SEAF 2022! Publication Announcement (22.4.22)

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Read My Art At Seattle erotic Art Festival, April 29 through May 1. #SEAF2022

A piece of mine was selected for this year’s Seattle Erotic Art Festival’s Literary Anthology.

I’m proud of this year’s story. It features a lot of the elements I’m really enjoying writing right now, queerness, bargains, nature, and fresh starts. I love the images I imagined when I wrote this piece, and if I’m ever so lucky as to inspire visual artists with my work, this is a piece I would love to see brought to life.

The festival is April 29th to May 1st in Seattle, and there’s always awesome art and performances featured, and the anthology will be available there for purchase. I’ll be reading on the mainstage Saturday the 30th between 5-6pm. I’m very excited, it’s going to be the largest group I’ve read for in person.

You can find more information at these links about The Festival and the schedule. You can purchase the anthology itself here on Lulu.com. There are links to previous year’s anthologies that also feature my stories on Find My Work.

I find a lot of joy in learning about concepts in sex, sexuality, and pleasure, and I think it’s an incredibly important topic to discuss and have present in our culture. I’m glad that I get to experience SEAF, and be part of the learning and growth and visibility and joy that I want to see flourish in our communities around all things erotic.

Queers Who Don’t Quit, Publication Announcement. (20.7.7.)

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I’m beyond excited to announce that the anthology Queers Who Don’t Quit, in which you’ll find my piece So She Chose, is available now for preorder on Amazon! It releases on the 15th of July, and I’m so thrilled to be included in this collection of queer short stories. I can’t wait to read the other stories, and for you to read mine.

Sparkly Writing that says Coming 2020! #queerpackbooks, #queeranthology, #queerswhodontquit, with the image of book cover. The Book cover is a dramatic monochrome view of a person running with a backpack across a street in a city.
Queers Who Don’t Quit Cover Reveal From Sept

I’m incredibly proud of this piece, and I’m very happy it found a home in with Queer Pack.

Thank you to Queer Pack for this opportunity, and to you, lovely void, for supporting queer writers, publishers, and resilience.

Stay strong,

Zoe.

Black Lives Matter. Happy Pride. (20.5.31)

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I support the protesters making their anger, their grief, and their voices heard. Too many black lives have been lost to police violence and brutality, with too few consequences. White supremacy has been comfortable in this country for too long, insidious in every authority, police force, and level of government. I condemn every violent, unjust, racist action taken by officers before, during, and after these protests. Black lives are more valuable than any amount of property damaged.

I have no need for anyone who disagrees. The first Pride was a riot, started by trans women of color, Marcia P Johnson and Silvia Rivera. Happy fucking Pride.

I’ve donated to these organizations, and these are few of many. Support protesters every way you can.

Minnesota Freedom Fund: https://minnesotafreedomfund.org

Reclaim the Block: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org

Black Visions Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org

Northwest Community Bail Fund: https://www.nwcombailfund.org

Fuck cops, white supremacists, racists, and ICE.

Riots brought us every freedom and right we enjoy.

I will always strive to improve my writing and free it from racism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, xenophobia, fatphobia, whorephobia, and ableism every moment I have. Hatred, bigotry, and discrimination will not be allowed here.

SEAF 2020! (20.3.8)

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I’m excited to announce that I have a piece in Seattle Erotic Art Festival’s 2020 Literary Anthology! I’m honored to be included in this awesome collection for another year, and I can’t wait for you to read Glass.

The Text: Read My Art at Seattle Erotic Art Festival, date TBD #SEAF2020, over an image of a nude woman holding a typewriter in dramatic tones.

The festival dates are currently TBD. You can find more info on the Festival Here. It’s always a lovely experience, and I hope to see you there!

Stay tuned for purchasing info for the 2020 Anthology. You can also see my previous pieces in the 2019 and 2018 Anthologies.

I love that there are so many ways for people connect with sexuality, sensuality, sex, and erotica. I am so proud of the paths being forged towards a more free, educated, and consenting society. I think it’s incredibly important that those aspects of ourselves are not silenced or hidden.

Thank you, for however you support erotic arts, sex education, or LGBTQIA+ rights.

