WATCH: How poetry brought Phoenix's queer community together

When thems. (with a period) showed up in 2022, the mission was simple: put on some art events that would bring together some unknown talent, gather people who wear cool outfits, and maybe—just maybe—build a community around Phoenix's notoriously undervalued queer art scene.

One of their first ideas was a poetry night: a throwback to cafe culture of the 60's and something that many of us had thought was going to be a bad hangover from the 90's.

But to the surprise probably of many gays in Phoenix, the "Fruity Poetry Night" has gone from filling a corner of a midtown photography studio to themed nights with standing room only, making it the hit scene in Central Arizona.