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. Gleason co-hosted The Drunken Retort open mic for five years and co-coached The Retort United Slam team from 2017-2019. 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. Gleason is also a co-founder of The Diatribe, a non-profit organization that brings poetry to life for young people in classrooms and empowers them to tell their own stories.

Whether as a host/emcee for events, as a teaching artist in classrooms, or as a keynote speaker at churches and conferences, Gleason is an encouraging and inspiring presence. They are in the process of writing a memoir about growing up queer in a fanatical evangelical Christian cult and have a blog called "Fighting Fascism" that outlines the United State's rapid decline into authoritarian fascism under the Trump Administration. They currently co-host House of Words Open Mic in Grand Rapids where artists are welcomed to share their poetry, music, and comedy in a community that uplifts and celebrates the incredible power of our words, voices, and stories