Queer poet Gregg Shapiro reads from his new book Refrain In Light (Souvenir Spoon Book, 2023). Shapiro will be sharing the stage with queer musician Jim Andralis who will be performing songs from his most recent album I Can’t Stop Trying.

Copies of both Gregg’s Refrain In Light and Jim’s I Can’t Stop Trying will be available for purchase at the event!

This event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., NYC, 10011.

Registration is not required. Seating is first come, first served.
Also live-streaming at YouTube.com/@bgsqd

Suggested donation $10 to benefit the Bureau’s work.

All are welcome to attend, with or without donation.

We will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @bgsqd.

Gregg Shapiro is the author of nine books including Refrain in Light (Souvenir Spoon Books, 2023). Recent/forthcoming lit-mag publications include San Pedro River Review, BarBar, Otherwise Engaged Literature and Arts Journal, The Penn Review, RFD, Gargoyle, Limp Wrist, Mollyhouse, Impossible Archetype, confetti, BP Review, and Panoplyzine, as well as the anthology Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology (Madville, 2023). An entertainment journalist, whose interviews and reviews run in a variety of regional LGBTQ+ and mainstream publications and websites, Shapiro lives in South Florida with his husband Rick, and their dog Coco.

Originally born and raised in Pennsylvania, New York City-based Jim Andralis has proudly entrenched himself within the New York music community. He went from member of queer NYC punk band The Isotoners to featured performer in Joe’s Pub monthly variety show, Our Hit Parade. His 2016 solo debut, Your Dying Wish Come True, garnered critical acclaim with The Miami Herald christening it, “One of the best solo debut discs of the year.” Shut Up Shut Up [2018] and My Beautiful Enemy [2020] integrated lush harmonies courtesy of the Syntonics, adding layers of humanity and beauty to his tender and (and occasionally rauncy) songs. They had the pleasure of opening for Bikini Kill at Irving Plaza last summer. Among various collaborations, Andralis teamed up with Bridget Everett [Somebody Somewhere, Love You More, Patti Cake$] on “Hit The Ground Fuckin’” and lent his voice to Champagne Jerry’s The Champagne Room alongside the likes of Adam “Ad Rock” Horovitz [The Beastie Boys], Erin Markey, and Murray Hill. In addition, he works as a trauma-focused psychotherapist in private practice and co-hosts country music variety show Grand Ole Pubry at Joe’s Pub. Andralis is releasing a stripped EP this September, and with the Syntonics is currently recording Ghosts, an LP to be released in 2024.