail entries by February 1 to: Radical Arts for Women Short Story Contest, PO Box 244436, Anchorage AK 99524-4436.
The first place stories for 2009, 2008 and 2007 are posted at Radical Arts for Women, along with a list of other winning stories and honorable mentions.
Church Life Brunch, AKA QrSA, and Pick.Click.Give. with the PFD
Queer Alaska’s Annual Events
Happy New Year! As we begin another year, we start a new round of annual events for LGBT Alaska:
Lesbian Short Story Contest (Feb. deadline) – Radical Arts for Women rewards women authors in Alaska for fiction with lesbian content.
Arctic Heat (February) – The Last Frontier Men’s Club chooses the next Bear and Leather titleholders.
Celebration of Change (March this year) – RAW’s break-up performance and art show celebrates women, music and the coming of spring.
Femme Fatale (April) – The Imperial Court closes the legislative session in Juneau with a benefit show for Four A’s.
Day of Silence (April 25) & Pride Prom – Alaska’s Gay/Straight Student Alliances wrap up the school year with National Day of Silence and Pride Prom.
Juneau Pride Chorus spring concert (May) – The Juneau Women’s Chorus welcomes spring with an evening of music and food.
Memorial Day Picnic (end of May) – The community Picnic and BBQ celebrate unity and the beginning of summer.
PrideFest & Pride Week (June) – The summer solstice diversity parade and festival displays our Pride in Anchorage, and Juneau holds a Pride Picnic.
Golden Days Parade & Tanana Valley Fair (July) – PFLAG Fairbanks brightens the local parade with a 45 foot rainbow flag and hosts a picnic afterwards, then creates a booth for the Fair.
Coronation (Labor Day weekend) – ICOAA’s late summer extravaganza invests the new Imperial Court of All Alaska and presents scholarships and awards.
Pride Conference (October) – Identity’s back-to-school conference is inspired by National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.
Alaskans Together annual conference (October) – ATE hosts a statewide annual strategy conference.
World AIDS Day (Dec. 1) – Four 4’s and IAA recognize the battle against AIDS with memorials, celebrations of life, and red ribbons.
The Best and Worst of 2009
Ring in a Queer New Year for 2010
Have a Merry Gay Christmas in Anchorage
