ARE's RISE Center

05/29/2026

Come join us at RISE next Tuesday 6/2 at 6pm for an important community conversation. The Phoenix Project will be coming to talk about how domestic violence impacts the LGBTQ+ community and what we can do about it. Bring your questions and bring your friends.

05/29/2026

Come meet local author TJ West at ARE’s RISE Center Q***r Book Fair on June 13th from 1-5pm!

The proud son and grandson of farmers and coal miners, TJ West is a q***r romance writer and culture critic. He has a B.A. in English, History and Classics from Marshall University (WV), and a M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Syracuse University (NY). Though based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore–where he lives with my partner and cat–the Mountain State will always have a piece of his heart.

Thomas West

05/28/2026

Check out this amazing menu for Q***r Prom - May 30th TICKETS ON SALE NOW! This menu is being provided by Bonnie Blue Southern Market & Bakery and Cakes By Ashton LLC. Only a few tickets left! Get yours today.

05/26/2026

Come meet local author and artist Tava Baird Darkflower Books and Folk Art at ARE's RISE Center Q***r Book Fair on June 13th from 1-5pm!

Tava Baird is a Lilithian Dae Magick instructor, author, channel, and folk artist who has been a practicing Pagan mentor for over thirty years. She is the owner of Darkflower Books and Folk Art and the co-host of the podcast Metaphysical Musings, and speaks and teaches at Pagan retreats and conferences all over her area. Her fantasy series set in Scotland in the 1700s, The Spiral Pathways, blends authentic Witchcraft practice with Celtic folklore and history.

She resides in the mountains of Virginia, where she runs a haunted doll rescue and haunted dwelling consultation service. Tava designs unique magickal tools while building inclusive communities centered around alternative spiritual practice. Come by Tava's table for a free one-card reading from the Lilithina Deck of Rebellion and visit Tava online at tavabaird.com.

05/25/2026

🚨🚨Low Ticket Alert!🚨🚨

There are only a few tickets left for Prom!! Hurry and get yours today before it sells out!

By AIDS RESPONSE EFFORT INC

05/23/2026

One Week Until Q***R PROM! And we have a new option for purchasing tickets that takes paypal and venmo! https://givebutter.com/q***r-prom-areinc

You do not want to miss out on this event! Get ready for an amazing DJ, , awesome catering with and desserts from .

This event is going to be amazing Don't miss out!

05/22/2026

We are grateful for all of our veterans, especially our LGBTQ+ siblings that have served our country. In observance of Memorial Day, the RISE Center will be closed on Monday 5/25/26 and the evening's events will be cancelled. Please have a fun and safe holiday weekend.

05/22/2026

Come meet local author Taryn Noelle Kloeden at ARE's Rise Center Q***r Book Fair on June 13th from 1-5pm!

Taryn is a lover of nature and all things furry and feathered. As an anthrozoologist and Doctor of Environmental Science, she is dedicating her life to understanding and protecting animals, both human and nonhuman. This zeal for the outdoors combined with a lifelong love affair with fantasy and horror stories led her to create the YA dark fantasy series, The Fenearen Chronicles. Taryn lives on a micro-farm in Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley and is full-time faculty at Purdue University Global.

05/22/2026

Today we celebrate Harvey Milk. "A visionary civil and human rights leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk’s unprecedented loud and unapologetic proclamation of his authenticity as an openly gay candidate for public office, and his subsequent election gave never before experienced hope to Le***an, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people everywhere at a time when the community was encountering widespread hostility and discrimination. His remarkable career was tragically cut short when he was assassinated nearly a year after taking office." To learn more about the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy and the Harvey Milk Foundation, visit their webpage: https://www.harveymilk.com/

05/19/2026

Come meet local author Allison K. Garcia, Author at ARE’s RISE Center Q***r Book Fair on June 13th from 1-5pm!

Allison K. Garcia is a Licensed Professional Counselor, but she has wanted to be a writer ever since she could hold a pencil. She is a member of Shenandoah Valley Writers, Virginia Writers Club, the Author Transformation Alliance, and is Social Media Coordinator for the Rocktown Writers Guild. Allison has been featured in local newspapers, radio stations, universities, and podcasts, and her works about marginalized Christians have won several awards Allison’s stories have been featured in six anthologies, and she has eight published novels: Vivir el Dream, Finding Amor, Finding Seguridad, Finding Paz, The Dry Depths of My Soul, These New Pieces of Me, Tired of Waiting for Tomorrow, and Sow the Winter Fields.