BIO

Gleason is a Michigan artist whose sharp tongue and soulful heart educate, encourage, and inspire. Gleason’s work has been commissioned by local and national organizations, including The Hope Network and The National Fair Housing Alliance. They have represented Grand Rapids in slams on national stages and co-coached The Retort United Slam team from 2017-2019, which took home the third-place trophy for Group Piece Finals at the 2018 National Poetry Slam. They have spoken at TEDX events and universities across the country and their work has been featured by NPR, Pride.com, Curve Magazine, and DivaMag UK. They are in the process of writing a memoir about growing up queer in a fanatical evangelical Christian cult. As part of this project, Gleason will be cycling 4253 miles across the US on the TransAmerica Trail in 2025 and documenting their journey on their blog and social media to raise awareness of the status of LGBTQ rights in states across the nation.