Courtney Stanton

Queer trans writer, poet, and recovering internet opinion-haver.

I’ve spent over a decade writing about culture like it matters—because it does. My work lives in the cracks between games, poetry, criticism, and chaotic queer survival. I’m drawn to art that shouldn’t work but does, systems that should care but don’t, and the strange, tender ways we make meaning anyway.

I used to write angry-funny internet criticism (BuzzFeed, Salon, many viral tweets). Then I made small, personal games about cats and emotional collapse. Now I write poetry and fiction—lyrical, messy, and unafraid of darkness.

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📖 Poetry

Chapbooks (available in Portland at Bishop & Wilde + Zuckercreme, or digitally on Itch.io among others):

The Goodbye Game (2024) – A chapbook about the funerals we hold for people who aren't dead yet.
Patience (2022) – EMT prayers in free verse.
Schatzi (2021) – Love poems for people who don’t trust love.

🎮 Games

Tiny, emotional, and glitchy in the best way:

Everyday (2012) – A game about depression and the mundane horror of being perceived. ("Good game with positive pro-leggings message." —Porpentine)
December, 2012 (2012) – A haunting, personal game about loss and bad holidays. ("Creates an emotional response almost alien to mainstream games." —Vice)

✍️ Criticism & Essays

Selected writing on tech and culture:

BuzzFeed: "A Woman Walks Into A Tech Conference." (on blatant sexism in the tech industry).
Salon: "Our tech industry breeds bigots."
Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun (contribution) – Even anarchists need activities.

🎤 Speaking & Interviews

I’ve talked about games, internet culture, and creative work at:

AlterConf (on fostering inclusive gaming communities).
Donut.js (on how to manage people).
Podcasts: JJBX, Tummelvision.

Interviews about my work:

Uses This (anti-perfectionist tools for relentless work).
Exolymph (worker-owned bot experiments).

🗣️ Community & Events

I’ve hosted/organized readings, salons, and conferences, including:

Reading of Wrong Way by Joanne McNeil (recap).
Electric Objects Salon (program).
No Show Conf ("The conference for people who hate conferences.").

🌐 Find Me (If You Must)

Active: Friend Camp (Mastodon) | Bluesky (mirror)
Legacy: Instagram (mostly to direct people here).
Facebook: Only for mutual aid and helping local organizers migrate off Facebook (please god).

Want to work together? Email me.

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