Creative Writing

An illustration in two parts. In the top part, a woman drawn entirely in black kneels in front of a small altar. She appears frustrated and tired as she prays. The second image is colorful, drawn in purple and yellow. In it, a standing woman caresses the face of a woman kneeling. They are looking at each other with love.
Creative Writing

Where I Feel God

A syringe injecting into a thigh. The top of the thigh is bloody and scarred.
Creative Writing

transmutation of man

Caryn and Aly, Sarah's aunts, dance barefoot in a garden. They are older white women wearing summery clothing. Both are smiling widely.
Creative Writing

The Hard Choice

photo of a Brown nonbinary person with shoulder-length black hair, glasses, a yellow sweater over a white button down, a black face mask, and black pants. they stand in the UCLA botanical gardens on their phone with a flower tucked behind their ear.
Creative Writing
Fragile Dandelions

Photo by Zoë Collins This piece was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 2 print issue “Wanting: A Queer Beauty & Burden.“ I love you.  The first time I said it, my hands shook, my heart beating as fast…

a digital illustration of Jackson, a white man with long, brown hair staring off to right wearing purple jacket with a flower pattern and white collar, a white scarf, and a white cowboy hat with an upside down pink triangle stitched in the middle. From left to right, the background fades from dark blue, light blue, purple, red, and dark purple
Creative Writing
Archaic

Illustrated by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) This poem was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 1 zine “Queer Rage, Resistance, & Renaissance.“ assembled in the literal and reaching out to touchsuits and ties and evil eyes on years and years…

Creative Writing
To Be Ugly

Created by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) This project was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 1 zine “Queer Rage, Resistance, & Renaissance.“ I will never be pretty. Most people’s view on “growing up ugly” consists of a nerdy brunette taking…

photo of a brown nonbinary person looking.off camera in front of green foliage. they. have glasses, shouldere length black hair, and. a blue and pink striped shirt and matching necklace
Creative Writing
I Don’t Get To Choose Who I Love: An Essay on Bisexuality

Photo by Zoë Colliins (she/her) I used to wonder if there was something wrong with me. I had an affinity for all genders but was often told that it was impossible because, eventually, I’d have to “choose” my future lover…

painterly digital artwork depicting a pair of amber eyes with subtle pink eye makeup. their skin is light and their eyebrows are dark brown.
Creative Writing
Aliveness

Artwork by Cole Lopez (They/Them) The morning my grandfather died             I slept. An ocean away I dreamt             that an angel leaned to kiss his cheek And I tried to push it away but instead              I screamed  My hands passing through…

illustration of a person with long hair and a black dress looking into a tri-fold mirror. one side of their reflection shows a woman with styled long hair, jewelry, and a strapless black dress. the other side shows a masculine figure with a baseball cap, sweatshirt, and jeans
Creative Writing
Dressing Room

Graphic by Kelly (She/Her) I’m in a department store trying on clothes and they all fit in the technical sense, not too tight and in colors that make my eyes pop and my mother tells me I look beautiful, so…

illustration of an old script lying on a wooden table with a cordless landline phone and a pencil. the cover reads "the american dream. written by those who came before us. based on a true story.
Creative Writing
sangre, stranger

Graphic by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) Hola, mija. The tinny speakerphone rings through our shoebox apartment; I look up at the sound and see that a work week’s worth of tension has melted from my mother’s shoulders now that she’s heard…

black and white photo of handwritten letter lit by two candles
Creative Writing
a letter to my love

Photo by Zoë Collins (she/her) Accompanied by Seethers’ Careless Whisper – Listen Now i want to meet you in a different universe.i’m not sure if i’m ready to meet you in this one. i’m not sure if i will ever…

Creative Writing
If Walls Could Talk…

Photo by Zoë Collins (she/her) My hand drifted up against the wallFeeling each subtle groove and bumpInteract with my fingerprints,As if the wall was telling me a story,And I listened and told a story back. The wall said it knew…

Creative Writing
a queer friend in need

Graphic by Chrys Marr (She/They) sometimes you just need a queer friend in your life.  a queer friend that is always by your side. someone that checks on you to see if you’re okay. someone that is always there to listen…

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.