The Outrage
The Outrage: A Queer Writers' Residency convened for the second year this past June at NACL. Lyndsey and Brad talk with Outrage founder C. Julian Jimenez and participants from both years of the program.
In 2023 playwright and performer C. Julian Jimenez approached NACL with an idea to establish a residency for queer-identifying artists. In 2024 The Outrage was born, and just last month it was born again. The video below gives an overview of the project, featuring artists from both years.
The Outrage at NACL - Videography and Editing by Lyndsey Anderson
The Outrage arose out of a need for a space where queer writers could be in community, write, share with one another, and receive intentional and honest feedback, without having to explain or contextualize their work. The Outrage is an environment for craft exploration providing a safe space for risk-taking and imagination.
The Outrage experience was poignantly rendered by Marcus Scott after this year's residency:
"I reconnected with what nourishes me: the sanctity of storytelling, the spiritual rigor of joy, and the clarity of purpose that emerges when survival gives way to presence. I do not romanticize this moment. I am acutely aware that the ability to pursue one’s creative calling—especially as a Black, queer, working-class artist—requires navigating a labyrinth of precarity, structural exclusion, and emotional dissonance. My life does not resemble the stability I once imagined, but I recognize the improbable privilege of being able to make art in the margins.
This week reminded me that to create while under siege is not a miracle; it is a strategy. That joy, for some of us, is not ornamental but insurgent. That to insist on your right to imagine is, in fact, a political act. I remain humbled, altered, and radically grateful. This is only the beginning."
"NACL provides a haven for artists..." We are continually reminded by those who have been in residence here how important it is to have access to such a place to be able to explore, experiment, and bring new work to life. This is particularly true for all those who "make art in the margins." Our efforts will hopefully help those margins to keep growing wider... We are looking forward to welcoming the next cohort, as plans are underway for The Outrage to return in 2026.
Follow The Outrage on Instagream @the_outrage_residency
The Outrage is funded in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by a Sullivan County Arts & Heritage Grant, funded by the Sullivan County Legislature and administered by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance. NACL is grateful as well for the backing of our business sponsors, individual donors, and members. Thank you!