LET’S WRITE STORIES THAT CHANGE THE WORLD,
WORD BY WORD
IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU, TOO
Colleen Hamilton is a writer, editor, and cultural worker. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she has been held in movements for collective liberation since birth.
She is currently a columnist at Them. Her reporting has appeared in Teen Vogue, VICE, the Los Angeles Times, The Cut, The Nation, Them, Glamour, and more. She reports on arts, culture, and grassroots movements for social change.
In addition to writing, she develops multimedia storytelling initiatives. She recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to create a podcast with 20 queer and trans youth that explores stories of radical hope. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Fulbright scholar, she is committed to telling stories that help us see the world and ourselves in more liberated ways.
Photo: Tyris Winter by Emily Monforte for The Los Angeles Times
Story: Colleen Hamilton
A DIFFERENT WORLD IS POSSIBLE
I envision a world where birds of paradise grow wild on turquoise porches. Where queer people with shaved heads, extensions, and fades become lovers and sisters and best friends. Where resistance and big bellies grow in equal measure. A home for the delicious wanderers who are not bound by the stories that the world has written for them, but instead write their own — full of pleasure, disobedience, and joy.
I believe that the stories we tell — whether rooted in violence, peace, or fear — determine the lives we live. If we hope to create a world rooted in liberation, we must begin on the page. That’s why I’m here (and hopefully why you are too?)