Thank you for your interest in our 2024 Rural Outreach Program. We are so excited to bring the magic of Drag Story Hour to the rural libraries of Vermont. Below is our press release and application form. We will be accepting submissions through February 2, 2024 but will begin having conversations with applicants and piecing together dates and locations up until the deadline, so early submissions are encouraged.
Guidelines for applicants are that you serve rural Vermonters and have relatively small operating and programmatic budgets. We will also take into consideration whether or not your library has already hosted a reading, and board and staff buy-in and support for inclusive programming. All expenses for the program itself will be covered. We have funding available to recipients for additional resources including crafts and copies of books.
If you have questions remaining, please email emoji@dragstoryhour.org
PRESS RELEASE:
Drag Story Hour recently received a grant from the Samara Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. The grant will help further Drag Story Hour’s mission that celebrates reading through the glamorous art of drag by establishing a Rural Outreach Program with their Vermont Chapter. The Rural Outreach Program will bring Drag Story Hour to small, rural libraries who may not otherwise have the budgetary means for expansive, diverse programming.
Drag Story Hour’s chapter network creates diverse, accessible, and culturally-inclusive family programming where kids can express their authentic selves and become bright lights of change in their communities. The Rural Outreach Program will allow eight Vermont libraries the capacity and resources to host Drag Story Hour in their communities in 2024.
“As a rural, queer Vermonter myself, bringing Drag Story Hour to the libraries in our small villages and towns has been the vision since the establishment of our chapter,” said Justin Marsh, who performs as Emoji Nightmare and is co-founder of Drag Story Hour - Vermont. “We’ve read in libraries without plumbing, along dirt roads, in small towns without cellular service or village centers. And I know that families and individuals exist in those places who appreciate and desire the type of programming that Drag Story Hour provides.”
Drag Story Hour - Vermont was established in 2017 by Justin Marsh (Emoji Nightmare) and Rep. Taylor Small (P/D-Winooski). The chapter has held events in 13 of Vermont’s 14 counties, in northern New Hampshire, and virtually, averaging around two dozen events per year. The chapter’s main readers are currently Emoji Nightmare and Katniss Everqueer.
“Our Story Hours center joy, imagination, representation, and belonging,” said Kat Redniss, who reads with Drag Story Hour - Vermont as Katniss Everqueer. “For many, story hour might be the first time people see themselves represented in stories, or hear about characters and families that share their lived experiences. It’s a celebration of community, creativity, and identity, wrapped up in a glittery, magical package.”