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I don’t know what the next month will bring, or whether I’ll be able to attend in person, but I wanted to allow myself a moment still to celebrate this small moment. Without even beginning to take into consideration the tremendous losses our community is facing and that fear that comes with it, my world has been turned upside down from the practicalities, and the economics of social distancing and shutdowns. My world is filled with art and creatives, in my work as a stagehand, in my writing, in my community of queer artist friends. Art as a part of economy isn’t often acknowledged to be as vital and entwined with our society as it is. My world feels like it’s crumbling, and I haven’t even been hit with the impact yet.

Please, keep building and protecting our communities. Wherever you have space, support art. Support writers, theaters, studios, artists, creators, and all the people who work in the shadows to make magic for the world. Keeping art present will help us heal.

#GayApparelStories (19.12.16)

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I have an exciting announcement!

My piece Festive Flannel has been included in an anthology of queer holiday flash fiction called Gay Apparel!

It’s a baby of Twitter verse and “hey what if?” There’s a bunch of lovely diverse stories, and I’m delighted to be included, and for you all to meet Ella and Zion, as they unpack their own holiday traditions and be adorably gay.

Each contributing author is in charge of distribution based on their own requirements, usually donations to themselves or charities.

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To get a copy from me:

Select a tier including Gay Apparel reward on my Patreon

Or donate at to RAICES and send proof to me at zoebrook.writer @ gmail.com

To get a copy from another contributor, check out this Twitter Thread. (Follow the other authors, and myself, when you get there!)

Add it on Goodreads!

Tell Everyone about how awesome it is!

Super Patron Creator Arts Grant Application. (19.11.17)

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I’m Zoe Brook. I’m a writer.

I write short, long, surreal, silly, magical, and often queer fiction.

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The Woman Dipped In Ink.

Red dress. Black dress. White dress.

White dress, black flowers, red petal tips.

She drifts through the world. Rain pelts the glass in fat, running droplets as she watches. Their streams distort light, views through the window. Inside, and out.

Her fingertips trail down the pane. Longing, loneliness in her eyes.

Ink seeps from her. Constant, viscous, pooling. From her fingertips, heels, hair, tear ducts, it seeps and runs from her, pooling in places, sticking in others. Reflecting slick highlights.

As she drifts, the ink runs like tears around her. It fills her footsteps, dissipating in rain and evaporating into black stains in the sun. It’s left dark and unseen on anyone she touches, without her knowing. It bubbles up through the skin at her throat, sliding down her chest through her dress’s weave without leaving trace, but marking the whole world around her.

The rain is a mild, warm background noise in a cold city, accompanying her tapping footfalls as she walks through the alley slow, barely feeling the rain. The edges of petals on her soaked, summery dress the only spots of color in the scene.

Soaked in experiences turned potential, is this

Her beginning or her end?

She walks, a lifetime of untold stories no longer contained, flowing away from her in fine rivulets.

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Honey Vinegar.

He demanded salad, every Sunday lunch. The centerpiece. In the beginning, it was the symbol of his blandness, his normality, everything that frustrated and hurt her. But little by little she learned to make the salads better. Spiced dressings, bits of added fruit, nuts, or grains. They became her own. He didn’t change, but her salads did.

To this day, honey vinegar’s sweet bite reminds her that she is finally free.

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Potential Accumulated.

Imagine, a city in gray monotone. Noir aesthetic, perhaps with the odd pop of color only occasionally. It’s raining there, striking an odd balance between warmth and chill. The motion of the city blending together into a stillness.

A few people in this city feel balanced within themselves. But most are lonely, brave enough to stay the same, yet lacking the strength that a sincerely offered ear lends. Without quite the bravery to be the first ear in the domino line of change; listless islands they.

Stories are experiences, ideas, woven with magic.

When the metaphorical ink of potential accumulated, would-be written stories, becomes physical force unseen within.

Does it bring hope or sorrow?

Yes. Exactly.

SEAF 2019! (19.3.21)

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I’m excited to announce my poem Truths will be included in Seattle Erotic Art Festival’s 2019 Literary Anthology!

I’m excited to announce my poem Truths will be included in Seattle Erotic Art Festival’s 2019 Literary Anthology!

