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Ilyus Evander

FEMS champion and Providence poet Ilyus Evander, co-curator of Moonlighting. Photo by Michael Malpiedi.

FEMS champion and Providence poet Ilyus Evander, co-curator of Moonlighting. Photo by Michael Malpiedi.

Ilyus Evander is a disabled, non-binary transfem poet, activist, and advocate, based in Providence, R.I. She found the Boston Poetry Slam at a Regionals Slam but fell in love with it when she lived in Boston’s hellscape for a year. Her work aims to identify, explore, and deconstruct the stigmas found at the intersections of queer identity, the christian faith, and mental illness. She has represented the Providence Poetry Slam as either a coach or a competitor at five national poetry tournaments including Brave New Voices and the National Poetry Slam. She is a two time finalist at the Capturing Fire Queer Poetry Summit, and a 2018 FEMSlam Champion as part of team Tender Bitch. She has hosted shows, facilitated original workshops, bout managed, curated, and taught at local, regional, and national poetry events. Her work has been published in STOKED!, Broken Head, and elsewhere. Her first full length collection, Heavier Than Wait, is forthcoming from Game Over Books in 2020. She wants you to know her beard is a fem, her lipstick is masc, and that you are loved, seen, and important.

Ilyus co-curates Moonlighting: A Queer Open Mic and Reading Series. Email her at ilyus@bostonpoetryslam.com.