In her early career, I Scream Social feminist reading series organizer Annar Veröld experienced her fair share of misogyny. Even at her coffee shop job, she was subjected to hearing “overtly sexual” and “violent” poems from men during open mics. “I just remember feeling like, ‘This does not feel good to me to have to listen to,’” Veröld said.
Eventually, she followed her deep-rooted passion for books and poetry to a job at Malvern Books. Surrounded by shelves of bound pages, many published by small, independent presses, Veröld recalls her inspiration to get the word out. “There was a disconnect,” she said, “in that the shelves were full of really hot, really smart, really fun poets that were emerging [but] where are all the hot, smart, young people, and why aren’t they in the store?”
Veröld and her co-worker, Schandra Madha, drafted a plan – a monthly, feminist reading series open to all Austinites to meet other literature-loving locals and indulge in free Amy’s Ice Creams. Thus, in the summer of 2015, I Scream Social began.
“There was nothing like it. We had a huge response,” Veröld said. “We went and went and went – up until the pandemic hit.”
Despite moving online during lockdown, I Scream Social didn’t garner the same attention as before. Co-founder Madha also moved away to New Haven, and Veröld’s longtime supporter for the event – founder and owner of Malvern Books and Host Publications Joe W. Bratcher – had passed away. “It just didn’t feel right,” Veröld said. Soon after, Malvern became Alienated Majesty Books, and Veröld assumed the executive director role at Host Publications. Everything had moved on, but Veröld was still “getting the itch,” as she put it.
At the beginning of 2024, Veröld asked Claire Bowman – once a regular at I Scream Social and now Veröld’s co-worker at Host Publications – to collaborate as a co-host to the reintroduced reading series. Bowman said, “Hell yes.”
“I’ve felt the desire to be in a more one-on-one community with people,” Bowman explained, “[and that] there were a lot of people out there who were also looking for a solid reading series in Austin, that was taking place on a regular basis, that was fun and dependable and just cool.”
When I Scream Social returned this past summer at Alienated Majesty Books, “we could see firsthand on their faces that people were really excited about it,” Bowman said. “The first month was poppin’. Everybody was like, ‘We want a hardcore, intersectional, feminist reading series,’ and they were excited for what we had to offer.”
I Scream Social’s fourth reading event since the return comes this Friday, Nov. 22, with featured readers Katelin Kelly, Yvette DeChavez, and Kimberly Lambright as well as the usual open-mic sign-ups. As for the dessert menu, “we always have vegan ice cream available,” Bowman said. “If you can’t have dairy, an ice cream party is not much fun.” Organizers Veröld and Bowman have also set community guidelines to ensure all attendees and speakers feel welcomed and safe. “We expanded our language, and between 2020 to now,” Veröld said, “Claire and I have our own deeper understanding of what feminism means.”
“I’m just so glad to see that the space we’re curating makes someone feel comfortable enough to share their writing with us,” Bowman said.
I Scream Social: a Feminist Reading Series
Friday 22, Alienated Majesty Books
This article appears in November 22 • 2024.