Queers at the Table: Eat, Talk, Write, Draw.

Food is more than nourishment — it’s memory, resistance, and connection. In queer communities, meals have long been a way to challenge norms, build chosen families, and create spaces of care and belonging.

Join us for a panel discussion inspired by Queers at the Table, a vibrant anthology of essays, comics, and recipes that explores the intersections of queerness and food. From feminist cafés and queer farming collectives to urban foraging and food justice, the book celebrates how queer and trans folk use food to empower, transform, and unite.
We’ll explore themes including:
• Food as memory and identity
• Writing the queer kitchen
• Farming, land, and labour
• Representation and resistance

This event brings together contributors and thinkers who are reshaping how we understand food — not just as something we consume, but as something that connects us to each other and to our histories.

Taylor E. Hartson (they/them) is a sociology PhD student, farmer, and fermentation enthusiast based in South Bend, Indiana. Their research examines how queer identities reshape relationships with land and more-than-human entities. Taylor brings nearly a decade of academic research experience and a deep commitment to community organizing through groups like the Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition and the Queer Farmer Network.

Elena Kalodner-Martin (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of English at The Ohio State University. Her work investigates the values and discourses within technical and scientific communities, with recent publications in technical communication and accessible computing.

Joshua I. Lopez (he/him), a lecturer in History at the University of North Texas, focuses on food studies and local history. He co-edits El Paso Food Voices, a digital archive of regional food cultures, and has contributed to scholarship on Latinx food systems and racial justice pedagogy.

Mihael B. Peralta (he/him) is an Afro-Latino trans cartoonist from Venezuela, now based in Argentina. His comics explore themes of self-discovery, found family, and acceptance, blending autobiographical and fantastical storytelling.

Alex D. Ketchum is an Assistant Professor at McGill University and co-organizer of the Queer Food Conference. Her work spans feminist food history, public scholarship, and inclusive event organizing.

Megan J. Elias, Director of Food Studies at Boston University, is a historian of American foodways and author of several books on food culture, gender, and hospitality.

Facilitated by Scott Alves Barton, Simon A. Thibault, David Matchett