J MASE III

He/Him

“J Mase III is a Black/Trans/queer poet & educator based in Seattle by way of Philly. He is founder of awQward, the first trans and queer people of color talent agency. He told the New York Times, “Back then, I believed in this very romantic myth of a cohesive LGBTQ community…What I discovered was that the reality of being a trans person of color is often talked about within the LGBTQ community, but not actually addressed.” With the creation of awQward, he hopes that “[trans people of color] artists are able to preserve our history, culture and make a livable wage while doing what we love.” J Mase is author of And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer’s Reflections on Grief, Unemployment & Inappropriate Jokes About Death as well as White Folks Be Trippin’: An Ethnography Through Poetry & Prose. He is head writer for the theatrical production Black Bois. Winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Non-Fiction and a Creative Capital Award, he is co-director of the forthcoming documentary, the Black Trans Prayer Book and is finishing his latest solo work, Is Your God a Violent God? Finding a Theology for Survivors.” [Source]

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