Artist Profile: Claire J. Orrange ’23 On ‘Queer Life, Queer Love’

“Camp at the Grocery Store,” a short story written by Claire J. Orrange ’23, has been selected for inclusion in the anthology “Queer Life, Queer Love,” which looks at and celebrates the work of new and emerging BGLTQ+ writers from around the world. Orrange wrote the story during the beginning of the pandemic as part of Harvard English professor Neel Mukherjee’s creative writing workshop.

“I was home in Buffalo, having just been evicted from school, and I honestly didn’t really know what to write about,” Orrange said. “They say to write what you know, so I ended up writing a story about a trans woman who smokes weed and then goes to the grocery store.”

Orrange was first introduced to creative writing through Harvard’s workshops. Although she had previously done analytical writing and journaling, she had never tried fiction writing before.

“I thought [the creative writing workshop] would be a good creative outlet that I could use to process emotions, or to just have a more unique class that wasn’t just problem sets or essays,” Orrange said.

She was also introduced to “Queer Life, Queer Love” through the workshop when Mukherjee emailed her about a worldwide queer writing competition based in the UK in November 2020. The competition, run by indie publisher Muswell Press, was looking for writing that “explores characters and experiences beyond mainstream society.”

Orrange submitted two pieces that she had written in Mukherjee’s workshop, not expecting any response. But in April 2021, she was notified that “Camp at the Grocery Store” had been selected for publication in the anthology.

“Queer Life, Queer Love” was released in the UK in November 2021. Although Orrange originally didn’t anticipate being able to attend the anthology’s launch party, which was in the UK, it ended up being on Nov. 25 — the same day as Thanksgiving. While other Harvard students spent their fall break at home, Orrange flew overseas. She had an amazing time meeting the anthology’s editors and publishers, talking with other contributing writers, and signing copies of her work.

“It was a lot of fun. It was at this queer bar. Everyone was drinking. I think I was probably the youngest person in the room, but I felt right at home,” Orrange said.

“Queer Life, Queer Love” was dedicated to the memory of Lucy-Jack Reynolds, Muswell Press publisher Sarah Beal’s trans daughter, who passed away at the age of 20. Orrange said that it was a special experience to be able to be a part of such a personally impactful project.

“The publishers made this very touching toast for their daughter, and we were drinking cocktails that they named after her,” Orrange said. “It felt nice to be able to participate in something like that.”

Orrange said that one of her goals while writing “Camp at the Grocery Store,” as well as everything she has written, was to create a piece of work that centered the experience of trans women, citing the lack of representation of the trans community in literature.

“It’s really lonely. It’s not something I would wish upon anyone,” Orrange said. “So when I wrote ‘Camp at the Grocery Store,’ I wanted to make sure that I was paying it forward to trans girls in the future who might read it.”

When asked about any advice she would give to aspiring writers, Orrange encouraged anyone interested in fiction writing to take creative writing workshops. She also said that just writing pieces and creating work is more important.

“Ultimately, the most important thing to do when you want to make it as a writer is to write. I have to remind myself that all the time,” Orrange said.

“Queer Life, Queer Love” was released in paperback on Jan. 1.