Woman lies in a field with a yellow typewriter and umbrella, in dark tones. Text reads: Read My Art at Seattle Erotic Art Festival April 26th-68th #SEAF2019
A stylized heart amongst peacock feathers, paisley like designs, and green stylized vines. Text reads: See my art at Seattle Erotic Art Festival April 26th-28th #SEAF2019
See My Art
Seattle Erotic Art Festival April 26-28 2019

I’m honored to share pages with the other talented authors who make up this work, and I look forward to seeing the awesome collection of visual art the festival has chosen.

I hope you’ll consider supporting erotic art in Seattle by purchasing a copy of the anthology, (On Lulu, or Amazon) and by attending the festival itself. I’ll be there if you want to say hello; it’s lovely meeting people who are enthusiastic about erotic arts or sex education.

Find more information about SEAF Here.

Highlights 2018. (19.1.17)

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I want to take a second to revel in the small victories. 2018 had several awesome writing moments for me, which was quite affirming. Whether by coincidence or reward, I’ll take it.

Early in the year I was a “slushpile” reader for the WRITE CLUB Contest, and I got to read through all the fantastic 500 word submissions. I was really intrigued to see how the audience interacted with the stories once they were posted. It was a good experience, and a lot of fun.

In April, an excerpt from my 2017 Nanowrimo project was published in the Seattle Erotic Art Festival’s Literary Anthology. I attended the festival and participated in their Wanderlust Poetry tour, where accepted authors were able to see the accepted artwork and write poetry to read during the tour. My poem Confidence Talks, a response to the piece Flauntleroi, was featured on the artist Hooligan Lili’s website.

I made a wholly under-prepared presentation, Talk Sex Positively Now, at Olympic College’s Diversity Conference in June and talked about consent and sex positivity basics. I would love to improve my skills in presentations and preparations, as I enjoyed the opportunity it gave me, but I struggled to pull everything together and make it a worth while conversation.

I participated in the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Contest for the second year. I’ve not made it past the second round, but I’m proud of the stories and ideas I’ve come up with through their prompts. Keep My Memories and Me Too were my 2017 entries.

I attended Willamette Writers Conference in August, did a few pitches, a manuscript critique, and went to as many sessions as I could. As always, it was a wonderful experience. Ijeoma Oluo, Vivek Shraya, and Charlie Jane Anders were amongst the fantastic keynotes, and I was delighted to see more queer authors and diversity topics in the session line ups. I learned a lot from my pitches, and the critique was awesome. I came away with more knowledge and ideas on how to further my writing and my current work in progress.

I got to read Sensational Ailey at Salon of SEAF: Explore Written Erotica. It was a ton of fun visiting their new gallery space and listening to the other author’s readings.

In October, my short story Guard Crow was featured on Not A Pipe Publishing’s website as part of their #TheYearOfPublishingWomen’s short story series. It was an honor to be featured as part of their series, and I encourage you to check out their anthology “Strongly Worded Women: The Best Of the Year Of Publishing Women” which features other’s contributions to the series.

I wrote for NaNoWriMo in November, meeting 50K for the seventh year. (Out of eight but who’s counting 2016?) More on that here.

My year wrapped up with my family buying a house and moving through December, which is unquestionably awesome and lucky.

I’m excited to put more energy toward my writing, and see what I can do in 2019.

For Change. For Joy. (18.10.26)

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There are so many people ready, able, and working to make others comfortable with increasing diversity.

We always need more people pushing harder for change. When you can push harder, do it.

Change has never been a product of time passing. It has always been the product of those who pushed as hard as they could, whether they had a choice, means, or not.

 

I’m still learning how to support my beliefs with practice and strength, so there’s time for you to learn too, if we start now.

 

I’m tired, I’m not ready, but I exist. When inhumanity comes for my friends, for me, we exist.

 

You deserve joy in your lives.

 

PS: Read this lovely piece about creation and survival by Charlie Jane Anders: “Never Say You Can’t Survive.”

Guard Crow and #TheYearofPublishingWomen. (18.10.12)

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Yesterday Not A Pipe Publishing posted my story Guard Crow as part of their #TheYearofPublishingWomen short stories series.

I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of their year. I was lucky enough to hear their presentation at Willamette Writers Conference a few months ago, and I can say that I’m really glad to see the work they’re doing and even prouder to be a part of it.

I hope you’ll take a moment to send them some love, check out what they’ve done for the Year of Publishing Women, and of course, read my story; Guard Crow.

Have a lovely weekend!