Denne (den) Michele Norris was born with an “artist’s heart”. And a desire to create space for other storytellers who share lives that exist at the intersection of Blackness, queerness and transness.

Her “artist’s heart” allows her to breathe life into characters whose flaws glare up from the page. And her words crack open the hearts of readers, pulling them into scenes dressed in the tension of the unspoken.

Denne is Black, queer and long since been on the rise. She’s the “first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major literary publication,” Electric Literature. As the guiding voice of the publication, she is actively creating space for voices shut out of the predominantly white, straight and cisgender publishing industry.

Denne is also the author of the forthcoming novel, When the Harvest Comes. They joined us for the next edition of Black.Queer.Rising.