#PRIDE Notable Quotable: Denice Frohman

"The first time I came out was in a poem when I was 19 years old at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. It was poetry that catalyzed that moment for me, a really young, scared, insecure, and unsure 19-year-old kid who was really coming into themselves, and was not on solid ground. Poetry asks us to have an intentional relationship with language. I felt invited into a deeper knowing about myself because of poetry. I felt called to be a more authentic version of myself. Not just on the stage, but off the stage. When I got off the stage, a light bulb went off. I realized I needed to start to take steps to be authentic in my real life. Poetry gave me the bravery and strength I didn't have. When I say poetry, I don't just mean the poems, I mean the community of poets that really helped me at that time."

Here's more from Denice Frohman on how working in community shapes her artistic process, making a living as an artist, finding inspiration, and more.