I am a disabled queer youth scholar, grassroots (dis)organizer, and occasional artist based in central Ohio. With this site, I am hoping to make unique and unexpected connections. At present, I am a first year MA student in Comparative Studies at The Ohio State University. I joined the program after spending a year as an independent scholar following my August 2022 graduation, where I received a BA in Political Ecology.
I started organizing in January of 2020. Since then, I have hosted and participated in countless marches, rallies, panels, workshops, organizing conferences, and other events. After spending around six months as president of Students for a Democratic Society at OSU, I co-founded Central Ohio Youth Liberation, a queer youth affinity group. While affiliated with COYL, I collaborated to plan a 100% youth performed drag show, a general assembly on youth liberation, and a march for queer and trans youth autonomy. I currently organize independently. At heart, I am a street organizer, and I love a good march.
My scholarship and art spans many genres and disciplines. Two of my ongoing projects revolve around queering earth systems and youth liberationist epistemologies. I also have received training on ethnography and archivism through OSU’s Center for Folklore Studies. I have written essays and articles on the politics of land, language, age, education, and queerness, and previously was a freelance researcher for the Learning and Liberation documentary series. I also have extensive public speaking experience, both from canvassing for reproductive justice in Ohio across three campaigns and from reading poetry and prose at events.
Work on some of my ongoing projects can be found here, a selected archive of my works from 2020 to 2022 can be found here, some of my media appearances can be found here, my student profile can be found here, and an updated version of my cv will soon be uploaded to this site. I am always interested in hearing from those engaged in diverse liberation struggles, and I try to hold space for unexpected connections and collaboration in all of my projects. Please contact me at komencanto-eterna@protonmail.com with opportunities for grassroots and scholarly collaboration, media inquiries, potential freelance opportunities, or anything else you think I might find of interest!
