About Living Names
Originally planned as a title for a collection of poems about the joys of their queer experiences, author Elayna Mae Darcy decided in 2025 that given the hostile environment faced by trans & gender expansive people in the United States, their time would be better spent sharing not just their own stories, but the stories of others as well.
These stories of trans triumph, hope, and survival will exist here in blog form first, featuring poems and essays about trans lived experiences, with hopes to expand into a larger community art project when they travel across country in the later half of 2025 as part of the Ennui Go Tour with the non-profit organization, The Bad Activist, also based out of Philly.
Founder Elayna Mae Darcy is a poet, filmmaker, and starcluster of feels from Philadelphia. (Go birds!) They are the author of two poetry collections and a YA fantasy novel in verse, and are a co-founder of Elixir Verse Press.
How to Contribute
Please be patient as we continue building our website, we will open to open inquiries soon! Until then, check out all the ways we're looking for folks to get involved below!
POEMS
Our founder's background is largely in poetry, and their work reflects a deep passion for capturing little moments in time, and shining light on the vital importance of small joys in the face of a world filled with despair.
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Share a moment with Elayna, no matter how big or small, that shares a glimpse into your world--what brings you joy or makes you smile on a bad day? Who in your found family has made you feel loved and deserves to be immortalized in poetry?
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SUBMIT A PROMPT (opening soon)
INTERVIEWS
In the trans community, we talk a lot about 'dead names', or the names we leave behind when we choose to live boldly in our authentic identity. It is the opposite of this concept that inspired the name for this project.
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Living Names hopes to share actual stories of actual queer joy in the face of a rising tide of fascism. Subjects have the option to remain anonymous or be public with their names, but the hope is that every person who shares their story with us has a chance to feel seen, loved, and celebrated.
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TELL US YOUR STORY (opening soon)
RESISTANCE ART
Inspired heavily by the internationally renowned community art project, POSTSECRET (founded in 2005 by Frank Warren) this element of the project encourages anonymity, creative expression, and an opportunity to express unbridled joy.
We soon hope to set up a P.O. Box to receive physical cards to be shared on our blog, but until such time, please send us photos of your cards to be shared!
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SHARE YOUR WORK (opening soon)
