SUMMER MINERVA

THEY/THEM, SHE/HER

PLAYWRIGHT/PERFORMER

Summer Minerva is an independent researcher, performer, public speaker, filmmaker, and educator based in New York City. They hold a BA in International Studies from the University of Miami and a Masters of Science in Education from the City University of New York’s City College. They are currently on faculty at SUNY Empire State College, teaching writing composition through the lens of the labor movement. Over the past 5 years, Summer has retraced their Neapolitan lineage to the third gender group of Naples, and documented the journey in a full-length documentary. Summer Within will be released in 2022, and has previewed at the CIRQUE conference 2019, receiving praise by top researchers in the field. Summer’s performance work on the theme of reclaiming loss of cultural identity due to Italian-American assimilation into whiteness has been funded by Gibney Dance in NYC, as part of a highly competitive residency program. Summer wrote and performed the one-person play As Sylvia, about the life of activist Sylvia Rivera. Summer has presented their work at various colleges and universities, including NYU, Temple University, Columbia University, Sarah Lawrence College, and William Paterson University. In 2020, they were a featured presenter at MGBLTACC, the largest college LGBTQ+ conference in the Midwest. Summer was a contributing writer to the book Written on the Body, a finalist for the Lambda Literary award.