Playwright Donja R. Love Announces Second Write It Out! Program For Writers Living With HIV

Donja R. Love, in partnership with National Queer Theater, Mobilizing Our Brothers Initiative (MOBI), The Lark, and The Each-Other Project, has announced the second annual Write It Out! program, a writing workshop for playwrights living with HIV.

Conceived and created by Love in 2019, Write It Out! provides a forum for writers living with HIV to find their unique voice while navigating their serostatus. Writers accepted into the ten-week program will participate in virtual workshops twice a week, which will focus on creating a community for people of similar lived experience to express themselves freely. The program will culminate in a sharing of the participants' work with professional actors and directors at The Lark.

Taking to playwriting after being diagnosed with HIV in 2008, Love's own work examines the forced absurdity of life for those who identify as Black, Queer, and living with HIV - a diverse intersection filled with eloquent stories that challenge the white supremacist, heteronormative structures that exist in American culture.

"After being diagnosed with HIV, writing is what got me through some of my darkest moments. Though there was such solace that came with writing, something was still missing. Eventually, I realized what I was yearning for was community. Writing, in addition to holding space with other people living with HIV, has liberated me. Write It Out! was designed to bring writing and community together as a way of assisting people living with HIV in their liberation," said Donja R. Love, creator of Write It Out!

All writers who are eighteen or older and living with HIV are invited to apply to the program at letswriteitout.com. To apply, applicants must answer questions and submit a writing sample. Finalists will also complete a one-on-one with Love in September. The free program will begin on September 28 and will run virtually through World AIDS Days, on December 1, when participants will have the option to share their work in a public, final sharing.

Playwright Tim DuWhite will serve as Program Manager. Write it Out! is sponsored by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

"With so few opportunities to create and share diverse stories, Write it Out! continues to hold a much needed space and network that fosters emerging writers living with HIV to tell their own stories. After last year's successful cohort of incredible writers, GLAAD and MOBI are beyond thrilled to support the next generation of writers to WIO!," said GLAAD's Associate Director, Communities of Color, and MOBI's Founder and Executive Director DaShawn Usher.

"Understanding that HIV stigma weighs heavily on the LGBTQ+ community, National Queer Theater is proud to support Write It Out! for a second year and to expand the program by welcoming more writers into this thriving, artistic community," said Adam Odsess-Rubin, Artistic Director of National Queer Theater.

"WIO! has had a transformative impact on writers living with HIV and we are excited to support this vibrant community. Their stories strengthen our collective capacity to better understand our world and imagine a stronger, more compassionate future," said May Adrales, The Lark Artistic Director.

Write It Out! prioritizes the confidentiality of all applicants and participants. Individuals accepted into the program may withhold their identity from being published. Requesting confidentiality will not influence the selection process.

"Stigma and shame are very real for people living with HIV. It is something I still navigate through. I understand that even hitting 'submit' on the WIO! application is an act of disclosure for some people. I don't take that lightly. That said, the comfort and confidentiality of applicants are most important. The best interest of people living with HIV is at the center of the Write It Out! process," said Love.

Applications for the 2021 edition of Write It Out! are now open and will be accepted through Sunday, August 15 at 11:59 PM ET.