Haircuts, seeds, and electricity: three topics I hadn’t expected to cover during last night’s interview about Queer Songwriters of a New Generation (QSONG), the song writing workshop debuting at this year’s Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver. Sarah Wheeler, one of two artists leading the project, tells me I should have seen it coming. I’m interviewing with a group of aspiring song-writers, after all; a few rogue metaphors are only to be expected.

Over the past 16-weeks, Wheeler and her co-mentor Melissa Endean have been leading free weekly drop-in sessions where queer, trans, and allied youth learned to write, record, and perform music professionally. As part of the workshop, students worked intensively with top professionals in their industry to develop their technical skills, creativity, and artistic confidence. By building lasting relationships with established queer songwriters like Wheeler and Endean, QSONG offered students a non-prejudicial space to grow as artists. For queer youth, student Vi Levitt explains, this is hugely important. “That kind of space,” Levitt feels, “doesn’t really exist for queer artists outside of situations like this.” Student Jude Bartlett agrees. “It’s a very open, supportive community,” she says, “everybody here stands on a common ground.”

Wrapping up the workshop, students will be headlining at tonight’s QAF closing party, Loud and Queer. When I ask what to expect from the show, Wheeler, Levitt, and Bartlett are unanimous: “It’s going to be amazing,” says Wheeler. “But, that’s performing,” she explains, “what makes you bullied in life makes you awesome on stage.”

See QSong performances at Loud & Queer, The Queer Arts Festival Closing Gala

Date: Saturday August 9, 2014
Time: 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm
Venue: Yaletown Roundhouse
Cost: $5 – $10 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds