Gay&, a group focused on bringing the LBGTQ+ and allied communities together, kicked off Pride Weekend in NYC with an intimate poetry reading with Nico Tortorella, LGBTQIA advocate and the star of the hit TV show ‘Younger’ at the E & C Studio of the Sohotel. “We have never been at more of a divide than we are right now […] Part of my mission is to bring people together,” said Tortorella. Gay& organizes fun events in a safe space where everyone is welcome, the ticket proceeds for the event benefited the Hetrick-Martin Institute. “Sharing space, creating space, holding space for each other and it’s not just for the Queer community; it’s for everyone right now. That is how I celebrate Pride,” said Tortorella.

Recently the press announced that Nico Tortorella came out as gender fluid. However, Nico cleared up that statement during our interview, “I did not specifically come out at gender fluid. Gender fluid is a term Trinity used and I expanded on the idea of it. When Trinity said that, it came out in the press from every article from US Weekly to page 6 saying Nico came out as gender fluid. I am not mad about that. I quietly reconstructed my own space for my own gender identity and expression. For so long, I felt that I did not fit in gender nonconformity or non-binary boxes.”

Nico Tortorella proudly released his first book of poetry, All Of It Is You at the ultimate celebration of books, BookCon. “I had a podcast for a few years and I was writing a lot of poetry in my own life. In tarot when you pull the death card, something in your life has to pass for something new to be born. I think everything that I’ve done led me to this book one way or another and All Of It Is You ,” said Tortorella.

Tortorella’s book of poems is broken down into three sections: body, the earth, and the universe. Tortorella stated, “the book was written very quickly, I was journaling for 45 days. It was almost like a 40 day fast in one way or another. It was splurging out of me.” Tortorella’s creative writing process is done in a sacred space, alone at home. There is even a ceremony to channel and relax before journaling begins.

Tortorella performed 2 hours of poetry from his collection, All Of It Is You at E & C Studio. Members of the audience were brought on stage and they had to ask the universe a question, pick a number, then Tortorella read the poem on that page as the answer to their question or as their tarot card reading.

Nico Tortorella’s poems explore themes including body image, complicated family relationships, loss, love and God. “In the process of writing book, I developed my own intimate relationship with the idea of God and how it relates to us and how the complete manifestation of our physical being, emotional being and spiritual beings are in one way a mirror of God itself,” said Tortorella.

During “Breaking Down the Binary,” a panel at the ATX Television Festival, a man dressed as a robot rudely interrupted Tortorella with homophobic insults. Tortorella handles verbal attacks by keeping a positive perspective. “To understand that hatred always comes from fear and pain and trauma and that is something we can all relate to. The hatred has nothing to do with me at all. It has to do with them and I revert to empathy, compassion and love,” said Tortorella.

Despite what your beliefs are, Tortorella’s raw, emotional, honest poetry collection is something everyone can relate to. “Breaking down is so healthy and so beautiful. Share your own story with friends and family or online and let yourself experience the full range of your emotion and accept and appreciate them all no matter what. So many people are walking through this world and they are not feeling anything at all,” said Tortorella.

Be sure to pick up a copy of All Of It Is You. You will laugh, smile and cry and discover a new part of yourself, because all of it is you.

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