DAY ONE EMCEE & GLITTER GUIDE:
Laura Paisley Beck came out as a writer and bisexual at the same time. No one was surprised. Since then she founded Wa’am Writes, LLS, and authored a wild gender-neutral Interchangeable Action Novel© called, Licensed to Sell, that has been praised as, “A truly original romp through an absurd, hilarious, imaginative, sex-positive, sales-positive world, set in, of all places, the inherently surreal American business landscape…” and, “painfully hilarious.”

Her YourTube podcast, Be The Glitter, invites guests to discuss tough topics with giggles, and leave inspiration that sticks.

DAY TWO EMCEE & RHINESTONE WRANGLER:
The queer hero of the heartland, Bubba Boom hails from the back 40 and is coming to blow up the stage. With a bedazzled beard that sparkles like a disco ball, Bubba rocks the barn and struts the runway, cultivating love and laughter wherever his tractor takes him, leaving a trail of rainbows and sparkles in his wake.

Beyond the glitter and grit, Bubba Boom is a magnetic force of joy and unapologetic self-expression, inviting everyone to kick up their boots and embrace the fabulous. Whether dancing the two-step or raising spirits, Bubba urns every moment into a celebration of laughter, love and sweet tea swagger!

DAY ONE HAPPY HOUR VIBE CURATOR
"CIGGY" began as an idea in 2017. The goal was to create an art collective called 608create in the small but formidable city of Madison, WI. During a myriad of change, loss and transformation they embarked on their creative journey with little to lose.

Through artistic expression and community organizing that it's possible to perform music, promote and host events, foster and uplift up-and-coming music venues within DIY scenes and beyond; to collaborate with others; to design apparel, living spaces and visual art. You are not alone, it gets better, you probably haven't met "you" all the way...yet.

Since 1986, James Ember has been creating and performing magic.

He has performed his award winning, interactive, comedy magic show throughout the world.

Performing magic with a wild passion, James won his first talent show at the age of 6, his exceptional magical talent has been showcased at school programs, during weddings, at corporate events, on stages, on the street, and everywhere in between.

There’s one thing that drives every single one of his performances – he knows joy is contagious. It’s passed from the performer to the audience, then from audience members to each other and, by the end of the show, everyone is laughing, amazed, and having fun.

Ari Agha is a genderqueer/ transgender singer, creator, and activist. A proud advocate of feminism, their work centers on the voice and connections between voice and identity. They seek to create space in what it means to be a (mis)gendered human with a range of multiple, simultaneous, and contextualized identities. They collaborate with artists and ensembles across disciplines to create performances that provoke questions rather than provide answers and invite spectators to participate rather than just observe. Their performances feature compositions by women, queer, and BIPOC composers.

Ari completed a Master of Music in Voice Performance/Pedagogy at Arizona State University in 2024. They also have a Ph.D. in Sociology and over fifteen years of experience conducting applied social science research. They work for wages as the Development Officer at Partnerships for Trauma Recovery in Berkeley, California. Ari and their co-conspirator Kim Williams, along with their four leggeds, Sunshine, Moose, and Spike-the-cat, make their home in Treaty 7 Territory in the area also known as Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

An expressive musician and sensitive collaborator, Mackenzie Lyn Marr is currently based in Washington DC. She holds a doctoral degree in collaborative piano from Arizona State University, a master's degree in collaborative piano from the University of Maryland, and has had additional studies at SongFest, Source Song Festival, the Castleman Quartet Program, Bay View Music Festival (Opera Fellow), The Atlantic Music Festival, and the Chamber Music Institute at Holy Cross.

Dedicated to new music and collaborative work, Mackenzie is a member of The Evelyn Duo, alongside soprano Shari Eve Feldman. The duo is dedicated to works by contemporary composers, particularly women, and has performed at the Music by Women Festival, New Music DC, Dark Water Women in Music Festival, Washington Arts Club, the Epiphany Concert Series, and have been guest performers/clinicians at Hartwick College.

Mackenzie also holds a Master's degree in piano performance from the University of Georgia, where she specialized in Pedagogy. She is passionate about teaching music to students of all ages, and has worked as a Teaching Artist with Arizona Opera and The Phoenix Symphony, community outreach programs, bringing music to schools in the Phoenix area, as well as teaching private piano students.

At QueerSPEAKS! Mackenzie will be performing with Ari Agha.

