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Writing Essays on Queer Joy: an Interview with Samantha Mann
by Writing Workshops Staff
A week ago
A Brooklyn-based writer whose work has enlivened the pages of Vogue, The Cut, and dozens of other major outlets, Samantha Mann has spent her career giving voice to the uncharted corners of LGBTQIA+ life—mapping its complexities, championing its exuberance, and illuminating its most tender corners with striking clarity.
Her debut essay collection, Putting Out: Essays on Otherness, garnered praise for its unflinching candor, and her forthcoming sophomore release, Dyke Delusions, promises an equally unbridled exploration of identity. But it’s Mann’s recent work curating and editing I Feel Love: Notes on Queer Joy that hints at the heart of her newest venture.
In her four-week intensive workshop, Writing Essays on Queer Joy AKA Anything but Trauma, Mann is inviting queer-identifying writers of all levels to upend the familiar narrative arc of pain and resilience.
The course aims to broaden the scope of queer storytelling by centering on what thrills, seduces, and enlightens—rather than what wounds. Participants will read personal essays on queer friendship, lust, jealousy, and beyond, examining how focusing on life’s exuberant and challenging emotional textures can yield writing that shimmers with authenticity.
Through peer review, communal brainstorming, and the careful study of celebrated authors, students will leave with a polished essay that sidesteps the usual trauma tropes, showcasing instead the laughter, tenderness, and even the fierce anxieties that define queer existence. Ultimately, Mann’s workshop promises not just a deeper understanding of craft, but the courage to claim and celebrate one’s identity on the page, all while connecting with fellow writers seeking new ways to narrate their own queer joy.
We spoke with Mann to learn more about what drew her to this transformative approach—and why she believes writing “anything but trauma” might just be the most radical act of all.
Writing Workshops: When so many queer narratives tend to focus on hardship, what inspired you to create a class specifically centered on queer joy—and was there a key moment that helped you realize we need more stories of levity, pleasure, and friendship?
Samantha Mann: As a queer person this need has always been obvious. TV, movies, books have always focused on queer trauma and hardship. I was inspired to create this class so others can feel like they have permission to write outside of the norm and maybe even refocus the POV in their own lives. It can be a subconscious cycle to only see traumatic stories about queer people. You can start to wonder if that’s most of our existence.
WW: Your anthology, I Feel Love: Notes on Queer Joy, is part of a growing movement celebrating LGBTQIA+ life in more diverse ways. What do you envision for the future of queer storytelling, and how do you hope your workshop contributes to that evolution?
SM: First and foremost, I hope the class inspires students to reevaluate their own experiences and storytelling. I want queer people to keep pushing the types of stories we tell, and I think coming together to specifically focus on a new angle is a great place to start.
WW: Queer joy can sometimes be dismissed or overlooked in mainstream publishing. What are some of the common hurdles writers face when writing positive, celebratory queer stories, and how do you help them overcome these barriers in your workshop?
SM: The hurdles coming from mainstream publishing, the belief that queer work is niche or not easily sellable and the obsession with trauma, are not fixable from the bottom up. Agents, editors, and publishers need to individually and collectively push for more diverse queer stories. In workshop and individually, we can remind one another about the importance and need for celebratory and nuanced queer work, which hopefully provides on going motivation.
WW: In your workshop, students swap peer edits and give feedback. In your experience, what’s the most transformative aspect of workshopping essays in a group setting focused on uplifting queer experiences rather than dissecting trauma?
SM: No matter the topic or theme of a workshop, I find the more practice students get at hearing live feedback and practice sharing aloud the more risks they are willing to take on paper.
WW: Writing about personal experiences can be both craft and catharsis. Where do you see the line between self-healing and producing an essay that resonates with an audience? How do you help your students balance these dual purposes?
SM: Essay writing is not therapy, even though it might feel momentarily cathartic to put something down a paper. Writing alone is not a healing practice. Unfortunately, your shit will not resolve because you wrote an essay. If you’re coming to an essay writing class to feel healed, I encourage you to find a good therapist or group. *But show up to class too!
WW: After the salon-style reading and final edits, many writers will be excited to share their work. What practical advice do you offer about pitching and publishing these essays—especially for those who might be new to the industry or unsure of where joyful queer narratives fit in?
Get to know the outlets you are pitching to! Research editors! Reach out to writers whose work you admired who published in outlets you are interested in!
Learn more and sign up for Writing Essays on Queer Joy AKA Anything but Trauma, a 4-Week Zoom Workshop with Samantha Mann.
Instructor Samantha Mann is a Brooklyn based writer covering queer life, popular culture, mental health, and motherhood. She is a contributing writer for Vogue and The Cut. She has written for Elle, Today Show, Huffington Post, Bon Appetit, Bustle, Washington Post Magazine, Romper, BUST, and others. Her essay, "The Orgasm Gap and DJ Khaled," was featured in Roxane Gays newsletter, The Audacity. Samantha is the author of the essay collection, Putting Out: Essays on Otherness. In 2023 Putting Out was added to CLMPS recommended reading list for Women's History Month. Samantha edited and curated the anthology, I Feel Love: Notes on Queer Joy. And Buzzfeed Book review said, "This is the perfect collection for readers looking to appreciate and celebrate the many talented writers within the LGBTQIA+ community." Her sophomore collection, Dyke Delusions, debuts June 2025 with Read Furiously.
