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Cassy Huidobro, who's originally from Peru, moved from New Jersey to Denver last February. She brought with her the idea of starting a publication that would share lesbian-inspired poetry with the community. "When we write, we just leave it in a notebook and it's very healing, and then you never look at it again," Huidobro says. "But maybe it could help somebody out who's going through the same thing."
Huidobro had already been writing poems for a blog -- but she thought a print publication would give the work more prominence. "When you look at poetry, yes, there's lesbian poetry online, but we don't actually have a publication of this sort," she says. "To actually have something tangible that somebody can pick up and say, 'Wow, this poem really speaks to me' -- we don't have that."
Huidobro met Lara Juliusson and Brenda Kane at a local book club, and told them about her idea. The two quickly signed on as co-founders of LIP, and also added the concept of putting visual art in the publication, too. "They were so on board that it just immediately became one idea, it wasn't any longer my idea or my concept," Huidobro explains.
They plan for LIP to be a quarterly publication, with the first issue coming out January 5. It will contain poetry by the three founders, as well as entries from around the country. "The concept is that it's lesbian-inspired. Meaning that, if my brother decided to write about his sister who is a lesbian, he's welcome to," Huidobro says. "The point of this is definitely not to be crass or crude; it's something that anybody can pick up."
Some of the local spots that have already agreed to distribute the publication include Hamburger Mary's, Wash Perk and Common Grounds. They are currently working on getting more locations on board, including college campuses.
Although the poetry is lesbian-inspired, Huidobro hopes the publication will reach a broader audience. "Anybody who can relate to one of these poems, that's basically who we're trying to reach," she says. "The intent is to get it out of your drawer and help somebody out."
For more information or to send in submissions, visit LIP's Facebook page or e-mail [email protected]
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