BGSQDBureau of General Services—Queer Division
BGSQD
TELL is an evening of story telling from the mouths and minds of queers in NYC hosted by Drae Campbell at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division since February 2014.
My Body is the theme of the 63rd TELL, on Saturday, July 18, 2020, 6 to 7:15 PM (EST). Featuring Carla Gaskins-Nathan, Vie Paula, and Brian Belovitch.
The event will take place on Zoom.
This is a free event, but you must register on the Eventbrite page in advance of the event in order to receive the Zoom meeting link.
Donations for the performers are much appreciated!
Make a donation when you register on the Eventbrite page.
Drae Campbell is a writer, actor, director, story teller, dancer, and nightlife emcee. Drae has been featured on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and on stages all over NYC. Drae’s directing work has appeared in Iceland, NYC, Budapest and in the San Francisco Fringe Festival. The short film Drae wrote and starred in with Rebecca Drysdale, YOU MOVE ME won the Audience Award for Outstanding Narrative Short at OUTFEST 2010 and has been shown in festivals globally. Drae won the grand prize at the first annual San Miguel De Allende Storytelling Festival in Mexico. She once reigned as Miss LEZ and also got dubbed “the next lezzie comedian on the block” by AfterEllen.com for her comedic stylings on the interwebs. Campbell hosts and curates a monthly queer storytelling show called TELL at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division. Check her out online! www.draecampbell.com.
Carla Gaskins-Nathan (pronouns she/they) is the Brooklyn and now resides in Harlem. Carla is the founder and CEO of Zelah LLC, which includes their private massage practice, Rooted Bodywork. Carla is a consultant, educator and healing artist that believes true holistic wellness must be rooted in healing, social and racial justice.
Carla preformed and curated while living in Minneapolis in the 90s and 2000s. Their performance work includes spoken word, drag, DJ, VJ and performance art. Carla has preformed at Twin Cities Black Pride, the main stage of Twin Cities Pride, Intermedia Arts, Patrick’s Cabaret and other LGBTQIA events.
Carla’s work is open to all that see the importance of holistic wellness with a focus on loving Blackness and working with LGBTQIA+ communities of color.
South Bronx bred, performance fed, Vie Paula is a Caretaker, Thing Maker, Singer/Songwriter, and Licensed Massage Therapist striving to learn how to tell the whole truth and spend as much time as possible with their roommate’s cat. With night life entertainment in the far away past and a recent foray into all things extra, Vie wants to see you and be seen by you. They are currently working on staying connected and engaged, figuring out what fun is, and creating a life worth staying awake for.
Brian Belovitch, author, activist and longtime resident of NYC also has a storied career as a writer and gender outlier. He’s appeared on New York stages for more than three decades. Recently he was featured on The Moth Storytelling hour on NPR relating a story from his recently published memoir, Trans Figured: My Journey from Boy to Girl to Woman to Man. In 2019, Brian was a recipient of the Acker award for writing that is given annually to East Village, NY avant-garde artists. As a playwright, his Off-Broadway play, Boys Don’t Wear Lipstick, was honored with a 2000 GLAAD nomination. This June, Brian was named one of the 50 most influential LGBTQ authors of all time by Barnes and Noble and invited to participate in the 50th anniversary of Stonewall Gay Pride Parade in New York City. In November 2019, Brian was the subject of a documentary film debuting its world premiere at DOC NYC titled I’m Gonna Make You Love Me directed by Karen Bernstein. As a long- term survivor of HIV Brian lives proudly as a beloved gay man, advocating on behalf of the LGBTQ community in all its wondrous expressions.