Theresa Okokon is an award-winning writer, storyteller, and teacher. A Wisconsinite living in New England, she is the co-host of Stories From The Stage who—in addition to writing and performing her own stories—also teaches storytelling and writing, coaches other tellers, hosts story slams, and emcees events for nonprofits. An alum of both the Memoir Incubator and Essay Incubator programs at GrubStreet, Theresa's memoir of essays about memory, family stories, and the death of her father -- titled WHO I ALWAYS WAS -- will be published by Atria Books at Simon & Schuster on February 4, 2025.

Kat and the Hurricane is an all-queer and trans synth rock/indie-pop band from Madison, WI composed of guitarist/vocalist Kat Rhapsody (they/them), keyboardist/vocalist Benjamin Rose (they/them), and drummer Alex Nelson (they/them). The band has stirred up a storm across the Midwest since 2017 thanks to their energetic live shows, strong sense of community, and genre-defying songwriting. While preparing their debut full length album, Got It Out, the trio has appeared at several regional and national festivals, completed 3 regional and national tours, and received the coveted Artist of The Year award from their local Madison Area Music Association.

Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford, who was called “…very funny.” by the Late Late Show’s James Corden, is a transgender standup comedian, Actor, Speaker, Activist and Politician. In
2023 she became the first Transgender Woman Elected to office in Madison, WI. She served on the Common Council as Alder for District 15 from April 2023 -2025

Her signature blend of disarming sass and charm has been featured in comedy festivals and multiple world-class comedy venues including LA Pride, The Chicago Women’s Funny
Festival, LA’s The Comedy Store and Chicago’s Zanies Comedy Club. She is the creator and executive producer of Lady Laughs Comedy Festival. She was named one of the “58 Trans Women Actors You should Know & Also Love” by AutoStraddle, She won Madison’s
favorite Local Comedian as voted by the readers of the Isthmus and has been in the top 3 for Best of Madison.

((Dina Nina is tentatively on our agenda - that may change if her job requires something else))

Gregg is an international collaboration coach and Executive Director of the International Institute on Collaboration. He is also the founder of Project Kinect which has supported many large-scale collaborations for a wide range of clients. Potter has worked in the restaurant industry as general manager, district manager, and consultant with a good amount of time spent at Starbucks in Los Angeles. The experience along with his training as a facilitator, futurist, and conflict resolution mediator has supported executives and organizations as a Collaboration Coach. This work deconstructs collaboration and finds the best ways to lead and design the work to be more efficient and create more impactful results. Potter has a BFA in Theatre Performance from University of Nevada Las Vegas and a Master’s in Public Service from the Clinton School of Public Service.

At the beginning of Pride Month 2024, Vince Tripi founded Expanding Horizons, a social purpose business that offers traveling exhibits, talks, and curricula designed to celebrate diversity and foster pride in LGBTQ+ heritage. Vince is a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, dedicated to preserving its history and promoting a sense of belonging. His notable achievements include being named Advocate of the Year by the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce, a top 25 Emerging Training Leader by Training magazine, and receiving the Distinguished Service Award from UW – Milwaukee's LGBT Resource Center. He serves on the board of directors of Milwaukee Pride, Inc.

I have spent most of my life studying various religions and spiritual traditions in search for the boundlessness of the Sacred. I have a B.A. in Religious Studies with a certificate in Celtic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Divinity with concentration in pastoral counseling and chaplaincy from Cherry Hill Seminary, and a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Cherry Hill Seminary. I am a board-certified chaplain with experience in acute care, hospice care, and grief counseling.

Driven by a call to serve my community, I combine my mystic heart with my training in clinical spiritual care to offer empathic and research-driven spiritual support. I’m committed to providing ethical spiritual direction in accordance with Spiritual Directors International’s Guidelines of Ethical Conduct.

Michail Takach is a historian, author and communications professional living in Chicago. As a sixth-generation Wisconsinite, Michail is descended from a long line of lumberjacks, ice fishermen, and copper miners.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Michail attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison earning degrees in history and communications. He has spent three decades in healthcare communications leadership.

Michail serves on the boards of History UnErased, Our Lives Media, and the Association of LGBTQ Journalists. He is the current president of the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. Michail’s next book, Forever Young: A Tribute to Wisconsin’s 21-Below Club Scene, is due from the History Press in late 2025.

Kaci Sullivan is a community builder, activist and digital designer from Madison, WI. Previously, he ran TransLiberation Art Coalition (TLAC), built virtual events for Outreach and Disability Madison and helped write and run workshops for Community Pride Coalition. He believes deeply in the power of community action, mutual aid and parallel systems.