Creative Writing

A digital illustration of two people, one with light brown skin and shoulder-length dark brown hair in a gray suit and one in a blue hoodie with light skin and bob-length blond hair. They stand under an orange umbrella in a green hazy forest.
Creative Writing

The Umbrella 

photo of lorely, an agender person with curly black hair and a blue outfit
Community

in pursuit of peace

illustration of christopher and judah as freshman looking at their senior selves
Community

Our Final Farewell: Generate Inspiration

photo of a brown haired girl holding a flower in front of her face, partially hiding a smile
Poetry
Sometimes

A poem about unrequited feelings and the occasional resurfacing of memories that come with it.

photo of writer Alex Penland by the coast
Community
Queer Next Up: Alex Penland

Alex Penland (they/them) is an author, creative writing student, Smithsonian alumnus, and linguist . They primarily write SFF (Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction), but also dabble in poetry.

to cis queers everywhere
Community
To Cis Queers Everywhere

A call to action for cisgender queer people in the fight for trans rights.

illustration of a pearl being washed over by the sea
Poetry
Nacre

A poem in yearning memory of a past relationship.

illustration of a lesbian holding a perfect lesbian trophy on top of a podium
Poetry
Straight Women Rules: A Guide to Being the Perfect Lesbian®

There’s a lot of wondering and a lot of waiting. I understand what you might be feeling. I know that you’re biting your tongue, and always waiting till you make them uncomfortable.

illustrated sour candy scattered across a white background
Poetry
Sage Green Love Song

Give me something to leave behind
A sour candy kiss in the theater
Worse things have made me lose my mind.

photo of a black haired woman standing under a rainbow umbrella as it rains
Short Story
Umbrellas

A pair of unlikely friends caught in the pouring rain unpack a girl’s perhaps undeserved reputation.

photo of a small brown and white speckled bird sitting in a tree
Creative Writing
parajitos

A poem about the way our institutions and some people fail to protect young trans people and profit off their deaths in different ways, while the people who loved them are left to deal with the actual grief. 

illustration of a desk covered in queer related and religious items
Creative Writing
Bible by the Bedside

“If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense.” Leviticus 20:13. Such a verse reverberates emphatically in my soul and has all throughout my life.

illustrated patchwork quilt with a different scene on each panel, including a sun tattoo, a map of california and texas, a pinky promise, a pitcher pouring out water, a paintbrush with red paint, and a skeleton with an exposed heart.
Poetry
patchwork

This poem was originally published in our Spring 2022 print issue “Reflections of Radiance.”

we are
building a new life
painting a new life
writing a new life

Welcome to OutWrite!

Established in 1979 at the University of California, Los Angeles, OutWrite Newsmagazine is the oldest queer college publication in the United States. OutWrite strives to build a growing educational platform through a multi-media approach that uplifts and empowers the often silenced voices of the incredibly diverse queer community. We aim to challenge dominant cisheteronormative narratives through an unapologetically anti-queerphobic, anti-racist, and progressive lens.