The Emerge Anthology is a collection of work from Lambda Literary's Retreat Fellows, exhibiting literary work in 7 genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Young Adult Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting, Playwriting, and Speculative Fiction. It is meant to showcase the vast talent of the Lambda Literary Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices and to serve as an archive for this special once-in-a-lifetime experience. Established in 2007, The Writers Retreat is an unparalleled opportunity to be mentored by the very best LGBTQ writers, develop one's craft, make connections with publishing industry professionals, and build a strong community of peers.

Lambda's Fellows are the writers who go on to show the world that queer stories need to be told, that people will drink them up like water. Phillip B. Williams, 2023 Retreat Poetry Faculty, who penned the introduction to the 2023 Emerge, reminisced on the Retreat's nightly reading series in the opening of this anthology-

I remember sitting in the audience each night during fellow readings, wondering how I got to be so lucky to live to see the day that LGBTQQIA (did I get us all?) writers would speak our truth and mythology with such velocity and flame. And that I got to be there. And that you get to witness a taste of what held us all.

Within the 500 pages of the 2023 Emerge Anthology, we represent 76 of the most talented queer emerging and emerged writers. We hope this small taste, this small drink, nourishes you as much as it did us.

Jennifer Thuy Vi Nguyen is a queer, Vietnamese American non- fiction writer who splices essays with jest and graphics. Her work has appeared in Foglifter, the Ponder Review, and New Rivers Press as the winner of the American Fiction Award. You can find her on Instagram at @jennifervinguyen.