Charis Presents Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection, a reading and panel discussion featuring: Madeline Dyer, S.E. Anderson, Rosiee Thor, Moniza Hossain, and Lara Ameen. Discover the infinite realms of asexual love across sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary stories. This event is co-sponsored by the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion. Part of the Division of Equity and Inclusion at Agnes Scott College, the Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion is committed to fostering a community that celebrates and honors the intersections of identity.

From a wheelchair user racing to save her kidnapped girlfriend and a little mermaid who loves her sisters more than suitors, to a slayer whose virgin blood keeps attracting monsters, the stories of this anthology are anything but conventional. Whether adventuring through space, outsmarting a vengeful water spirit, or surviving haunted cemeteries, no two aces are the same in these 14 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and identities across the asexual spectrum.

Nylon Bed Socks by Madeline Dyer – Amelia is desperate to escape—both the psychiatric hospital she's found herself in and life itself. It's too confusing, listening to the other girls who now live inside her body. Too scary being forced to eat. Too painful remembering how she was sexually assaulted for being ace. But then she meets Dale, a boy who's accepted his own asexuality, and she wonders if she can reach that place too. But as Amelia tries to recover, the voices in her head are determined to hold her back...

Smells Like Teen Virgin by S.E. Anderson – Artemis has always dreamed of being a Slayer like her family before her, tasked with dispatching monsters and protecting humanity. But with her initiation looming and her "pure" blood still attracting monsters, losing one's virginity isn't that easy for a sex-repulsed asexual. With jocks getting handsy, hellhounds abounding, and vampires refusing interviews, the clock is ticking for Artemis to prove, once and for all, that the very concept of virginity is outdated, and purity is a lie.

Well Suited by Rosiee Thor – When newly minted noble lady Brindle must attend a debutante ball, she lies about being engaged to a fictitious knight to avoid choosing an escort. Her best friend Fig, a nonbinary mage, enchants a suit of armor to play the part, but there's more to the enigmatic Sir Guy than they bargained for, and they soon realize that sometimes armor is more of a cage than a shield.

The Mermaid’s Sister by Moniza Hossain – When Phoebe’s sister enters a disastrous pact with a sea witch, all for the love of a human prince, Phoebe is confronted with the true meaning of love — love as she understands it — that to save a beloved sister there is nothing she will not brave.

The Hazards of Pressing Play by Lara Ameen – Violet, a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, just wants to have a fun Friday night date with her girlfriend Nova. Instead Nova goes missing, and Violet begins receiving threatening and cryptic video messages luring her to Nova’s rescue. To save her girlfriend, she’ll have to muster the courage to follow the clues despite whatever danger might be waiting at her destination.

This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage

Please contact us at info@chariscircle.org or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event. If you would like to watch the event with live AI captions, you may do so by watching it in Google Chrome and enabling captions: Instructions here. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we begin this new way of connecting across distances.

By attending our virtual event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to info@chariscircle.org immediately.

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