Monica Palacios is an American playwright and performer, specializing in Chicana, queer, feminist and lesbian themes as she charted the intersection of queer and Latina identities in Latinx communities with their mutually marginalizing impact. With her works being taught in a number of schools and colleges, she’s also served frequently as a Student Theatre Director in some of them. 

After briefly attending Chico State University and transferring to San Francisco State University where she got her Degree in Cinema with a concentration in screenwriting, Monica proceeded to producing theatre works for over three decades. She also emphasizes activism and community organizing during her performances that specifically highlight her Chicana, queer, feminist and lesbian qualities. With the way she combines aspects of race, culture, and sexuality in her performances, she was recognized as one of the first openly lesbian/queer stand-up comics in San Francisco in 1982. Her approach to her craft has resulted in her poems, plays, and anthologies being taught in universities and examined in scholarly settings, most especially in the fields of LGBTQ Studies, Chicano Studies, and Feminist Studies, which has allowed her to work with students from elementary to college as a writer, director, and dramaturge for over 400 student theatre works.

Among the many awards and recognitions Monica has received, including having a day declared in her name, one of her most recent is being the Inaugural Winner for the 2021 Nancy Dean Lesbian Playwright Award, sponsored by Open Meadows Foundation, for her play - I Kissed Chavela Vargas. 

Find out more and reach out to Monica Palacios through the following links:

• Website - https://www.monicapalacios.com/
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/MonicaPFlash
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mightymonicapalacios/
• Works - https://ucla.academia.edu/MonicaPalacios

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